America's Best Documentary

World renowned filmmaker Ken Burns has been working on a documentary of National Parks in the US for the past 6 years. The documentary is named "The National Parks: America's Best Ideas". He has finally finished and will be showing a 26 minute preview in select cities. Gatlinburg TN was chosen to be one of those few cities!

This preview is a small glimpse into the hard work and dedication that Ken has put into the documentary these past few years. The actual length of the movie is 12 hours long! PBS will be airing the whole thing in 2 hour segments. The first segment will begin on September 27.

Gatlinburg Office of Special Events and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies welcomes Ken and his documentary to be viewed in the lobby at the Aquarium. Showings will be held between July 21-September 26. These showings are being held at a time that is a milestone for the Smoky Mountain Area. The Smokey Mountains National Park has reached it's 75th anniversary this year. The area has come a long way since the Smokies were first dedicated.

If you'll be in the Gatlinburg area between July 21 and September 26 you should stop by Ripley's Aquarium to catch the sneak peek at "The National Parks: America's Best Ideas". It's educational and also gives a little history about the area you're visiting.