New Pigeon Forge Visitor Center

Dolly’s image and voice appear on the large flat screen television on the wall of the visitor center, and she urges you to see what is happening in Pigeon Forge today. Just step into the 34-seat theater and the doors close automatically behind you as the screen comes to life.

The theater displays well-programmed presentations of mountain scenery, shopping malls, Dollywood, rollicking shows and Christmas lights, along with the latest attractions, shops and restaurants that make up this very busy foothills town. It gives visitors a quick, thorough overview about what is available in the area.

Kay Powell, Assistant Director of the Department of Tourism for Pigeon Forge, said, ‘It’s magic. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want,” and the presentations make them “ask more questions.” She is seeing larger numbers of vacationers visit the area more frequently for shorter periods of time. It is not unheard of for groups of people to come here 6 times during the year. Powell said, “some people even come nine times a year”, and we need “to show them what’s new.”

The new, $100,000 system allows for easy additions or deletions to be made to the presentation, and as Rouser Company GM, Martin Rouser added, “the program allows audio and video files in any format, including high-definition video, to be easily dragged and dropped into sequence.” It’s “much easier than with conventional methods of presentation,” he said. “It’s extremely flexible.”