Top Christmas Holiday Shows in the Smokies: 2016 Edition

The top Christmas Holiday Shows in the Smokies: 2016 Edition are filled with lively entertainment sure to please and offer a great way to celebrate the season with family and friends. With Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN offering the most venues for live entertainment in the Smoky Mountains, you have your choice of 11 Top Christmas Holiday Shows in the Smokies!

While you’re taking in all the twinkling lights of Smoky Mountain Winterfest or shopping until you drop, be sure to take in a show or two…or four! The Smokies come to life with holiday music and fun this season!

A Comedy Barn Christmas, Pigeon Forge
It’a a holiday filled with laughter as only the Comedy Barn can deliver this season. They’ve traded in the overalls, well some of them, for some really funny Christmas costumes and they’ll be singing and clogging and laughing all the way through to the new year! And don’t forget those darling Comedy Barn Canines that are sure to warm your heart this Christmas! For ticket prices and reservations, visit A Comedy Barn Christmas or call 865-428-5222 or 800-29-LAUGH.

Christmas Show at Dixie Stampede, Pigeon Forge
Guests will enjoy a 4-course meal and 32 majestic horses at Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede; however during the holidays, the arena is transformed into a snowy magical forest complete with a Live Nativitity scene and Sugar Plum Fairy Parade. Of  course, there’s the friendly competition between the elves of the North and South Poles where you can join the fun! For ticket prices and reservations, visit Christmas at Dixie or call 865-453-4400.

Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry, Pigeon Forge
Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry features award-winning aerialists, ice skaters, and live animals including donkey, camels and a rare white lion. You’ll be amazed as angels take flight with laser light effects and a special winter’s snowfall, this is one show that’s sure to become a Christmas favorite. For ticket prices and reservations, visit Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry or call 865-428-7469. Also, don’t miss the Smith Family Christmas Morning Show with Charlie Bob Smith and friends at 10:30 a.m.

Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival, Pigeon Forge
This year’s annual Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival will be held December 7-10, 2016 at the Ramada Inn & Smoky Mountain Convention Center. With dozens of bluegrass musical acts and workshops, you’ll see why this festival has folks coming back year after year for some of the region’s finest bluegrass music presented by Jordan Entertainment. For tickets and information, visit Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival or call 919-779-5672.

Country Tonite’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, Pigeon Forge
Relax, sit back and be transported into a colorful winter wonderland at the “2016 Best Show Winner” by readers of local newspaper, The Mountain Press. Country Tonite’s Smoky Mountain Christmas show features all the holiday classics performed by their talented cast of singers and dancers. For ticket prices and reservations, visit County Tonite Smoky Mountain Christmas or call 865-453-2003.

Christmas at Dolly Parton’s Lumberjack Adventure Dinner Show, Pigeon Forge
With a brand-new holiday adventure, Dolly’s team weaves a heart-warming tale of two lumberjack families who live in the forests of Timber Ridge where the world’s best Christmas trees are grown. Problem is Timber Ridge is also home to an old, worn-out sawmill. A special visitor comes to lend a hand, or axe, and helps show the families the true spirit of the holiday. For ticket prices and reservations, visit Lumberjack Adventure or call 844-322-4400.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, Pigeon Forge
New this season, is the production of “It’s A Wonderful Life” along with Dolly’s special Parade of Many Colors each evening. Some other great live shows at Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas include “An Appalachian Christmas,” “Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs,” and “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” For tickets and more info, visit Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas or call 800-365-5996.

Hatfield & McCoy’s Christmas Disaster Dinner Show, Pigeon Forge
Pa Hatfield and Ma McCoy declare they put the FUN in dysFUNctional, so join these two feuding families for great dinner and a lively show as they try to just get along during the holidays! Hilarious mayhem ensues along with a lot of good singin’ and dancin’! For ticket prices and reservations visit Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show or call 800-985-5494.

iMPOSSiBiLiTiES Winter Magic, Gatlinburg
Spend a wonderful winter evening at the Iris Theater in the Gatlinburg Space Needle with the magical comedy of funny men Chris Collins and Erik Dobell. iMPOSSiBiLiTies Magic Mindreading & Mayhem serves up holiday fun for the entire family. Kids of all ages love these guys! For ticket prices and reservations, visit Impossibilities Magic Mindreading & Mayhem or call 888-482-3330.

Sweet Fanny Adam’s “Mistletoe & Malarky,” Gatlinburg
They’re celebrating their 40th holiday season at Sweet Fanny Adams with the production of “Mistletoe and Malarkey.” Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre serves up another hilarious Vaudeville style holiday show featuring their very own unique take on the 12 Days of Christmas. Enjoy song, dance, and comedy all with Sweet Fannie’s special flair for the holidays! For ticket prices and reservations, visit Sweet Fanny Adams or call 877-388-5784.

“The Christmas Story” at Biblical Times Theater, Pigeon Forge
Biblical Times Dinner Theater recreates “The Christmas Story” through the prophetic eyes of Simeon and with amazing 3-D holographs for a one-of-a-kind show. This year, the first half of the show features traditional, Victorian English songs and costumes along with a delicious prime-rib dinner. For ticket prices and reservations, visit Biblical Times Christmas Story or call 865-908-3327.

Winterfest 2016 in the Great Smoky Mountains! Celebrate the Season November 7 to February 28!

Winterfest 2016 in the Great Smoky Mountains! Come celebrate the season at Smoky Mountain Winterfest beginning November 7, 2016 all the way through to February 28, 2017! Smoky Mountain Winterfest features over 14 million twinkling lights in enchanting displays throughout Sevier County, Tennessee! Check out all the great Special Events that make Winterfest 2016 in the Smoky Mountains a true celebration of lights!

November 4, 2016 – January 8, 2017
Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium
Dusk to 10:00 pm or later on weekends
The ever popular Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland is an exciting and fun drive-thru musical light show featuring hundreds of LED lights. New this year is the Santa Safari display! Don’t forget to get out of your car and enjoy the activities (like pony rides!) and refreshments at Santa’s Village where the big guy in red will be making special guest appearances! For more information and ticket prices visit shadrackchristmas.com.

November 5, 2016 – January 3, 2017
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
No one gets quite as excited about Christmas as Dolly Parton and to celebrate this year she’s added a Parade of Many Colors to the holiday traditions at her theme park! Beginning on November 16 at 8:00 p.m. guests will enjoy a parade to celebrate her new NBC holiday movie, “Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.” Also new this season, is the production of “It’s a Wonderful Life” showing at the Showstreet Theater. For more information and ticket prices, visit dollywood.com.

November 8, 2016 – February 28, 2017
Winterfest Lights Self-Guided Driving Tour
6:00 pm nightly
Pick up a tour guide there and see the city’s millions of twinkling lights from the comfort of your own car. Tour guides available at the Pigeon Forge Welcome Center at traffic light #0. For more info, call the City of Pigeon Forge Dept. of Tourism at 800-588-1817.

November 9 – January 31, 2016
Gatlinburg Winter Magic Trolley Ride of Lights and Winterfest Lights Self-Guided Driving Tour
6:30 pm, 7:30 pm, and 8:30 pm
Specially designated trolleys tour guests through downtown Gatlinburg’s one-of-a-kind LED light displays. It’s a magical journey through a winter forest of evergreens with foxes, rabbits, squirrels, and even dancing snowmen! Tickets are $5 (children 3 and under are free). Self-guided tour maps are also available at Gatlinburg Welcome Centers. For more information, call Gatlinburg Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-588-1817.

November 27 – December 17, 2016
Winter Magic Tunes & Tales in Downtown Gatlinburg
Begins at 5:00 pm nightly on weekends
In downtown Gatlinburg on weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas enjoy the sights and sounds of costumed a capella carolers and other musical performers as they stroll along The Parkway entertaining visitors and getting everyone into the holiday spirit. For more information on Gatlinburg’s Tunes & Tales street performance festival, visit them on Facebook!

Friday, December 2, 2016
41st Annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade in Downtown Gatlinburg
7:30 pm
This award-winning parade featuring floats full of twinkling lights, marching bands, and balloons attracts hundreds that line the streets of The Parkway each year to enjoy all the holiday fun. Grand marshal of the parade is, of course, ol’ St. Nick himself! Bring your lawn chair or this year the City of Gatlinburg is offering special bleacher seating for $20. For more info and to purchase tickets online, visit Gatlinburg Christmas Parade Bleacher Seating or call the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-588-1817.

Saturday, December 3, 2016
54th Annual Christmas Parade in Sevierville
11:00 am
On this Saturday morning the City of Sevierville celebrates with a more traditional, hometown parade featuring local pageant winners, baton twirlers, dance teams, marching bands, and floats. Santa didn’t stay up too late in Gatlinburg the night before, so he’ll be ready to greet everyone along Forks of the River Parkway and Court Avenue in downtown Sevierville. For more info, please call 865-453-6411.

Saturday, December 31, 2016
New Year’s Eve Celebration at The Island in Pigeon Forge
6:00 pm
The Island in Pigeon Forge welcomes Jackie Lee to the stage as part of the celebration for the whole family! Have all kinds of fun until the big countdown at midnight complete with fireworks! For more info on the free event, visit islandinpigeonforge.com.

Saturday, December 31, 2016
New Year’s Eve Concert Ball Drop in Gatlinburg
10:00 pm
All the fun begins this year at 10:00 p.m. with a free concert by popular country music star Beau Braswell and rising country star Cassidy Diana. The concert takes place in the area adjacent to the Gatlinburg Convention Center near traffic light #8. Then seconds before the stroke of midnight, the lighted ball will drop from roof of the 400-ft. tall Space Needle to specially choreographed music. The Space Needle is located near the intersection of The Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at traffic light #8. For more information, call the Gatlinburg CVB at 800-588-1817.

Smoky Mountains Veteran’s Day Celebration | Thank You Vets!

Here at HeySmokies.com we are grateful to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving our nation. Join the City of Gatlinburg in honoring these patriots at the Veterans Day Celebration at the Plaza at Ripley’s Aquarium Friday, November 11, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. The keynote speaker will be retired Major General Robert A. Nester. The celebration will feature the 82nd Airborne All American Chorus and the Gatlinburg-Pittman High School Band. Special presentations will be conducted by Gatlinburg Boy Scout Troop 111, Girl Scout Troop 20648 and the American Eagle Foundation.

Each August, the City of Pigeon Forge hosts the Welcome Home Veterans Parade and HeySmokies was honored to attend and salute or vets. Please enjoy our video of the parade and be sure to Save The Date for Saturday, August 26, 2017 for next year’s parade event! Thank you Veterans!

Cruise Through Motorcycle History at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley!

If you’re a motorcycle enthusiast, you’ll be amazed by Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. If you’re also a history buff, you’ll want to spend a couple of hours in this amazing place, at the very least. We’re avid bikers, so we’d heard from friends that this place was a “must-see.”

There are over 350 rare motorcycles and automobiles on display at Wheels Through Time (with the far larger number being motorcycles).  Many are in the original used condition, untouched by restoration, meaning that they retain a very high dollar value.

You can almost smell the exhaust and feel the rush of the wind as the early bikers hit the streets on these machines, some quite primitive. One can trace the cultural evolution of the hobby of motorcycle collecting and riding as it snaked through the decades from the daredevils of the early years, steadily collecting steam. Today, a leather-wearing sub-culture of doctors and lawyers who gear up on weekends and retired cruiser-riding gentlefolks have whole-heartedly joined the ranks of hard-core bikers streaming through this unique museum. The passion has collected some of us all through the years.

Featured on the History Channel’s “American Restoration,” Wheels Through Time Museum and its founder, motorcycle collector and expert Dale Walksler, have enjoyed a recent uptick in notoriety. The popular TV show is dedicated to restoration projects of every kind.

Wheels Through Time is located in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, just five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We stopped in on a lovely autumn afternoon and were immediately taken by the large inventory. Forty-thousand square feet of rare and unique motorcycles and automobiles, and lots of associated memorabilia in attractive, historically-themed displays kept us gawking for over an hour. We were literally taken back in time! Mr. Walksler himself was on hand, chatting with visitors.

Dale Walksler started this epic collection of American motorcycles in 1969. Along the way he has amassed unique bikes from twenty-five makers in a world-renowned display. There are military exhibits featuring bikes used during both World Wars.   The museum’s chopper collection brings back to life the drive to make traditional bikes lighter and faster while customizing them for an individualized “cool” factor a whole generation of bikers craved. There are exceptionally rare motorcycles in Mr. Walksler’s collection, like the bike believed to have been built and owned by Oscar Hedstrom, the inventor of the Indian motorcycle and the 1912 Thor motorcycle that is said to have been owned by William Ottaway, chief engineer and head of racing for Thor.

If you are into racing history, you’ll  find the “hillclimb” competition-era machines pretty fascinating! This new genre of the sport pushed manufacturers to new heights of innovation as the era of board track racing waned.  You’ll also enjoy checking out the bikes from the “Class-C” racing era which spanned 1934-1969, and many other interesting and very valuable machines throughout the museum.

Cruise through the gift shop on your way out and grab a hat (like I did) or a t-shirt to remember your visit! I give this location five stars out of five for interest and quality of displays. It truly is a highlight of the Maggie Valley experience!

For more information, visit Wheels Through Time Museum or call 828-926-6266. The museum is open seasonally from March 1st through November 28th each year on Thursdays through Mondays (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for senior adults, and $7 for children. 

Laurie Crater Battles Writer BloggerLaurie Crater Battles – journalist, writer, hiker, biker, mom, wife, animal and coffee lover who makes her home in west Knoxville. 

Smoky Mountain Winterfest 2016! Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge & Sevierville Sparkle for the Holidays!

This year marks the 27th year for the annual Smoky Mountain Winterfest celebration in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, Tennessee. Beginning on November 7, 2016 the mountain towns are filled with sparkling holiday light displays that keep on twinkling until February 28, 2017. Each town holds their own special kickoff events and offer Winterfest Lights tours. Here’s all you need to know to enjoy this sparkling time of year in the Great Smoky Mountains!

Sevierville Smoky Mountain Winterfest Kickoff
Monday, November 7, 2016 @ Sevierville Municipal Complex
3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Lots of free food, fun and games, and fireworks at Sevierville’s Winterfest Kickoff. Lighting ceremony begins at 7:45 p.m. with fireworks show following. Lots of music and dancing, and you may even catch an early glimpse of the big guy in red! For more information, call 865-453-6411.

Pigeon Forge Smoky Mountain Winterfest Kickoff
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 @ Patriot Park
4:00 pm
It’s fireworks, food, fun and more at the City of Pigeon Forge’s Smoky Mountain Winterfest Kickoff. A special countdown for the official lighting begins around 5:15 p.m. followed by a fantastic fireworks show. Girl Scout Troops will be selling hot beverages and cookies to enjoy. There is a children’s play area with old-fashioned games. Musical entertainment will be provided by Jimbo Whaley & Greenbrier, Pistol Creek Catch of the Day, and the Pigeon Forge Community Chorus. At 6:00 p.m. hop aboard the Fun Time Trolley for a Free Trolley Tour of Lights!

Be sure to stop by the Fun Time Trolley office at Patriot Park or the Pigeon Forge Welcome Center at traffic light #0 on the Parkway to pick up Winterfest Lights Driving Tour brochure to enjoy the holiday lights at your leisure. For more information, call 865-453-8674.

Gatlinburg Winter Magic Kickoff & Chili Cookoff
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 @ Downtown Gatlinburg Parkway
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
This annual event is free; however, a $10 ticket gets you a spoon to sample over 25 different types of chili and vote on your favorites! You can also participate in chili eating contests held at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. The official lighting ceremony will begin at 6:00 p.m. on the Bush’s Best Stage. Entertainment will be provided by The Greenbrier Band, The Grassabillies, and Tara Thompson as the headline act. For more information, call 800-588-1817.

Gatlinburg’s Winter Magic features millions of enviromentally-friendly LED lights designed to create a magical winter forest landscape throughout the town.