January 2008 Archives

Christus Gardens, a 47-year landmark located in the heart of Gatlinburg, will cease operations and if a pending sale of the property goes through, redevelopment of the land could begin in 2008.

Millions of people have visited the attraction which dramatically portrays the life and death of Jesus Christ, but 71-year-old Ronald Ligon of Franklin, Tenn., who conceived and built Christus Gardens, said that due to his age, poor health, and a lack of interest among family members to continue operations, he made the decision early last year to sell the property. "I think it's best to get some things worked out before something happens to me and I leave that responsibility to someone else," Ligon said.

As for the displays which include a six-ton marble carving of the face of Jesus, paintings depicting the parables of Jesus, and an heirloom Bible collection, Ligon said, "We will move it all into storage and hope that someone comes forward who will be interested in taking the business and moving it elsewhere. I've gotten too old to start over somewhere else."

A record year for Dollywood took place in 2007 as the attraction and Splash Country exceeded 2.5 million visitors. Dollywood spokesman Pete Owens attributed the increased attendance to two factors: good weather and the new popular ride Mystery Mine.

Mystery Mine has garnered national and international attention, Owens said. The ride is based on three superstitions of mining, he said: take off your boots when entering a mine; birds other than a canary are bad; and don't whistle in a mine. The ride has multiple lifts and drops, and it drops 85 feet at a 95-degree angle in one part. The top speed is 55 to 60 mph at the second drop, according to Owens.

Besides the good weather and Mystery Mine, Owens said five shows throughout the year at Dollywood were the most honored from any theme park in the entertainment division at the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in November. Among the honors, "Christmas in the Smokies" won the heartbeat award for greatest emotional connection with the audience.

New for 2008 will be a water ride called River Battle. Owens called it a family fun ride. The ride features nine rafts with eight passengers each followiing a 500-foot channel and battling each other with water supersoakers as well as shooting objects including talking animals.

Dollywood will stay open into January 2009, longer than usual because New Year's Day is on a Thursday. The scheduled last day of the 2008 season is Jan. 3, 2009. Days and operating hours are subject to change.