WHICH EAST TENNESSEE ATTRACTIONS ARE RE-OPENING AFTER COVID-19 CLOSURES
As Tennessee continues to reopen, many attractions are announcing their plans to reopen soon.
The state announced Friday it will be lifting the 50% capacity restrictions on restaurants and retail stores, effective May 22.
The state will also allow large non-contact attractions to open on May 22. These include any business that can practice social distancing with strong measures to protect employees and customers, including racetracks, amusement parks, water parks, theaters, dinner theaters, museums, auditoriums and more.
Here’s which attractions have announced their reopening dates. We’ll add to the list as more attractions announce their plans.
- Dollywood: Executives at the theme park haven’t announced an opening date yet, but said it will reopen “soon.”
- Ober Gatlinburg: The ski resort said it will reopen its aerial tramway and mountain activities on Friday, May 22. Guests will see some changes, like social distancing barriers and complimentary hand sanitizer.
- Anakeesta: The attraction a has confirmed plans to reopen on Thursday, May 21.
- Zoo Knoxville: The zoo said it will reopen on Monday, May 18 for passive outdoor use only. That means playgrounds, indoor spaces and interactive experiences will stay closed for now. Guests also have to purchase tickets in advance for specific times.
- Gatlinburg SkyLift Park and SkyBridge: The park and SkyBridge said it would reopen on Friday, May 22, a week earlier than it’s original May 29 reopening.
- Ripley’s Attractions: Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and some other Ripley’s attractions will reopen for business Friday, May 22 and operate daily from 9 to 5 p.m.
- Museum of Appalachia: The museum’s restaurant reopened for curbside pickup on May 4, and its grounds reopened on May 9.
- West Town Mall: The mall reopened on Friday, May 1. Not all of the stores inside have reopened.
- LeConte Lodge: The site said it would start to reopen on Monday, May 18. Some areas, like Alum Cave, will still be closed.
- Ole Red in Gatlinburg: The restaurant will reopen for dine-in with social distancing restrictions and take-out on Friday, May 22 with a live music line up scheduled.
- Wilderness at the Smokies will reopen on May 28. New safety guidelines are posted here.
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Several parks have also announced reopening plans, with some partially reopened already.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The park began a phased reopening on May 9. Read more here. All trails in the Smokies will open on May 23.
- Cherokee National Forest: Some recreation areas in the forest reopened on May 15. The forest is also planning a phased reopening.
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park: The park reopened all trailheads on May 14 as part of its phased reopening process.
