Top 20 Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smokies
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, 2015 and we’ve got the Top 20 Ways to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smokies this year!
The #1 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is to “Treat Dad to Dinner!” on Saturday, June 20 at the Pets Without Parents event at River Terrace Resort in Gatlinburg from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 per person and Dad’s dine FREE! You’ll enjoy a great dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, garlic breadsticks, salad, and fruit cobbler. But that’s not all! Entertainer Jamie Simpson will be on hand to tickle funny bones as dad-approved “Jeff Foxworthy.” Door Prizes and a Silent Auction round out the evening of fun for a good cause. For tickets and more information, visit Pets Without Parents, or call Dani at 865-851-6676.
The #2 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day is at Tennessee Smokies Baseball Stadium in Kodak on Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m. when the Smokies take on the Mississippi Braves.
It’s a game winning recipe of family fun with a special Father’s Day Pre-Game Catch and lots of other raffles and fun for you and Dad! It’s all at America’s Friendliest Ballpark! For tickets, visit SmokiesBaseball.com.
The #3 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day in the Smoky Mountains is at Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge. Dads get FREE admission on Sunday, June 21 in honor of Father’s Day!
You and Dad will fall in love with their high flying Timber Dogs and enjoy the thrill of the competition of real ESPN lumberjack athletes. Showtimes are at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Call Lumberjack Feud Box Office at 865-428-8688 for tickets.
A Father’s Day Celebration would not be complete without a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. OMG! There are a lot of FREE programs going on in the Park during Father’s Day Weekend, so be sure to spend some time outside with Dad!
#4 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Back Porch Old Time Music @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
It’s a free, old-time jam session of traditional Appalachian music. You and Dad can bring your own instrument and play along!
#5 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
On Top of Old Smoky @ Clingmans Dome Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Take in the 360-degree views with Dad at the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A Ranger will lead you on a moderate 1-mile hike through this Canadian Zone environment of endangered spruce and fir trees.
#6 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Women’s Work Festival @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center’s Mountain Farm Museum
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Ironic this festival is held on Father’s Day Weekend; but as they say, a woman’s work is never done! Head over to the farm and see how it really was done in the days of old with demonstrations of open hearth cooking, weaving, spinning, sewing, and other mountain crafts. Mom would probably love to drag Dad to this festival on his special day!
#7 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Get Your Kids Hiking! @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Park Rangers team up with the award-winning author and family hiking expert, Jeff Alt, for a fun outdoor adventure for the whole family! Children of all ages will enjoy this “hike” of less than a mile and learn some simple techniques to turn any walk into a family adventure!
#8 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Cataract Falls Walk @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
Join a National Park Ranger for this short walk along Fighting Creek to the beautiful 12-foot waterfall known as Cataract Falls. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and learn all about the Park’s flora and fauna.
#9 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Gristmill Demonstration @ Mingus Mill
Saturday, June 20, 2015 11:30 a.m – 12:00 p.m and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
You and Dad can talk with a real miller and learn all about how this historic gristmill played an important role in early mountain life. Mingus Mill is located just 1/2 mile north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
#10 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Animal Olympics @ Cades Cove Visitor Center/Cable Mill Historic Area*
Saturday, June 20, 2015 1:00-1:45 p.m.
You and Dad will have a blast comparing your senses and abilities to those of the animals in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
*Here’s an Insider Travel Tip for you. Due to the popularity of Cades Cove, traffic moves slowly. Travel time for the 6-mile trip from the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road to the Visitor Center may take over an hour to drive, so please plan accordingly.
#11 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Bear-mania! @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday June 20, 2015 2:00-2:45 p.m.
Learn from an official Great Smoky Mountains National Park Ranger all about the most popular animal in the Smokies. You’ll get the “bear” essentials!
#12 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
WILD by Design @ Cades Cove Visitor Center/Cable Mill Historic Area*
Saturday, June 20, 2015 2:30-3:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 21, 2015 2:30-3:00 p.m.
An interactive talk and demonstration about all things wild in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. *See Insider Travel Tip above.
#13 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
See the Stars in the Smokies @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, June 20, 2015 8:30 -10:00 p.m.
You and Dad can use a telescope to view constellations and learn stories about them from a National Park Ranger. This program is limited to 40 participants; sign up at Sugarlands Visitor Center is first come, first serve, beginning on Friday morning preceding the program.
#14 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Smoky Mountain Elk @ Palmer House in Cataloochee
Sunday, June 21, 2015 5:30 – 6:15 p.m.
It’s at this time in late afternoon that the increasingly popular elk descend from the mountains to the fields. You can join a National Park Ranger for hands-on activities to learn more about these beautiful creatures and their comeback in the Great Smoky Mountains.
#15 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Evening Campfire Program @ Elkmont Amphitheater
Sunday, June 21, 2015 8:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Join a Park Ranger for this fun program around the campfire and you’re sure to learn something you didn’t know about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
#16 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Geology Rocks! @ Newfound Gap Overlook
Sunday, June 21, 2015 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Did you know that the Smoky Mountains are the oldest mountains in world? You and Dad can join a National Park Ranger and learn all about what these mountains are made of and how they changed through millions of years! Newfound Gap is located nearly half-way between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC and is seven miles from Clingmans Dome.
#17 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Junior Ranger Program: Blue & Gray @ Cades Cove Visitor Center/Cable Mill Historic Area*
Sunday, June 21, 2015 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Is your Dad a Civil War buff? If so, then you guys will love attending this program where you’ll learn all about life as a soldier and how the Civil War affected families in the mountain communities like Cades Cove. *See Insider Travel Tip above.
#18 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
A Wondrous Diversity of Life @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Sunday, June 21, 2015 2:00 – 2:45 p.m.
Another great program led by Park Rangers who share with you things like the secret lives of bears! There’s lot of other interesting critters and plants growing in the Great Smoky Mountains that you’ll love learning about too.
#19 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
Endangered Species @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center Front Porch
Sunday, June 21, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
You and Dad can learn how you can help all the animals and plants that live in the Great Smoky Mountains. Join a Ranger to learn more how you can protect YOUR National Park!
#20 Way to Celebrate Father’s Day –
From Snout to Tail…Everything But the Squeal! @ Oconaluftee Visitor Center’s Mountain Farm Museum
Sunday, June 21, 2015 5:00 – 5:45 p.m.
You’ve always assumed you knew who was man’s best friend; a dog right? Well, join a National Park Ranger and learn all about who was the mountain man’s best friend!
