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.
The Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway is the Hope Diamond of the east Tennessee/western North Carolina area for bikers, hikers and automobile tourists alike. Located near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it’s known as America’s $100 Million Highway. If, like me, you ride a motorcycle, it’s a 43-mile slice of heaven-on-earth, especially in the fall!
Since I live in Knoxville, my husband and I hop on the Skyway not far from Tellico Plains, Tennessee and ride it all the way to its termination near Robbinsville, North Carolina. The Tellico River winds along beside us at the beginning of the trek as the cool mountain breeze cuts through my hair. More than once I’ve had the “good-to-be-alive” feeling as the tree canopy overhead sent an occasional lazy leaf to the ground ahead of our bike. Motorcycle organizations routinely recognize the Cherohala Skyway as one of the “Best Bike Routes” in the United States, but you will enjoy it immensely regardless of your mode of transportation.
Taking over 38 years to construct with a cost of over one hundred million dollars, the Cherohala Skyway provides a truly unique, paved path for nature lovers from all over the world. As a result, the visitor gets the distinct feeling that they’ve entered an alternate universe, infinitely peaceful and completely disconnected from the strife of the rest of the world. At least that’s the feeling I get as I inhale that glorious mountain air. It’s easy to forget the morning’s international news headlines, or the work project that you just can’t get your head around. It’s also easy to imagine that there was once a simpler world, one in which people took their living from the land, and enjoyed a full day in the open expanse of nature.
The Cherohala Skyway, which gets its name from the two national forests it winds through, the Cherokee National Forest and the Nantahala National Forest, gradually climbs to an elevation of 5,400 feet above sea level. Along the way to this summit near the Tennessee/North Carolina line, the visitor is treated to sweeping mountain vistas. Numerous overlooks provide photo opportunities par excellence. INSIDER TIP: We go there often during peak tourist season in the Smokies, when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg to Cades Cove and from Gatlinburg to Clingman’s Dome and points beyond is so glutted with traffic that the going is very slow. There is never a crowd on the Skyway, and the views are just as majestic. The peace and quiet of the Skyway is exceptionally calming and the fall color at certain elevations in October can be vividly stunning! Also, for dining we often enjoy a Beach Burger from the Tellico Plains Drive-In or anything from the Tellico Grains Bakery!
Hikers can enjoy a wonderful dual experience on the Cherohala Skyway. In addition to drinking in the magnificent views from the roadway, they can access trails directly from the numerous overlooks. In the lower elevations of the Skyway, you’ll find a beautiful opportunity for a family-oriented hike and/or picnic at Indian Boundary. From Tellico Plains, turn off the Skyway at Forestry Road 345. Follow the signs into the Indian Boundary Recreation Area and walk the 3.2 mile trail around the lake. It’s easy and fun!
Another enduring favorite in the lower elevations is the Bald River Trail. Simply take a right on River Road (Forestry Road 210) off the Skyway (if approaching from Tellico Plains). Several miles in you’ll see the magnificent waterfall at the trailhead. Bald River Falls are roaring nearly year-round (except in the heart of winter, when they will offer a stunning ice display). A bit more than eight miles round-trip, this trail follows the Bald River, is quite scenic, but not for beginners. I’ve done the first bit of this trail with a light snow falling, the trees around me laced with snow. It was magical.
If you’d like another waterfall experience, but with a shorter trail, approximately eighteen miles from the Skyway’s inception near Tellico Plains, look for the Rattlesnake Rock West pull-off. Here you’ll find the Falls Branch Trail (#87). This 2.6 -mile round-trip adventure includes a 70-foot waterfall and beautiful forest environs. Though it’s not an overly long walk, it does get somewhat steep near the falls. The trail moves along what was once a roadbed, but does have limited signage.
Among the many other hiking opportunities accessible from the Cherohala Skyway you’ll find a section of the very famous Benton MacKaye Trail. Take the Mud Gap trailhead from the Cherohala Skyway (near mile post 3 in North Carolina) to Whigg Meadow, a 1.7 mile walk (one way). You’ll be able to say you took a portion of the famous Benton MacKaye trek, which is a nearly 300-mile trail through three states and over a long section of tough Appalachian mountain terrain. The views from Whigg Meadow of the surrounding mountains are truly spectacular.
Weather on the Cherohala Skyway can turn nippy year-round, especially in the higher elevations. Layers are recommended for bikers and hikers. We’ve started out in short sleeves in Tellico Plains and ended up in jackets and gloves at the top many times! For even the shortest and easiest of hikes, take plenty of water and snacks. Don’t forget your camera!
For more information, visit the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center or call 423-253-8010. The Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center is located in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and is open Monday – Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Laurie Crater Battles – journalist, writer, hiker, biker, mom, wife, animal and coffee lover who makes her home in west Knoxville.
When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ’tis near Halloween!
For the main attraction, we’re taking you back to Mt. LeConte Lodge this year for another adventure that pays homage to one of our favorite scary movies, The Shining, starring the Smokies’ very own “Jack Nicholson!”
There’s lots of Halloween happenings in the Smokies, so be sure to check them out at “Today’s Events” on the sidebar to your right! Wishing everyone a safe and happy All Hallow’s Eve 2016!
Take an Autumn Amble with a Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger on Thursdays and Saturdays this October! This new, free Ranger Program is from 9:00 to 11:30 with locations dependent of where the best fall color is. About four days before each scheduled program, rangers will decide where the group will hike.
“We’ll try to follow the leaves,” says GSMNP Ranger Andrea Walton, “This is a really good program to see the fall colors and learn about what the animals are doing to prepare for winter…and what the people who lived here used to do to prepare for winter.”
Pre-registration is required to participate in an Autumn Amble. Reservations can be made up to four days in advance by calling 865-436-1291. Programs are limited to 20 people. Participants must have sturdy walking shoes, water and snacks for this moderate hike.
Lace up your shoes for the Bearly 5K Run/Walk at the Appalachian Bear Rescue Visitor and Education Center in Townsend on Saturday, October 29, 2016. Get into the spirit of the season and wear your Halloween costume or just come as you are for day of fun for the bears! There will be a special prize for the best dressed runner!
The event begins at 10:00 a.m. with on-site registration at $45 per person. Register before October 15, 2016 and receive an early bird discount for $35 per person. Participants will receive a special Bearly 5K Run/Walk T-Shirt and Pancake Breakfast following the walk! The Bearly 5K Run/Walk is not a timed event; however, the first three runners to cross the finish line will receive a special prize from Appalachian Bear Rescue! Register online at ABR Bearly 5K Run/Walk or call 865-448-0143.
Be sure to visit the Open House until 4:00 p.m. and learn all about the exciting work of Appalachian Bear Rescue. They have great gift items for purchase for the upcoming holidays! And you’ll want get your raffle tickets for ABR’s Annual Raffle!
Proceeds from the Bearly 5K Run/Walk benefit Appalachian Bear Rescue in Townsend, TN. For 20 years, ABR’s mssion has been to care for orphaned and injured black bear cubs for return to their natural wild habitat and increase public awareness about coexisting with black bears. For more information, visit Appalachian Bear Rescue and stay in touch with them at ABR on Facebook.
Laurie Crater Battles – journalist, writer, hiker, biker, mom, wife, animal and coffee lover who makes her home in west Knoxville. 