I'm River Rat's Marketing Director! That means if it has our logo on it, I’ve had my hands on it.
The natural world is a source of life for me, so I built a career around connecting others with that experience. It's happened so authentically; it often feels like it built itself.
Just before graduating from UTK with a Marketing Analytics degree, the Smoky Mountain outdoor recreation industry caught my attention. I started as the Marketing Manager for Foxfire Mountain Adventure Park and their cidery, Wyile Cider. Then fate did its thing in 2018 and I became a River Rat.
I’m grateful to work alongside beautiful people that pursue excellence in all they do. I can only finesse in my position because of their fantastic work. This place is truly unique. I’m proud to be a River Rat.
The Ultimate Adventure: Smoky Mountain Style Webster defines adventure as an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks an exciting or remarkable experience an enterprise involving financial risk I can think of a number of things to fit these definitions, can’t you? The Smoky Mountains are home to lots of adventurous activities like whitewater rafting…
If you live anywhere near East Tennessee and don’t consider yourself an “outdoorsy” person, there’s a good chance you’ve felt left out of activities your more nature loving friends enjoy. Thankfully, we have a solution for you! Laurel Falls Trail is the perfect Smoky Mountains hike if traditional hiking is not your cup of tea.…
Rounding out this mini-series on activities in the Smokies, we’ll take a look at some of the amazing activities available in the Gatlinburg, Townsend, and Pigeon Forge areas. These activities will have a more adult theme to them, so keep these in mind the next time you’re planning an adult weekend to The Great Smoky…
One of the many things we love about our little corner of the world, the Smoky Mountains area, is that there’s an abundance of activities, events, and places to visit for people of all ages. From 2 to 92, everyone can find something for them in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Townsend. However, this one’s…
Gatlinburg and the surrounding areas of Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Townsend. In the face of disaster and tragedy at the end of the year, there was a silver lining — the people of East Tennessee stepped up and came together to help our neighbors. More than enough goods and services were donated to meet the…
Happy first day of winter! What better way to kick off the winter season than a chilly, overcast day. With the weekend approaching, and holiday vacation time looming, why not take a trip down to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge do a tremendous amount of winter events each…
Winter is officially upon us, and the cold winter temperatures have people bundling up and turning on their space heaters. While we would bet that you would love to be out on the Pigeon River doing some tubing (we sure do too), there is another way that you can get out and tube this winter!…
On November 28th, 2016 a small fire that originated in the Chimney Tops of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park sprung out of control when the humidity dropped and wind speeds increased — at one point possibly reaching 87 m.p.h. in certain locations. These wind speeds, extremely dry conditions, and downed power lines throwing sparks…
Home to Smoky Mountain River Rat, Townsend is a small city that lies in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains. Known for being one of three gateways into Great Smoky Mountain National Park — the other two being Gatlinburg, TN, and Cherokee, NC — Townsend is home to 448 people, and has a rich…
With the stunning mountain views and incredible wildlife, one of the most popular outdoor activities in the Smoky Mountains is hiking — and the changing leaves of September and October make fall the perfect season to go. There are around 80 different scenic trails in the Smoky Mountains, but here are three of our favorite…
