Tweetsie Discussions

With April just around the corner, the High Country is gearing up for warmer temperatures, longer days, blooming flowers and of course, our 2010 season!  We are putting on the finishing touches for opening day – Friday, April 30.  As we celebrate our 53^rd season, we are excited to welcome our guests as well as an array of special events including Letterland, Day Out With Thomas™, the July 4^th Fireworks Extravaganza, a visit from Dora the Explorer™ and her cousin Diego™ , the K-9’s in Flight Frisbee® Dogs, Grammy award-winning performers Riders In The Sky and the annual Ghost Train® Halloween Festival.  Don’t forget to buy your Golden Rail Season Passes so you can enjoy Tweetsie all season long!  Guests can take advantage of preseason rates and save up to $15 per pass (adults save $15, children $10) now through May 2 – just visit www.tweetsie.com for more information. 

We are also getting ready for our close-up as Tweetsie will host the cast and crew during filming of the upcoming movie Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure.  The park will serve as a backdrop for the film’s turn-of-the-century North Carolina setting.  Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure is the second film installment based on the popular Mandie children’s book series.  Filming begins soon and will wrap up mid-April. Lights, camera, Tweetsie!  Follow their “Updates from the Set” at their Web site www.mandieandthecherokeetreasure.com.

And finally, we know our friends and fans enjoy hearing about the new additions at Tweetsie – especially the baby animals!  The newest (and youngest) residents of the Deer Park zoo include pygmy goat kids and a pot bellied piglet.  We’ll post more photos on our Facebook page ... if you are not already a fan, become one soon!  www.facebook.com/tweetsie

As most of you know, the High Country experienced a strong dose of winter weather during an ice and snow storm in December.  Here at Tweetsie Railroad, we are happy to report the park didn’t suffer any major damage, but we will miss some of our favorite trees. 

People often wonder about the animals at Tweetsie’s Deer Park Zoo during the winter season, especially if a storm hits.  Our staff made it to Tweetsie’s Deer Park Zoo at the top of the mountain every day during the ice storm, and their first trip up the mountain (on Christmas Day) to the Zoo took two hours!  Despite the frigid conditions, Tweetsie made sure to keep all of the animals warm and comfortable.  Our llama, burros, miniature pony, goats and deer (which seemed to enjoy the snow the most) all grow thick winter coats which sure came in handy! 

As for Cinder, Tweetsie’s baby pot-bellied pig, she stayed inside the Deer Park Zoo shelter quite a bit with her mom and aunt.  The snow was deeper than Cinder was tall!  Cinder is about 5 months old, and is growing up fast! Speaking of the baby animals, 10 of our Pygmy Goats are expecting babies (known as “kids”) in April, and most will have twins.  We’re excited for you to meet them on April 30, opening day for Tweetsie’s 2010 season!