Location
Our 2025 event is located at the Fontana Village Resort in Fontana Dam, North Carolina. The resort is less than 10 miles from the Tail of the Dragon, which makes it a perfect venue for our event! When we pull out of the resort we are in the heart of the greatest roads in America!
The Fontana Village Resort is a full-service resort with multiple restaurants on site, a General Store, gas station, car wash station, pool with lazy river and much more. They have hotel lodge rooms, cabana rooms, over 125 cabins and even a campground.
After registering for the event, we will send you the information to receive your discounted rate for the resort.. You will want to arrive on Thursday, May 15th, as we will do our Registration Check-In that evening and start our drives on Friday morning, the 16th.
Fontana Village Resort
300 Woods Rd
Fontana Dam, NC, 28733
welcome dinner
We will have a Welcome Dinner on Friday night at the 129 Hub, located just before reaching the Tail of the Dragon. The 129 Hub is the restaurant and retail store you want to stop by when visiting the Tail of the Dragon. Their food is fantastic and they have the nicest and classiest apparel and swag in the area. They also have a huge Dragon sign in their parking lot, which makes for an awesome photo opportunity.
registration check-in
We will have our registration check-in oh Thursday, May 15th and Friday morning, May 16th for the 2025 event. This will be in the Event Hall of the Fontana Village Resort. You will be emailed an Event Guide with the event details, times, maps, itinerary, and general event info. You will receive your event decals, loaner walkie-talkies, printed maps and wrist-bands at the check-in. The registration and check-in info and times will be emailed prior to the event.
driver meetings
Before every drive we have a mandatory Driver Meeting to ensure everyone has a fun, yet safe experience. Here we will go over our driving route, safety rules and tips, how we communicate with our walkie-talkies, details on fuel stops and general drive information.
decals
We use event decals so our photographers can identify everyone in our group. The Lotus versus the Dragon events use a windshield banner that can be easily cut and modified to fit the various windshields offered on our favorite cars.
Killboy Photography
We have partnered with Killboy Photography, the original photographer of the Tail of the Dragon. Their team of photographers are stationed along the Tail of the Dragon to capture your bucket-list drive, and have been doing so since 2001. These guys are the best in the business and have been featured in dozens of magazines, books, and even on The Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Travel Channel, We have one of their photographers along with us for all of our events, so we are able to capture photos for you that no one else gets in the area, on roads no other photographers cover. Your photos are included in your registration for all of the Dragon Rally events. Other events like our Poker Runs, Private Events, etc., may or may not include photos and will be dependent upon that specific event.
Quill’s Canteen
Hazel’s
food
The Fontana Village Resort has two restaurants, an ice cream parlor and a full bar that is very well stocked.
Quill’s Canteen is right next to the Event Hall that our event is held and can easily seat our whole group. Located at the center of Fontana Village, Quill’s Canteen is a fast-casual eatery featuring counter-service style, blending authentic Appalachia with a modern flair. Diners can savor a selection of regional specialties and popular North Carolina classics, including Carolina Trout Bites, an Appalachian Smash Burger, traditional southern treats like Fried Pickle Spears, and a variety of "Dam Good Pizzas".
Nestled in the scenic heart of Fontana Village, Hazel's serves the freshest ingredients alongside breathtaking views of The Great Smoky Mountains. Enjoy a mix of classic and contemporary flavors that celebrates both the rich culinary heritage of the region and the beauty of our natural surroundings.
The Fontana Ice Cream Parlor is a resort favorite, serving up a variety of sweet and frozen treats like ice cream scoops, classic sundaes, milkshakes, and more.
Being next to Maryville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee and at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, there are no shortage of restaurants in the area. This area has something for everyone and we even have four, 5-Star restaurants very close by.
Foothills Parkway
Cherohala Skyway
The Drives
Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina are home to the greatest driving roads in America, including the legendary Tail of the Dragon. This whole mountainous region is covered in fantastic roads, and we hope to cover them all! Every driving event travels different roads and will have totally different routes. So even if you attend one year, you will want to come back the next because the routes will be totally different! Our drives can be anywhere from 220-300 miles, and last between five and seven hours. These drive lengths will vary based on the route but you will drive around 700 miles of the greatest mountain roads in America over the three-day weekend.
Photoshoots
We do at least one photoshoot at every event, usually on an area dam. We have one dam in particular we prefer and both of the pictures above are from the same dam, just in two different locations.
Fuel stops
We make several fuel stops during our drives and never go over 100 miles between stops. This is not only an opportunity for a restroom break, snack and gas, but an awesome time to catch up and socialize. We have had attendees say our gas stops were some of their best memories from the trip. It is like a rolling Cars and Coffee when we bring our cars through some of these small towns and take over their gas stations. This is a great time to meet like-minded car enthusiasts, talk about the drive and insane roads you just completed, or how your car performed and how good your new friends’ car sounded.
Lodge Room
Killboy Cabin
lodging
We have a discounted rate with Fontana Village Resort, where the event is held. This is less than 10 miles from the Tail of the Dragon and right in the heart of the greatest roads in America.
The Fontana Village Resort is a full-service resort with multiple restaurants on site, a General Store, gas station, car wash station, pool with lazy river and much more. They have hotel lodge rooms, cabana rooms, over 125 cabins and even a campground.
Your Registration Confirmation Email will have the information for our discounted rate for booking.
Fontana Village Resort
300 Woods Rd
Fontana Dam, NC, 28733
Photos and video courtesy of: Killboy Photography, Timothy Leach Photography, 129 Hub, and the Fontana Village Resort.