Posts Tagged: events

December in the Smoky Mountains offers a perfect festive setting for the holiday season. The ever-scenic mountains are capped in white snow, the towns and local attractions are ablaze with millions of Christmas lights and animated displays, the theaters and shows present their seasonal programs, there’s live music on the streets and in the numerous venues, fabulous shopping opportunities, treats for kids, and Santa everywhere for photo ops. It’s a festive month.

So what’s happening in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the surrounding area this December?

Image courtesy of Gatlinburg

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November in the Smokies is when thoughts turn to the winter festivities. While fall colors linger for a while before fading, millions of Christmas lights appear throughout the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the area, there’s live music on the street and winter bluegrass indoors, great gift shopping with new wares from our arts & crafts community, and snow tubing on the mountain.

Images courtesy of original sources

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September is the month in which we can truly say that Fall is coming. It’s the time of harvest celebration and the turn of the seasons reflected in the changing colors of the leaves on the trees, and in this part of the Smoky Mountains it means bluegrass festivals, auto rallies, scarecrows and pumpkins, beer tasting and lots of food, fun and festivity.

Table of Contents

• Live Music
• Fairs
• Harvest Events
• Food & Drink
• Car Shows

Image courtesy of Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival

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April in the Smoky Mountains around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is the month of wildflowers in the millions, all the venues are open, people are arriving for fun, and everything starts popping.

Wildflowers are a big thing here in the Smokies, with literally millions of brightly colored wildflowers springing up all over during April. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is normally so filled with trees and covered with canopy that the forest floor doesn’t see a lot of sun, but in springtime, before the canopy has fully leafed out, the wildflowers get their chance in the sun, for a short window of time.

We see flowers blooming everywhere inside and outside of the park during April, but we see it best each year with the expert guides of the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage taking us on selected tours to the best places and the most stunning sights of these millions of exotic flowers. Registration opened in March, and the magic dates this year are May 1-4, 2024.

The snow melt brings water to the forest floor (the “understory“) for all those wildflowers to wake up, and the waters of Great Smoky Mountains National Park are generally rushing and giving us good waterfalls, and river adventures – and the fishing is good. Music is in the air as special events happen, and the sound of hot rods mingles in too.

April is also the time when the national park announces the viewing dates for the annual synchronous fireflies in June, and the Lottery dates for the limited parking available.

One image courtesy of GSMNP

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Here are March events in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area, as wildflowers, wildlife and venues all wake up, and cabin deals abound in this less crowded time.- a good time to visit for those who like less crowds but plenty of action.

Photo by Genia Stadler

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February in the Smoky Mountains means the action is on the slopes for ski season, or out on the hiking trails with their special appeal in winter. It’s cold outside, but it’s cozy warm in the cabin, made for snuggling with Valentine’s Day happening and a romantic getaway in the snowy mountains on the calendar.

Read on for all that’s happening in the area in February.

Image courtesy of Ober Mountain

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January in the Smokies is the time for winter sports, both on the slopes and along the trails, as well as wildlife adventures, indoor attractions – and extra time in the hot tub, courtesy of shoulder-season cabin specials, for that winter getaway in the mountains.

The Winterfest and Winter Magic festivities and lights will continue all through January in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, and the towns are bustling as ever through the winter activities.

Some images courtesy of Ober Mountain

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August in the Smokies is bustling with events, from hot air balloons to cosplay and fishing, and also with a foretaste of changes to come, with the kids going back to school, and harvest festivals peeking around the corner (but not quite here yet). Temperatures are in the high eighties to low nineties, and the evenings are pleasant.

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July is one of the best months to visit the Smoky Mountains and it’s high season in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, as well as Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding scenic area. Conventions, Fairs, music and the big July 4th Parade are among the events to watch for here in this hot summertime month.

Temperatures are generally in the high eighties to low nineties with cool nights in the sixties – perfect for every kind of mountain adventure except for snow and downhill tubing – and even in midsummer, we have that covered too!

While the towns and attractions are bustling with visitors and special events, it’s a good time to hit the higher elevations or some swimming holes to cool down, as well as knowing the back roads to avoid some of that bustle.

But read on to see just what kind of bustle is happening in July.

Images courtesy of the Craftsmen’s Fair, Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge

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