The Dawsons and the McGradys face off against each other.
I have to tell you — our kids REALLY enjoyed the Lumberjack Feud dinner show in Pigeon Forge. I think they’d both tell you it was the best thing they did this trip to the Smokies. It beat horseback riding and go-carting. And that’s saying something.
The Lumberjack Feud show opened in September in Pigeon Forge. And it’s not just another song and dance show, that’s for sure. I’m not sure a song/dance show would have held my 5-year-old’s attention. But this show sure did. (Make sure you check out the Kid Testers’ video reactions at the end of this very-long post! I love sweet Parker’s video!)
Here’s what we experienced at the Lumberjack Feud:
The new Lumberjack Feud building in Pigeon Forge
We arrived about a half hour early, as was suggested. We spent some time looking around the gift shop. It was really touristy, but still fun. My kids loved the t-shirts that had a lumberjack’s body on them. The shop was fun to look through.
Even though the Lumberjack Feud building isn’t much to look at, the themeing inside is great! And in front, there are fun fall displays that my kids enjoyed.
After checking out the gift shop, we headed through the door marked for our “family,” the Dawsons. The kids really got excited about having a particular family to cheer for. My daughter liked our family’s outfits with the fun silver hats, but she wished the girl for the other family was representing our side. They were really into that whole aspect of the show.
Our Kid Testers liked the fun fall scene-setters outside.
Before heading to our seats, a photo was taken of our whole group. They were really cute, and of course, for sale after the show. There was a long line, though, so we didn’t wait to see our photo.
On to our seats. The kids were in awe as we walked into the huge auditorium. The set is pretty spectacular, with lots of tall trees (up to 55 feet high, indoors) and a small “river” area of water.
We were seated in rows of tables. I loved that the tables were like sitting at a bar, so you could sit facing forward while watching the show. A very attentive waiter was by immediately to get our drink choices, which he then wrote in front of us in white-board-marker (which I thought was really clever…).
Soon, our food was placed in front of us. But the kids were so busy watching silly pre-show shows that they had a hard time eating. There was a very realistic-looking bear running around scaring people and funny juggling routine. The kids were laughing and having a great time.
A kids' meal at the Lumberjack Feud -- chicken fingers, mac and cheese and a roll.
As for the food — well, let’s just say that you aren’t paying for the food. At least, I wouldn’t pay much for it. The fried chicken was okay (one of us had some pretty serious gristle to content with), but the ribs were dry, tough, and taste-less. I thought the mac and cheese and beans were pretty good, though. And the kids said they loved their meals (though they each only ate about half). The strawberry shortcake for dessert was served in a cute little jar and was really good!
Even though the food wasn’t great, I’d still recommend doing dinner with the show, if you can fit it in your budget. The kids thought is was great fun to eat while watching, and it was nice to have a never-ending drink (again, we had a great waiter). The dinner definitely added to the whole experience.
An adult meal at the Lumberjack Feud -- ribs, fried chicken, baked beans and mac and cheese.
After the pre-show, the actual show got started with a quick historical video about The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and the affect it had on the logging families in the area. The premise of the show is that there’s limited room for logging families, now that the park is coming. So the two families are fighting it out for who gets to stay.
The show starts out with a play-like bit, telling the story of how the Dawsons and the McGraws were friends originally, until they had to fight for logging space. Eventually, the two families decide to have a lumberjack contest to see which family will get to stay.
The lumberjacks compete in a chain-saw race. The guys really liked this one.
This is where the show gets really interesting. The lumberjacks that compete aren’t actors — instead, they are professional ESPN timber athletes. They compete in more than 10 events, right in front of you. They throw axs, scramble up trees, use souped-up chain saws, etc. It’s great fun to watch. The lumberjacks are really competing, so it’s fun to cheer for your team and jeer at the other family. The audience really got into it.
Our family, the Dawsons, ended up winning by a really narrow margin. The kids were ECSTATIC!!! The jumped around and screamed. It was really fun to see them get so into something. Overall, it was a really great show – the kids loved the competition aspect of it, and the adults were entertained by the lumberjacks’ feats!
Here are a few other points of interest about the show:
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Kid Tester Jaybin with his signed "cookie."
Any time your family wins a contest, the lumberjack will hand out a “cookie” (a sawed-off log piece) that has actually been sawed off on stage. My son was the lucky first recipient of a cookie, and it was signed by the lumberjack. He was thrilled with it.
- If you’re looking for a great play, this isn’t what you want. The acting is sub-par, probably because the “actors” are actual timber athletes. And the “play” part of the show is decidedly cheesy. But it’s not the point of the show, so it didn’t bother us. The kids didn’t even notice.
- Tip isn’t included in the rather steep price of the tickets. Remember to bring some cash, since you can’t add it to a credit bill. The suggested tip is $4 per person, but that seemed like a bit much to me.
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Out littlest Kid Tester enjoyed the show, too!
If you’re wondering about bringing a baby, I’ll tell you that it’s a really easy show to bring a baby to. The audience participates a lot, so it’s usually pretty loud in the auditorium. My 10-month-old nephew, Parker, hates to sit still. But he was pretty happy to sit and watch the show. And no one ever hear his babbles.
Buying tickets to the Lumberjack Feud
Tickets are available online. The cost for dinner and show is as follows: adults (12 years and up): $39.95; child (3-11 years): $16.95; younger kids are free, one per paid adult.
Of course, you can just go to the show, too. Cost is: adults: $26.95; kids: $9.95; younger kids are free.
The night we went to the show, only about half of the seats were full. The empty ones were almost entirely the non-meal seats, which are further in the back. But they are still good seats.
Kid Tester Reactions
Finally, here’s what our Kid Testers thought of the show:
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