A New Attraction Is Slated To Replace the Smoky Mountain Opry
Get ready to officially say goodbye to an area icon: The Smoky Mountain Opry
As someone who has knocked around the Smoky Mountains for more than 30 years, I remember the heyday of Pigeon Forge music houses. Various country stars tried to use the mountain vacation venues as a place to set up residencies - something like Sinatra or Celine Dion in Vegas. But they never quite worked – or maybe they worked for a while then faded away.
One such place was the Smoky Mountain Opry which was home – for a while – to Country Music legend Louise Mandrell. But the theatre – which underwent many changes over the years – closed in May 2020 and never reopened. Now, the theatre is ready for a colorful – and squeezable – fresh start.
The Smoky Mountain Opry closed in 2020 and will soon be replaced by the Crayola Experience which is slated to open in fall 2024. The NERF Action Xperience will be going in next door.
IN THIS ARTICLE
- History of the Smoky Mountain Opry
- What happened to the Smoky Mountain Opry?
- What's going in its place?
History of the Smoky Mountain Opry
The theater opened for the country music star – maybe legend – Louise Mandrell in 1997. Mandrell hadn’t hit the heights of her sister and variety show co-star Barbara. But she’d had a successful career in her own right in the early 80s. By the early 90s, she was playing a theater in Branson, Missouri. She came to Pigeon Forge in 1997 for the Louise Mandrell Theater – a similar concept to Lee Greenwood’s theatre. Mandrell’s show ran until the end of 2005 when she was bought out.
A multi-million-dollar renovation followed and saw the debut of the Miracle Theater. It was home to religious-themed shows from 2006 through 2011. The Miracle Theater drew international attention following a spat with comedian Kathy Griffin over her Emmy acceptance speech.
In late 2011, the theater was – if you’ll forgive the term – resurrected as the Smoky Mountain Opry, featuring a variety-type country music show. In 2018, the same people who own Dolly's Stampede bought the Theater that had closed in 2020.
What happened to the Smoky Mountain Opry?
Well, it closed at first – in May of 2020 – due to the pandemic. But when other attractions returned – the theater next to the Hard Rock Café didn’t. Why? We can only speculate. With the Pirates Show, the Stampede and the Hatfield and McCoy’s, it seems dinner shows are the safest bet for Pigeon Forge. Add in the well-established Country Tonite and Comedy Barn and one would imagine there’s only so many tourism dollars to support live shows.
A lot of other smaller shows have opened and closed without much success. It seems – from the outside – that there’s no business like show business in the Smokies.
What's going in its place?
In August of 2023, Crayola announced that its sixth Crayola Experience Attraction will open in the spot. The 30,000-square-foot indoor family entertainment center will have over 20 hands-on attractions and a retail store. It will feature “innovative, never-before-seen attractions.” Included will be one-of-a-kind Crayola Experience Activities such as naming their own Crayola crayon, starring in their own coloring page, and creating melted wax art.
But that’s not all. Next door to the Crayola Experience will be the NERF Action Xperience. The 29,000-square-foot attraction will feature NERF battle zones, obstacle courses and other challenges.
Both attractions are slated to open in fall 2024 in Pigeon Forge.
In a way, the legacy of the Smoky Mountain Opry – which began its life as part of the Pigeon Forge celebrity theatre wars – will continue. Now, instead of battling colorful, fading country stars, the location will be home to NERF battles and colorful crayons.
Are you planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains soon? Make sure to check out our coupons page before your trip!