January in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area means special rates on cozy cabins, hot tubs and heated pools, snow sports on the mountain and winter hiking in the national park, as well as nightlife and festive lights in the towns, and the full enjoyment of winter in the Smoky Mountains, without the crowds and with nature looking beautiful as ever.
January is a prime time to look for cabin discounts, a shoulder season between the main holidays, offering specials including free nights and half-price getaways. Always check our Specials page for the latest breaking deals on cabins, and take advantage of the January pause to sneak in a getaway trip at low cost.
The lights stay on everywhere as the dazzling Winterfest light display throughout Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville last all through January. The SkyPark also offers the perfect viewing platform with its Lights Over Gatlinburg holiday event that lasts all through January, with the legendary SkyBridge all decked in lights.
Image courtesy of the SkyPark
Many of the seasonal shows in the theaters continue on into January, and Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland stays operating through January 5. The winter season at Dollywood typically ends in early January, and while the theme park closes down until March, the adjacent resort will offer Friday and Saturday live music through January and February.
The Heritage Center over in Townsend is always a fun place for history, lore, storytelling and live music, and the one-day Winter Heritage Festival will happen on Saturday, January 25, 2025. Two other January items, both at the LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, are the Liberty Spirit cheer and dance championships on January 11-12, and the Strength To Stand conference on January 18-20.
Some images courtesy of Ober Mountain
Up on the mountain in January it’s a rocking story. Ober Mountain is getting fully into its stride at this time of year, with usually all 8 trails open by now – check the Slope Report for the state of play. The ski resort has a Snow Zone for young kids to have fun, and the hugely popular snow tubing slope that takes no skills at all. There’s also an indoor mall at the resort, complete with restaurant, shops and snacks, and a huge ice-skating rink that stays open year-round in the climate controlled environment, offering ice bumper cars for non-skaters. Access to the mountain is usually okay by road or alternately, from downtown Gatlinburg you can travel up by the Aerial Tramway.
A big highlight of January is the annual Wilderness Wildlife Week. This assembly of classes, bus tours and hikes offers expert guidance on the animal and plant life of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with classes ranging from fishing to flowers, photography, gemstones, crafts and fascinating history. The event is free and open to the public, and this year happens January 28-February 1. Registration opens on January 15, 2025.
The great outdoors is a big attraction for many winter visitors to the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open all year round with no admission fee, and many of the trails are quite accessible – see our guide to Winter Hiking Trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for some tips on where and how to go. With diminished crowds and foliage thinned, the visibility expands in the winter silence, and wildlife spotting is definitely on. Winter in Tennessee is quite bearable – you can enjoy the frozen waterfalls without feeling like you’re facing an Arctic blizzard.
However you spend your outdoor time in the Smokies, whether in nature or one of the thousands of human attractions in the area, come home to the cabin and soak in the hot tub for a while. Let the kids play on the numerous electronic games in each cabin while the grown-ups fix dinner in the full kitchen. Welcome home, to the best accommodations in the Smokies, in that luxury vacation cabin living. And when it’s cold outside, it’s cozy indoors, snuggling in front of the fireplace – mark down January as a prime romantic getaway month also.
Check our Gatlinburg cabins, Pigeon Forge cabins and our Wears Valley cabins for your best place to stay in the Smokies.
