Queen of The Mountain: The Big Wheel Part Two

About a year ago I wrote about the Island in Pigeon Forge. Since there have been so many additions this past year I thought it warranted an update. Last year there were only a handful of stores and restaurants open but now the Island is full of neat little shops, restaurants and entertainment.

They kicked off the new year with their synchronized fountain show. (Just like the Bellagio in Las Vegas, only smaller). At the stroke of midnight they had their first show. The fountains are in operation all the time, but every thirty minutes they literally "dance" to music. They are especially beautiful at night when you can see the colored lights. People love to sit around the fountains in rocking chairs and wait for the fountain show.

Last spring they had free outdoor movies on the Island.

Not only did they screen the movie, they had games and all kinds of fun activities (based on the theme of the movie) for the whole family. For example, when they showed Pirates of the Caribbean, they had actual "pirates" who led the pirate games for the kids. Then the kids got to lie on inner tubes to watch the movie. American Graffiti was shown during Spring Rod Run so they had an assortment of old cars on display. Hop was shown around Easter and the bunny games included an egg hunt. For Happy Feet, Ripley's Aquarium actually brought some of their penguins to the Island to entertain the kids. And for The Great Outdoors the cast of Lumberjack Feud came out and put on a demonstration of log rolling. They even let some of the audience members try their luck. Oh well, you get the idea.

This past summer several new shops and restaurants opened. You can now eat at Dick's Last Resort or Margaritaville and this winter Paula Dean's Kitchen will open. You can go to the Puzzle store and work on the world's largest jigsaw puzzle. You can have a 7-D adventure. Or you can go sample Smoky Mountain Moonshine. If you have a sweet tooth you can grab some ice cream, candy, or perhaps a cupcake and some coffee and then enjoy it by the fountains. While you're walking around you'll see seasonal decorations and you might see some exotic birds or a human statue and sooner or later you're bound to hear some live music.

And you might not see it, but there's always some kind of treasure hunt going on. If you follow their Facebook page you'll get a hint about where to find the hidden object. For October they hide a skull somewhere on the Island every day and if you find it, you win a prize! Do you know where this one is?

It was tucked away at Margaritaville. Speaking of Margaritaville, their hotel is now open. So if you really like the area and you have the money you can just stay there. The rooms are gorgeous and if you get cold sitting by the fountains you can walk over and sit by their fire pit.

But the main focal point of The Island is The Big Wheel.

Now we probably never would have forked out the money to ride it, but my lovely daughter and son-in-law gave us a VIP pass for four people. (If you don't know what to give people who have everything they're ever gonna need, give them an adventure! We've received certificates for a wine tasting, a walking food tour, and skeet shooting.)

My sister and brother-in-law came to visit and we decided to take the ride. We were a little apprehensive about the height, but I cashed in my certificate and we headed for the wheel. They took our picture and then put us in the glass-bottomed VIP car and up we went!