February in the Smokies offers cabin deals, outdoor adventures on the ski slopes and the hiking trails of the national park, and cozy times in the cabin, especially with Valentine’s Day looming large and the scenic mountains covered in white. And the winter festive lights are still on for a while longer yet, and events continue, as always to break out with live music, great food and fun for all ages.
Image courtesy of Ober Mountain
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
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
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
October in the Smoky Mountains is the prime season for stunning fall foliage, and no wonder that it’s also the top choice for couples tying the knot. As the holidays draw near, festive celebrations pop up throughout the region. By month’s end, the spooky season will make its presence known, but for now, the focus is all on the vibrant colors covering the trees.
Here’s the rundown of events happening in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area this October.
Fall Colors in the Smoky Mountains
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.
Image courtesy of Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival
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
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
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.
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
We are the one of largest cabin rental agencies in the Smoky Mountains and have been recognized by Southern Living as the Best Family Resort in the Smokies. We manage over 340 cabins in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee areas. Visit us today and get over $700 of free attraction tickets with your cabin rental.
