Welcome to Great Smoky Experience (the “Website”, “we”, “our”, or “us”), located at https://greatsmokyexperience.com. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website. It applies solely to information collected through the Website and does not apply to information collected through any other platforms or offline.
By using our Website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, please do not use the Website.
We comply with applicable U.S. federal and state privacy laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), and other relevant regulations.
Information We Collect
We collect different types of information depending on how you interact with our website.
Information You Provide Voluntarily
When you use the Website, you may provide personal information directly, including:
- Name and Email Address: When leaving a comment or contacting us through forms.
- Website URL (optional): If you include it in a comment.
- Content of Comments: Including any personal details shared in the message body.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit the Website, we may automatically collect certain technical data, such as:
- IP Address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Pages visited and referring URL
- Time and date of visit
- Interaction with content
- Clickstream data
This data is collected through standard web technologies including:
- Cookies
- Server logs
- Analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics)
We use this information to understand how our website is being used, to improve performance, and to ensure security.
Information from Third Parties
We may receive information from third-party plugins and services (e.g., spam detection services like Akismet or analytics platforms), which may process limited information about your interaction with the Website.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect from you in a variety of ways to operate and improve the Website. Specifically, we may use your information to:
- Respond to inquiries and comments you submit via forms or post as comments.
- Display your comment publicly, if approved, along with your name and optional website link.
- Improve and maintain the Website’s performance, user experience, and content.
- Monitor and analyze trends and usage of the Website to optimize user experience.
- Detect, investigate, and prevent spam, abuse, fraud, and other potentially illegal activities.
- Comply with legal obligations and enforce our legal rights.
We do not use your data for profiling or automated decision-making.
Legal Bases for Processing (If Applicable)
While the Website is U.S.-based and not specifically directed at users in the EU or UK, if you are accessing the site from the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we process your data under the following legal bases:
- Consent – for example, when you agree to the use of cookies or submit a comment.
- Legitimate interests – such as monitoring Website performance and preventing spam or abuse.
- Compliance with legal obligations – where necessary to fulfill legal duties or respond to lawful requests.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience. A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by your browser.
Types of Cookies We Use:
- Essential Cookies – Required for the Website to function properly (e.g., remembering logged-in users).
- Analytics Cookies – Used to track usage and performance through services like Google Analytics.
- Functionality Cookies – Remember choices you make (e.g., remembering comment form data).
Managing Cookies:
- You can control and/or delete cookies as you wish. You can:
- Set your browser to refuse all cookies or alert you when a cookie is being sent.
- Delete cookies already stored on your device.
- Use browser extensions or privacy tools for more granular cookie management.
Please note that disabling cookies may affect how certain parts of the Website function.
How We Share Your Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties. However, we may share your information with trusted third parties in limited circumstances, including:
- Service Providers – such as hosting companies, analytics providers (e.g., Google Analytics), and spam detection tools (e.g., Akismet), which help us operate and maintain the Website.
- Legal Requirements – when required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests (e.g., subpoenas, court orders).
- Website Protection and Safety – when necessary to detect or prevent fraud, abuse, security threats, or other potentially harmful activity.
Each third party is obligated to handle your data in accordance with their own privacy policies and, where applicable, under contractual obligations to safeguard personal information.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required by law.
- Comments and their metadata are retained indefinitely. This helps us recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
- Analytics data may be stored for up to 26 months or as configured in our analytics tools.
- Contact form submissions (if applicable) are retained for customer service purposes but are not used for marketing.
You may request deletion of your personal information at any time by contacting us (see “Contact Us” section).
Data Security
We are committed to protecting your personal information through reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards. These measures include:
- Regular software updates and security patches.
- Limiting access to personal data to authorized personnel.
- Using reputable third-party services with appropriate security practices.
However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use reasonable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.
In the event of a data breach, we will promptly notify affected users and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location, you may have specific privacy rights under state or federal laws. Below are summaries of rights granted under several U.S. state laws.
California (CCPA & CPRA)
If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA):
- Right to Know – You can request details about what personal information we collect, use, disclose, or sell.
- Right to Access – You can request a copy of your personal data.
- Right to Delete – You can request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal exceptions.
- Right to Correct – You may request correction of inaccurate information.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing – We do not sell or share your personal data for cross-context behavioral advertising.
- Right to Limit Use of Sensitive Personal Information – We do not collect or process sensitive personal information under CPRA definitions.
To exercise these rights, please contact us via the information in the “Contact Us” section. We will verify your identity before processing any request.
Virginia (VCDPA), Colorado (CPA), Connecticut (CTDPA), and Utah (UCPA)
Residents of these states may have similar rights to those granted under CCPA, including the right to:
- Access and delete personal information
- Correct inaccuracies
- Opt out of targeted advertising (not applicable to our Website)
- Appeal denials of privacy rights requests
We do not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making.
Children’s Privacy
Our Website is not intended for children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately. We will promptly delete such information from our records if it was collected without verifiable parental consent.
International Users
Our Website is operated in the United States and is subject to U.S. law. If you are accessing the site from outside the United States, please be aware that your information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the U.S.
By using the Website, you consent to this transfer and acknowledge that U.S. laws may not provide the same level of data protection as those in your country or jurisdiction.
Third-Party Links and Embedded Content
Our Website may include links to external websites or embedded content (e.g., videos, images, maps) from third-party sites such as YouTube, Instagram, Google Maps, or other content providers.
Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you had visited the third-party site directly. These sites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of the page.
We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your data.
If we make material changes, we may notify you via a prominent notice on the Website or by other means as required by law.