Pigeon Forge Closings in 2026: Final Dates and What's Next

"What started as a dream to build a fun place for families has grown into something far greater than we ever envisioned," said Vic Barrett, founding partner of The Track Family Fun Park, in the announcement that the Pigeon Forge park will close its doors on October 31, 2026. The Track opened in 1984. Its Pigeon Forge park was the first of seven the company built, and it has run go-karts, mini golf, blaster boats, bumper cars, thrill rides, Kids Country rides and an arcade for 42 years.

The Track is one of several long-running Pigeon Forge names with a final day on the 2026 calendar. Looked at one by one, each closing reads like its own sad story. Taken together, they share a cause. Most of these goodbyes were set in leases, sales and courthouse filings months before the last day. That's why the dates are firm, and it's why most of the buildings already have a next tenant named.

The dates, in the order they arrive

Two of these closings have already happened. Three are still ahead, and two of those come this month.

1. Corky's BBQ closed on Aug. 17 after 30 years of serving Memphis-style barbecue in Pigeon Forge.
2. Hard Rock Cafe at 2050 Parkway served its last day at the end of August. The chain's run in the Smokies started in Gatlinburg in 1999 and moved to Pigeon Forge in 2014.
3. The Grand Majestic Theater has its final performances on Friday, Oct. 16, and Saturday, Oct. 17, according to the theater's own ticket page. Earlier coverage gave Oct. 31 as the last show. The mid-October weekend is the venue's most recent word.
4. The Track closes on Oct. 31. When WATE reported the closing in May, it gave Nov. 1. The park's own page now says Halloween, so a last ride should happen by then.
5. Cooter's Place, the "Dukes of Hazzard" museum owned by actor and former U.S. Congressman Ben Jones and his wife, Alma Viator, will close on Dec. 31 after 25 years.

Why the October dates aren't moving

The two closings this month both trace back to the property, and neither was a sudden decision.

The Grand Majestic announced its final season on social media back in February. WVLT reported the theater's explanation: the decision "comes only at the notice that the property and building we have called home for the last 12 years has been sold to a developer to make way for a new attraction in 2027." So the theater has spent its whole 2026 season, with Soul of Motown, Grand American Opry and The KING Comes Home, on a deadline set by that sale. For anyone who has put off going, dinner-and-show tickets are listed at $49.95 plus tax. They must be bought at least two hours before showtime, and the theater offers senior, military, veteran and first-responder discounts by phone only.

The Track's case is simpler. WATE reported that the park could not renew the lease on its land. A lease end works like a sale closing. The date comes from paperwork, and a busy fall weekend doesn't change it.

That paperwork is closing out a long run of local jobs. Over 42 years, The Track employed about 5,000 people, and the park says it was often a first job for young people in the area. General manager Jeff Wolfe has been with The Track for more than 35 years. The park is asking people to share photos and memories with #FinalLapAtTheTrack and #TrackMemories. It hasn't announced a final-day event.

The Hard Rock building shows how far ahead these deals happen

The clearest example of a goodbye signed long before the last day is at 2050 Parkway. The Mountain Press reported that Giordano's had confirmed a lease on the property, and courthouse records showed that lease started Feb. 1 and runs to 2037. For months after that, Giordano's was subleasing the building to Hard Rock and planned to open its own restaurant there later. A Giordano's spokesperson, Meghan Parra, told the paper, "There's still a lot of planning ahead for us to decide what that timeline would be."

In other words, people were still eating at Hard Rock Cafe while the Chicago pizza chain already held the lease. Smith Global LLC still owns the property. The same report said Smith Global had sold the Smoky Mountain Opry property next door to 2046 Parkway LLC, a company owned by local businessman Darby Campbell. Campbell announced plans for a "premier entertainment destination" in the former Opry building. The paper also pointed out that the Grand Majestic sits a short distance down the Parkway. Within a few blocks of that part of the Parkway, a restaurant building, a theater property and a former music hall have all changed hands or lined up new uses in the same year.

Which buildings already have a next tenant

Because these changes started with property deals, most of the empty buildings already have a name attached. Only The Track's site has no reported next use.

Pigeon Forge's official visitor site lists P Town Korean BBQ as coming soon to the old Corky's building, and Giordano's as opening later this year in the old Hard Rock Cafe building. Neither listing gives a date. For now they're announcements, not opening days.

Most of the operators aren't leaving the region

The people behind these places are mostly staying in business, and some are staying close to Pigeon Forge.

The team behind the Grand Majestic is DDM Productions, which has spent two decades on stage in the Smokies. It is opening Supper Club VIP in downtown Sevierville, listed for early winter 2027. In February, the theater hinted that the curtain closing in October didn't mean a final bow. For Grand Majestic regulars in Pigeon Forge, that means a short drive up the road.

Cooter's started in Gatlinburg in 2002 before moving to Pigeon Forge. It will keep running Cooter's in Music City in Nashville and Cooter's in the Valley in Luray, Virginia. The Track will keep parks in Destin, Florida; Gulf Shores, Alabama; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, plus Fat Daddy's Arcade locations in Destin and Orange Beach, Alabama.

What Pigeon Forge loses is the local location: the Saturday-night show nearby, the go-kart track down the road, and the museum where Daisy Duke herself might be signing autographs.

That last one is literal. Cooter's says its closing season will include visits from Catherine Bach, Tom Wopat, Byron Cherry and Jeff Altman, along with events, reunions and music. The museum hasn't posted dates for those appearances yet, so its own announcements page is the place to watch between now and Dec. 31.

Where the closings meet Winterfest

The last two goodbyes overlap with the start of the holiday season. Winterfest lights turn on Nov. 6 and stay up through Jan. 31, 2027, with more than six million lights. The kickoff is Friday, Nov. 13, from 3 to 8 p.m. at Patriot Park, with live music, food trucks, a veterans salute, fireworks and opening night of the Christmas Village. The Christmas Village is open Nov. 13–15 and Nov. 20–28, with more than 40 artisans taking part each year. The Mountain Mile Christmas Market returns to 2655 Teaster Lane on Fridays and Saturdays from Nov. 27 through Dec. 31.

That puts Cooter's final day on the same night as the market's last evening, Dec. 31. By then The Track will have been closed for two months. The Grand Majestic stage will be dark and waiting for the new attraction planned for 2027, and Giordano's or P Town may have opened, or may still be working toward the opening day neither has announced.

When a long-running building on the Parkway changes hands, the deal usually happens long before the closing date, just as it did at 2050 Parkway. If you own a cabin, commercial lot or buildable land near one of these sites and want to know how these changes could affect its value, Kristi Street can walk you through it. Request a consultation and home valuation, and get the full picture of your property before you decide anything.