Here’s what’s happening in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area in May, 2019. How merry is the month of May in the Smoky Mountains? Plenty! There are several festivals and events happening, so read on and choose from the selection below.
Here’s what’s happening in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in this month of April, 2019. There’s a lot going on as always – see the full list below.
And note our current Cabin Specials with deals up to HALF-PRICE. Check the Specials page for our Two Weekends in May 50% off large cabins (round up the gang!) as well as our Weeknights (Sun-Thurs through May 17) “Buy 2 Get 2 Free” specials on all cabins – that’s half price on a 4-night stay!
UPDATE: The Lottery for a parking pass to view the Synchronous Fireflies is open April 26-29. You can register here: recreation.gov. Lottery winners will be announced May 10. The dates for the viewing are May 30 – June 5, 2019.
Image courtesy of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The first full weekend in April means it’s time for the 21st Annual Spring Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament, on Saturday and Sunday, April 6-7, 2019. Cash and gift prizes are awarded in multiple categories, with hundreds of entrants fishing, and thousands of rainbow trout stocked in over 20 miles of local streams.
Keeping things fair, there are different divisions for children and adults as well as for locals and visitors – but wait, it’s even more fair than that, with a $500 cash prize for largest trout caught AND $500 for the smallest trout caught! A total of $10,000 is awarded in the spring and fall contests, while 10,000 trout are stocked each year in the largest trout tournament in the Smokies, acclaimed as the best.
The world-famous Synchronous Fireflies natural occurrence will happen again this year, in early June 2019, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding area. Now is the time to be thinking about how to to watch this unique event that, outside of the U.S., happens only in southeast Asia.
There are two ways to get a seat at the show.
With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, the season of romance begins. And whether you’ve been married for years or are just falling for each other now, there’s no finer place to celebrate Valentine’s Day than in the Smoky Mountains.
The magic of the Smokies is the backdrop for all of our luxury vacation cabins. Some are secluded enough to make you feel you’re the only ones up there. Others feature views of lushly wooded landscapes, babbling brooks, and rolling foothills. In all directions, you’ll enjoy the serene landscape of the Smokies, the fresh mountain air, and the song of birds and wind through the trees.
To make your Valentine’s Day getaway truly special this year, we invite you to add a romantic getaway package to the cabin of your choice. Check the 3 and 6 night romantic getaway packages in our Gatlinburg honeymoon cabins page. We have several options to choose from – and you can also create your own romantic getaway!
New Year’s Eve 2018 in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge offers two great venues bringing the long-anticipated excitement of free concerts, DJ music, specials in local restaurants and theaters, crowds of revelers, millions of seasonal lights and massive fireworks to ring in a brand-new 2019 at midnight.
Tens of thousands of people will be outdoors and up late this year on Monday, December 31, 2018. Usually Gatlinburg’s Space Needle draws 50,000 attendees to the New Year’s event, featuring its own special countdown and ball drop from the 400-ft tower, in its 31st Annual New Year’s Eve celebration. At the same time in Pigeon Forge, excitement builds at The Island, providing free entertainment, a countdown, plenty of razzle dazzle, and more amazing fireworks.
November 6, 7 and 9 mark the 2018 winter fun seasons beginning in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Sevierville, TN. These days are the kickoff celebrations as each town turns on its millions of Christmas lights to start the season of Winterfest.
Images courtesy of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge
Two completely opposite events are happening in the Pigeon Forge area Thursday through Saturday, September 13-15, 2018. There’s the astonishingly muscular Fall Rod Run classic car event in Pigeon Forge, and to the north a little ways in Kodak is the astonishingly musical Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival. Take your choice!
Local broadcaster WBIR Channel 10 News has footage of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in a recent story showing the dramatic recovery of the forests, following the wildfires of 19 months ago in the Gatlinburg, TN area. As the interview with the park’s fire ecologist Rob Klein makes clear, this is a great example of how quickly forests can snap back and regenerate with new life following a wildfire.
According to the story, 70 percent of the areas affected by the fires of November, 2016, are recovering very rapidly. Hundreds of brand-new Table Mountain Pine trees have already shot up to around 2 feet in height. Within a couple more years, says Klein, it will be difficult to see that these areas were even burned. In fact, entire areas will become transformed into new forests over the next decade.
This is all good news, and it’s quite astonishing to see the images of before and after in various parts of the national park.
There is literally so much to do and see in the area in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park that you simply can’t fit it all in. You’ll need a guide to the best ways to spend your time if you visit the area. This guide to the Smokies gives you a broad outline of the options, so you can drill down through the million-and-one things to find the type of activity that best suits your trip to the Smoky Mountains.
There are four major fields of activity in this part of the Smoky Mountains. You can visit the national park, you can play in the gateway towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, you can venture further out to some of the roads less traveled, or you can relax in your cabin in the mountains and watch it all from a hot tub on the deck.
We are the one of largest cabin rental agencies in the Smoky Mountains and have been recognized by Southern Living as the Best Family Resort in the Smokies. We manage over 340 cabins in the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville Tennessee areas. Visit us today and get over $700 of free attraction tickets with your cabin rental.
