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The quintessential wedding destination of the South, Gatlinburg, Tennessee is the picturesque gateway to the sprawling Smoky Mountain State Park and several mountaintop attractions. With an abundance of unique venues, lodging, accommodations, and photo shoot opportunities; it is no wonder that couples are flocking in mass to wed in the heart of the Appalachian Trail. Gatlinburg offers a bounty of wedding essentials, including onsite honeymoons, which make it a distinct and memorable choice for a destination wedding.

Gatlinburg and all of East Tennessee are picking up the pieces after wildfires roared through the mountains and into town, On November 28th, many buildings and homes in Gatlinburg burned down to their very foundations. More than 150 buildings in all were destroyed. Many people lost their homes and possessions, as they were forced to flee the fires.

The final toll included 2,460 structures damaged or destroyed in Sevier County, and worst of all, 14 lives lost and 191 injured.

But don’t you even get the idea that this is the end of the story, as this story has just begun. The people of East Tennessee have already started picking up the pieces, and support has poured in from across America.

Photo by Alejo Castillo

Singer Dolly Parton, a beloved bigger-than-life East Tennessee legend, hosted a three-hour telethon broadcast on Tuesday, December 13th. The event raised approximately $9 million for victims of the fires in Sevier County. As usual, Dolly has gone above and beyond, as her Dollywood Foundation has pledged to give every affected family $1,000 per month for six months. There are an estimated 1300 families who have lost their homes and could benefit from Dolly’s generosity.

In a statement, Parton said “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the people who have donated from all over the country and to my friends who donated their time, their talent, and money for My People. The response has been so overwhelming that we haven’t been able to count all of the donations yet; right now, in total, we have raised about $9 million for the folks who lost everything in Sevier County.”

Performing on the telethon were superstars such as Kenny Rogers, Chris Stapleton, Hank Williams, Jr., Cyndi Lauper, and Alison Krauss. Donations were also sent in by a number of other well-known celebrities, including Paul Simon and Kenny Chesney.

The month of December is a special time for many people. There is Christmas and New Year’s to look forward to, hot chocolate to drink while it snows outside, and time to spend with your close friends and loved ones. But sometimes you just want to escape from the daily grind and take a vacation somewhere instead. If you are looking for an ideal spot to visit during the holiday season but do not want to deal with tons of tourists and heavy crowds, you will find that the city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee fits the bill. Located in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, this quiet snow-covered town has lots to see and things to do in Gatlinburg in December .

Christmas Shopping

You can’t beat the Christmas shopping that is available in Gatlinburg, as you will be able to find many specialty items for gifts that are not available anywhere else. The Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community is an 8-mile loop where you will find shops that feature the handcrafted work of over 120 artists. You can buy homemade quilts, candles, pottery, baskets, stained glass, dolls, wood carvings, jewelry, paintings, and more. And if you would rather do your shopping all in one place instead of walking the 8 miles to find that perfect gift, you can go to downtown Gatlinburg and attend the Great Smoky Christmas Arts and Crafts show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center, where all the artisans and their crafts are gathered at one location.

The Gatlinburg Trolley Ride of Lights

Gatlinburg is famous for having some of the best Christmas light displays in the southeast region. Not only are there the characteristic holiday scenes of Santa and his reindeer, there are also animals that are native to the Smokey Mountains such as squirrels, bears, foxes, and rabbits which are depicted in the winter wonderland of lights. And the best way to experience the magic of the lights is to hop aboard a trolley that will take you on a full tour to see it all. The trolleys are enclosed and even heated so you won’t be cold while embarking on the memorable journey throughout the downtown Gatlinburg area. A tradition that has been going on for 23 years, this is one of the things to do in Gatlinburg in December that cannot be missed!

Winter snow activities at Ober Gatlinburg

The Great Smoky Mountains are one of the most visited National Parks in the United States for good reasons. The serene beauty of the highest mountains in the eastern part of the Country is what brings so many visitors here. From spring wildflowers to snow covered peaks, these mountains remain one of the most popular travel destinations around.

Nestled in the heart of these majestic peaks lies the beautiful town of Gatlinburg. With a ton of activities to keep tourists occupied, no wonder this small town attracts so many visitors throughout the year. Since cooler weather is a welcomed site in the area, fall and winter events are on the horizon.

Two popular events scheduled this year begin on November 9, 2016. The Gatlinburg Winter Magic Kickoff And Chili Cookoff begins on the same day. Right now is a good time to book rooms for the annual holiday season before vacancies are gone. Tourists and locals don’t want to miss one of the highlights of the holiday season. Gatlinburg is a highly favored destination choice with room vacancies filling quickly during the peak seasons.

Spectacular Light Display

A popular event that has become an annual tradition here in the Great Smoky Mountains is the Gatlinburg Winter Magic display of lights. This extremely popular event draws out large crowds to witness in person one of the most beautiful light displays in the United States. From the entrance to town, adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain’s entrance, to the far end of town leading towards Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg displays so many lights that they can be seen from the surrounding mountains above.

The wintry display of holiday lighting around the town illuminates many of the shops and restaurants available for tourists to explore. Every year, more lights are added to the majestic holiday display for visitors to enjoy. LED lighting displays are used now to save the city of Gatlinburg in energy cost of traditional lighting used when the event started.

For photographers, this is the goldmine of opportunity to capture holiday magic in images. For those that love holiday traditions and festivities with family, Gatlinburg offers them fantastic stay vacation amenities to enjoy the holiday season. This is one of those memorable moments to share with family and friends.

Arriving in Gatlinburg, TN for Oktoberfest is one of the best ways to experience fall in the Smoky Mountains . The leaves are changing yet there is still a hint of warmth in the air; summer still lingers and the air is still fresh, inviting you to step outside. The sun is beginning to set earlier yet the cider mills are opening up and there’s always the excitement of pumpkin style beers and heavier fall foods that are comforting and nice to eat as the seasons begin to change.

At Oktoberfest Gatlinburg there is a variety of Bavarian style German beers to warm you and lift your spirits. In the evenings, when things get a bit cooler and the sun goes down, try a German style spiced cider called Gluehwein. This is a traditional German style fall and winter holiday drink that most tourists (and locals!) enjoy after a night of skiing on the slopes, and Gatlinburg has plenty of slopes for you to explore year-round. All you need to do is arrive. Here’s how.

When

September 23 – October 30, 2016

Where

OBER GATLINBURG
Amusement Park & Ski Area
1001 Parkway Suite 2
Gatlinburg TN, 37738

What to expect

Oktoberfest in Ober Gatlinburg is a month-long celebration of activities for the entire family and people of all ages. Oktoberfest is a month-long celebration of German heritage and fun that will include dancing, traditional yodeling as well as traditional german dress, and most importantly, lots of great Bavarian style food and drink. This is the 7th annual year of Oktoberfest at Ober Gatlinburg. Join us for the fun! You won’t want to miss it!

Some of our favorite attractions include:

– An Outdoor Bier Garten, which will remain always open for beer sampling for festival participants
– Lots of outdoor games for adults and children alike
– Traditional German music

When you want to kick back and relax with an ice-cold beer but aren’t sure what to do with the family and the younger kids, we have a solution. There are many outdoor games for children that are run by our volunteers and staff as well as inflatable bounce houses that will keep your children occupied and happy for hours while you do the same.

Activities at Ober Gatlinburg

Gear up for a great experience! The 2016 5th Annual Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival is about to get under way beginning Wednesday, August 24th through Sunday, August 28th. Based on previous years festivals, this is guaranteed to be another great time for everyone. Four days of free live music in the downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee area featuring more than 120 shows will be celebrated by visitors.

What is the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival?

The festival sponsored by the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau allows songwriters to perform songs they have written and share with the audience the history behind their song. According to the SMSWF there is a “story behind every song”. It is one of the largest entertainment settings in the country to which the public is invited to enjoy free live music in downtown Gatlinburg. This festival aids songwriters in getting their songs out in there for producers, publishers, and the public to hear.

There are several ways the public can participate in the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival. In addition to enjoying the music, the public and songwriters can participate by invitation, entering a band play-off (only for bands with original music), a songwriting workshop, entering the SMSWF Song Competition or applying for the SMSWF Co-Write 2 Songs with Hit Writers. They can also audition for a 30-minute Stage Spot. Choosing one is a great way for participants to celebrate their “Appalachian Musical Roots”.

PreShow and Opening Show

Here are a few of the events scheduled for this years festival:

The PreShow Kick-off will start at 7:15pm on the 25th of August with Karen Waldrup. The Smoky Mountain Songwriters Festival met Karen while serving as a judge at a Nashville Rising Star Series. She has been a contestant on The Voice, a finalist on Nashville Rising Star, and has been named a “GAC Top 25 Songwriter”. This is her second year at the festival and SMSWF believes she has a lot to offer as an entertainer and a songwriter.

The opening show begins at 8:00pm and will feature Keith Anderson. His song, “Lost In This Moment” was a hit for Big & Rich and also earned Anderson ACM and CMA Song of the Year nominations. Additionally Keith Anderson was named “Number One New Male Artist of 2005”. An excellent songwriter, he and Kim Williams co-wrote “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)” for George Jones and Garth Brooks.

Finding fun things to do is never a problem in the Great Smoky Mountains. Beautiful hikes , family fun theme parks, shopping, rafting and other activities abound. After a day of fun and frolicking, nothing beats enjoying a delicious drink or two while you enjoy authentic mountain music. Sugarlands Distilling Company offers a summer full of free, amazing music in their Back Porch Concert Series and it’s the perfect place to kick back, relax and unwind with some moonshine and music while you make some new friends and enjoy time with old ones. With Sugarlands Distillery’s premium moonshine and some of the country’s finest musicians, enjoying the Back Porch summer music series in the Smokies at Sugarlands is the perfect way to enjoy acts you already love and to discover new music from all over the country.

While each concert will feature a different band, a full range of Sugarlands Distillery Moonshine flavors will be available at every concert. Moonshine and music are perfect companions and here are the moonshine flavors you can expect to enjoy at each show:

100 proof options: Silvercloud and Jim Tom Hedrick’s Unaged Rye

70 proof options: Tickle’s Dynamite Cinnamon and Mark Rogers’ American Peach

50 proof option: Appalachian Apple Pie

40 proof options: Southern Sweet Tea, Blockader’s Blackberry, Butterscotch Gold, Old Fashioned Lemonade

The summer concert series line up is as impressive and hard to pass up as the moonshine Sugarlands serves up. Here’s who you can expect to see during the free Back Porch Concert Series. Grab your calendar and plan your summer around seeing your favorite bands and becoming a fan of acts new to you. This year’s Back Porch Concert Series is chock full of acts you won’t want to miss, so plan accordingly and we’ll see you in the Smokies!

July 02, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Locust Honey from Nashville, TN

July 04-05, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Tony Furtado from Portland, OR

July 06, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Will Overman Band from Charlottesville, VA

July 07, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents The Blue Eyed Betty’s from NYC

July 08, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Jeremy Nail from Austin, TX

The arrival of spring is a big deal in the Great Smoky Mountains. Each year from March until June, Gatlinburg and the surrounding towns kick off Smoky Mountain Springfest . For nature-lovers all around, the annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park gives you a close-up view of this unique land and the creatures that call it home.

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage: Years of Journeying Through Nature

The first Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage was held in April of 1951 and even then drew a large crowd from at least 20 states. Now in its 66th year, the Pilgrimage has grown from a two-day event to a week-long journey with programs and hikes both indoors and outdoors for nature lovers of all stripes. Volunteers and experts lead groups into the trails of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to take a tour of the flowers and trees that grow here, bird watch, or to improve skills in photography or nature sketching.

You must register for the Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage on their website, where you can explore the many programs and guided explorations offered throughout the week. There will definitely be something for everyone, so you'll want to take some time to browse the comprehensive online guide so you don't miss out on certain programs and can make note of dates, times, and meeting places.

What to Expect and What to Take

Some programs take place indoors at the Mills Conference center or the Sugarlands Training Room in Gatlinburg. Most take place out of doors and on various hiking trails that vary in their length and difficulty. Make note of any special needs that a particular program may require by looking at the brochure first. Longer programs may necessitate carrying a bag lunch along the hike, while a specialized photography class will require your camera and gear. For any of the hiking programs be sure to wear sturdy shoes for hiking and carry plenty of water to stay refreshed during your adventure.

Guided Hikes

Sitting right over the main drag in downtown Gatlinburg (on Parkway) resides a Mexican restaurant unlike any you have probably ever visited. To say Loco Burro is fun is an understatement. In addition to great food, Loco Burro delivers great times.

Located at 735 Parkway, you have to climb stairs to get to the restaurant, which occupies the top two floors of the building in which it is located. This includes a rooftop level as well as a balcony area with fantastic views overlooking the street. The interior decorating is bright and irreverent. The place drips fun.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how fun a restaurant is if the food is not good. Luckily, Loco Burro delivers. This is food best described as “Tex Mex.” Dining begins with tortilla chips and three different types of salsa. The salsas were delicious, and it was nice being able to sample different types.

One party consisted of two adults and two children. One of the adults had the pollo diablo (and when they “diablo” they mean “DIABLO”!). The dish consisted of a mesquite grilled chicken breast topped with roasted poblanos, salsa and melted Mexican cheese, and served over a bed of sweet peppers. It was delicious…and hot! Make sure you have a drink.

The other adult in our party had a chimichanga stuffed with shredded chicken and a shredded Mexican cheese blend. The chimichanga was devoured in minutes. It was served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. Both adult meals were served with rice and beans.

The two children had grilled chicken fajitas. The meat was tender and delicious, and the grilled onions and peppers had a wonderful flavor. We had the fresh-pressed flour tortillas, which were very fresh, with nice consistency.

The kids in our party, by the way, could not wait to ride the donkey. There is an automated bucking donkey machine for kids to ride. We did have some confusion about how exactly to ride the machine, but once we figured it out, the people running it were very nice and gave the children multiple opportunities to get back on after being bucked off.

All in all, we enjoyed our dining experience at Loco Burro immensely. It seems like this would be a great place for a date, or for the family (maybe not the best place for an important business meeting). We also love the location. After eating, we strolled down the steps and were right back in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg, ready for our next adventure.

With all the Great Smoky Mountains have to offer, it’s not surprising that over 9 million visitors trek to the area each year.

A sub-range of the Appalachians, the Smokies wind along the border of North Carolina and Tennessee before merging with the Blue Ridge Mountains. The range is home to an estimated 187,000 acres of primeval forest, making it the largest such stand east of the Mississippi. The spruce-fir forest in the Appalachians is also the biggest of its kind.

The Smokies also hold bragging rights to one of the most diverse ecosystems on the continent. Outside the tropics, you won’t find a larger or more varied population of salamanders, and there are more black bears to be found here than in all of the Eastern United States.

The “smoke” is natural fog caused by highly pressurized vapors that are exhaled by the vegetation. From a distance, the fog resembles giant plumes of smoke.

A car trip through the Smokies is nice, but a mountain biking excursion is even better. There’s no greater way to commune with nature than to breathe in the aromas of the forest and feel the elements on your skin. Countless rivers and streams course the range, and you don’t want to miss the sound of a single one.

The range is overseen by Great Smoky Mountain National Park, established in 1934. There are no designated biking trails inside the park, and cycling is allowed on only three hiking trails: Deep Creek Trail, Gatlinburg Trail and Oconaluftee River Trail. Biking on the main roads calls for extreme caution. Traffic, blind curves and steep grades make the going rough.

In short, the best trails in Smoky Mountains for biking is outside the national park.

Cades Cove Loop Road

You’ll see plenty of wildlife on this winding, 11-mile loop. It also features the homes of 19th century settlers. Experienced riders shouldn’t have too much trouble with the few steep climbs on the trail. Starting from Gatlinburg, Tenn., the ride to the cove is 27 miles, and you’ll cross the Little River several times. The best times to go are Wednesday and Sunday mornings when car traffic is prohibited until after 10 a.m. This is easily the most popular mountain biking path in the region. Skilled bikers may complete the course in two hours or so, but most riders require three to four.

Foothills Parkway