Blog for Zip line Attraction in the Smoky Mountains
Located in Pigeon Forge, TN and near Gatlinburg and Sevierville.
Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival
By Ross Bodhi Ogle
Posted on September 22, 2020
Fall is officially here in the Great Smoky Mountains. The calendar says so. And the weather says so. We've been enjoying some awesome autumn weather, with lots of sunshine, pleasantly cool days and slightly nippy nights. The conditions are ideal right now for Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival, the annual event in which Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville celebrate all things fall. The festival is comprised of 12 weeks of individual special events designed to enhance any visit to the Smokies. This week, we'll take you through some of the highlights and point out some other great things about visiting the mountains this time of year.
In Gatlinburg, city officials have upped their game this year with the rollout of new fall displays throughout town, including life-size, three-dimensional scarecrow people. They have also extended the duration of the city's Harvest Festival through November 21.
“We could not live in a more picturesque area for viewing Fall color,” says Mark Adams, Gatlinburg CVB CEO/President. “We want to capitalize on the seasonal beauty by extending our Harvest Festival through November, giving visitors more opportunities to experience autumn in the Smokies.”
Gatlinburg's special Harvest Festival events include the Halloween-themed Legend of Hallow Mountain at Anakeesta (through 11/2), OktOBERfest at Ober Gatlinburg (through 11/3), Ripley's Fright Nights at Ripley's Haunted Adventure (10/4 – 10/27), the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair (10/10 – 10/27), Gatlinburg Chili Cookoff on November 6 and a Veteran's Day celebration on November 11.
In addition, look for two fun interactive events downtown. Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival Tunes and Tales runs 10/2 through 10/24 and features costumed storytellers, musicians and cloggers on the Parkway, portraying Appalachian characters from days past on Friday and Saturday evenings. Also, Appalachian GhostWalks are nightly lantern-led tours that showcase the history and hardships of the city's early Native Americans, homesteaders and pioneers.
In Pigeon Forge, Dollywood's annual Harvest Festival anchors that city's celebration of fall. It's the time of year when the theme park gets dressed up for autumn with elaborate seasonal décor. One of the highlights is Great Pumpkin LumiNights, which features artistic sculptures, whimsical scenes and lighted pumpkin displays throughout Dollywood. The festival also includes the Southern Gospel Jubilee, encompassing more than 800 individual concerts spread out among 10 different venues in the park. And as always, artists and craftspeople from all over the country converge on Dollywood to share their talents and handiwork alongside the park's resident community of crafters.
Other Pigeon Forge events include the Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament (10/3 – 10/4) and Halloween events at the city's community center and The Island. And don't forget that while you're in Pigeon Forge, you can always enjoy the beautiful fall colors in the mountains at our Smoky zip line attraction.
There's a lot going on in Sevierville during Harvest Festival as well. The Sevierville Farmer's Market runs Fridays at the municipal complex from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., or you can enjoy corn in a different way at the Kyker Farms Corn Maze, which is open on select dates September 26 through October 31.
One great way to see the area leaves this year is to take one of the City of Sevierville's four self-guided Fall Driving Tours. Go to visitsevierville.com/fall and click on the link to each tour for a downloadable map and information about points of interest. Tours span Douglas Lake, Boyd's Creek, Middle Prong and English Mountain. Finally, plan to spend a couple of days at Robert Tino's Smoky Mountain Homecoming, October 2 through 4. It's located at the artist's studio in Sevierville and will feature local artists and crafters.
Visiting the Smokies during fall comes with other bonuses as well. In addition to the events, you have a good chance of enjoying some great weather, and during October, the fall colors will be reaching their peak. It's a great backdrop for enjoying any special event or an outdoor activity in the national park, such as hiking, picnicking or camping
