Gatlinburg Vacation Blog

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Great Smoky Mountain National Park remains the most visited national park in the nation. While a vast majority of its more than 9 million annual visitors arrive in the summer and fall color seasons, winter offers up a unique opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts.

That’s especially true for those who enjoy winter sports activities. Ski season opened at Gatlinburg’s popular Ober Mountain on Jan. 3.

Ober Gatlinburg features nine trails serviced by two quad lifts, one double lift and one surface lift. The Resort also offers terrain for all abilities, from beginners experiencing snow sports for the first time, to seasoned experts headed to the moguls and the terrain park.  

Snow tubing is another popular activity at Ober Gatlinburg in addition to skiing, snowboarding and ice skating.

For more information about Ober Gatlinburg, the aerial tramway, restaurants, shops and more, visit www.obergatlinburg.com/. Or if you would like to learn more about discount Gatlinburg resort accommodations and vacation packages, go to www.westgatereservations.com.

Break out your cowboy hat and boots and get ready to experience a special taste of the great American West in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Pigeon Forge, located near the mountain village of Gatlinburg, brings the great American West to life with its 12^th Annual Saddle Up festival, Feb. 23-26, 2012. The celebration salutes the American West through cowboy musicians and poets, a hearty chuckwagon cookoff, and even a two-stepping cowboy dance.

The entire family will enjoy this four-day festival filled with entertainment and plenty of cowboy-themed activities. “Stories and Strings” is a new concert featuring a variety of top country western performers who will discuss their influences, demonstrate their styles and play, performing together for the first time.

The list of 2012 Saddle Up entertainers includes: R.W. Hampton, Stephanie Davis, Saddle Cats, Cowboy Celtic, Kent Rollins, Ray Doyle, Andy Nelson and Chuck Pyle.

If you’re looking for discount resort accommodations or discount family vacation packages in the Great Smoky Mountains, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

While much of the nation focuses on the crystal ball drop in New York’s Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the city of Gatlinburg will be celebrating with its own special ball drop.

The Smoky Mountain village will welcome the arrival of 2012 with its 24^th annual New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks Show at the base of the Space Needle.

The ball drop from the 342-foot-tall Space Needle at midnight on Jan. 1, 2012 will be followed by music and a dazzling fireworks display choreographed to the music. The event is a Gatlinburg tradition and many restaurants and attractions also offer special celebrations.

It’s all part of the nearly 4-month long Gatlinburg Winter Magic festival that also includes an extravagant display of holiday lights throughout Gatlinburg’s famous downtown Parkway. The custom designed displays feature millions of new LED lights that reduced the city’s energy costs for the 120-day program by 95%.

Displays include animals indigenous to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park such as deer, rabbits and squirrels as well as fanciful snowmen, dancing fountains, children and a rocking horse.

For information on Gatlinburg events, discount attraction tickets and discount family vacation packages, please visit www.westgatereservations.com.

With November just a week away, the annual holiday festivities can’t be far behind in Gatlinburg.

The Smokies are filled with year-round activities, but visitors to Gatlinburg won’t want to miss the three-time winner of America’s Best Christmas Event - Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration, Nov. 5 through Dec. 30, 2011.

This year’s holiday celebration offers a fresh new event with the premiere of Dollywood on Ice!, an ice dancing spectacular choreographed to the most popular sounds of the season.

At Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, you’ll experience a winter wonderland the includes four million sparkling lights, more than 20 rides and attractions and an array of award-winning holiday shows such as Christmas in the Smokies and O’ Holy Night.

Visit Santa’s Workshop where you’ll be delighted by larger-than-life toy soldiers, wagons, a dollhouse, sailboats and other classic toys. The centerpiece of the workshop is an 18-foot Christmas tree. Additional holiday happenings include the Parade of Lights that winds its way throughout the park.

For discount attraction tickets and Gatlinburg vacation package information, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

The time is now to visit Gatlinburg. Wherever you are in Gatlinburg, you’ll be surrounded by gorgeous mountain views. And as the fall color season begins to explode throughout the Great Smoky Mountains, the view just gets better and better.

If you’ve never seen the awe-inspiring beauty of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in fall, prepare for one of Mother Nature’s most spectacular pleasures. But the incredible hues of oranges, reds and yellows bursting forth across the landscape are just part of the fun of Gatlinburg in the fall.

There’s no better way to take in the fall colors than with a serene hike along more than 800 miles of scenic trails. Or try an equally scenic horseback ride. For those who enjoy fishing, fall is a great time to catch delicious trout from a clear mountain stream.

Beyond the sheer beauty and fun that nature provides, Gatlinburg is filled with activities for the entire family. Take a ride up the Ober Mountain aerial tram. Or sail down the mountain on a thrilling alpine slide.

Enjoy a round of miniature golf. Or strap on some ice skates for an ice skating adventure. Experience the world’s longest underwater aquarium tunnel or check out one of many unique museums.

The village of Gatlinburg is also filled with shopping, quaint eateries, arts & crafts, and simple, old-fashioned hospitality. See for yourself by joining the many who head to Gatlinburg every fall to soak up the beauty and adventure.

For information on Gatlinburg discount family vacation packages and Gatlinburg resorts, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

The school year is starting and the cooler air of autumn will soon replace the hot temperatures of summer. Meanwhile, amidst the mountain village of Gatlinburg, the lush green hills of the Great Smoky Mountains will begin its annual transformation into a sea of brilliant hues of orange, red and yellow.

With a variety of elevations and a wide diversity of trees, Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a fall color season that runs approximately from mid-September to mid-November. Tourists will soon flock to Gatlinburg to watch as the colors slowly migrate down the mountainsides from the highest elevations to the foothills.

It also means some of the busiest traffic within the nation’s most visited national park. But you can enjoy the best of both worlds with a vacation at the 5-Star Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg.

Situated ideally near the main gateway to the national park, Westgate Smoky Mountain provides spacious and luxurious cabin accommodations with spectacular mountain views or stream views from your own private balcony. And few options offer such convenient entrance into the park for hiking, biking or simply driving through the Smoky Mountains during fall color season.

The Smokies are home to roughly 100 species of mostly deciduous native trees. Temperatures, rainfall and other variables help determine peak color seasons from year to year, but the stunning color displays typically begin above 4,000-foot elevations in mid-September. Beech, birch, maple, hobblebush and pin cherry trees at the higher elevations are visible from vantage points along Clingmans Dome Road. Other scenic drives for early fall colors include Parsons Branch Road and Newfound Gap Road.

For those who prefer hiking, the early color season can be enjoyed from trails such as Albright Grove and Sugarland Mountain Trail as well as high elevation hikes to Andrews Bald or Mt.

Middle and lower elevations typically reach peak color between mid-October and early November. These amazing displays include sugar maple, scarlet oak, sweetgum, red maple and hickory trees. By this time, the sunny days and cooler nights can kick off a brilliant color display. The roads within the park will also get correspondingly busier. As a result, you might want to hike one of the many easy to moderate trails such as Lower Mount Cammerer, Baskins Creek Falls, Little River, Old Settlers and Porters Creeks Trails.

Other popular places to see fall colors in the Smoky Mountains include Newfound Gap Road from Alum Cave Trailhead to Kephart Prong Trailhead, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway East & West, and Heintooga Ridge Road to Balsam Mountain Campground. Suggested hikes include Rich Mountain Loop, Chestnut Top Trail, Smokemont Loop, Kanati Fork, and Sutton Ridge Overlook.

For details about fall color season in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/fallcolor.htm. For information on Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

The heritage of the Great Smoky Mountains is celebrated every day all summer long during Gatlinburg’s 6th annual presentation of Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales.

The annual event runs in downtown Gatlinburg now through August 13 and features street performances by costumed musicians, crafters, storytellers and artisans portraying time periods as far back as 1800.

The fun begins each evening at 6 pm when a group of personalities and performers arrive in the center of town. Soon the downtown sidewalks transform into a stage as the characters disperse along the parkway for an evening of entertainment and storytelling that runs until 11 pm.  As many as 14 nightly acts are performed throughout each evening.

Visitors can easily walk through the beautiful mountain village to enjoy the wide variety of interactive, educational and entertaining experiences presented. You can also catch a performance by “The Back Porch Cloggers,” a group showcasing the original dance of the Appalachians.

Children will be delighted by the appearance of Zeno the Gatlinburg Bear who also makes many special appearances during this popular summer event.

In addition to traditional mountain music, the Gatlinburg event also offers up traditional bluegrass bands. All performances are free and happen all along the Parkway, seven nights a week.

Visit www.westgatereservations.com for more on Gatlinburg attractions and discount Gatlinburg vacation packages.

Majestic mountains, exquisite art, creativity, children’s programs, music - add it all up and you have the 7^th Annual Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival.

The special event, held in downtown Gatlinburg, TN adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a two-day street fair to be held May 14-15.

The prestigious event highlights top artists in their fields and participating exhibitors are chosen by jury in 16 categories ranging from ceramics and glass to watercolor and woodworking. In all, a total of $10,000 in prizes and purchase vouchers is at stake.  

The fun-filled festival is free to visitors. However, the event is an annual fundraiser for the internationally renowned Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, the Sevier County Arts Council and the Gatlinburg Boys & Girls Club art program. 

Don’t miss your chance to experience some of the very best arts and crafts in an area well known for its exceptional craftsmanship.

For details on Gatlinburg and discount Gatlinburg vacation packages, visit www.westgatereservations.com.

The mountain village of Gatlinburg andthe surrounding Great Smoky Mountains are filled with adventures the entire family will enjoy. There’s a seemingly never-ending variety of outdoor recreation. You can hike hundreds of miles while exploring the national park. You can try white water rafting, fishing, golfing or biking. Or you can choose from a wide variety of theme parks and other attractions throughout Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge.

You’ll also find an exceptional array of shopping options, particularly if you’re in the market for hand-made arts and crafts. In fact, the nation’s largest organization of independent artisans can be found in the area amidst the Historic Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community, originally founded in 1937.

Discover nearly 100 exceptional shops, studios and art galleries filled with special hand-made treasures. Or stop and enjoy one of the many small dining establishments lining the eight-mile arts & crafts loop that winds through the area’s beautiful Smoky Mountains.  

These many talented artisans create everything from quilts, old-fashioned straw brooms with hand carved handles, exquisitely woven baskets, beautiful jewelry and hand-dipped scented candles to Victorian ceramic pitchers, pottery, dulcimers, stuffed bears, leather vests and more. You’ll also find a number of exceptional paintings featuring the area’s spectacular mountain scenery.

Whether you explore the craft loop or simply take in one of the many art galleries and boutique shops in Gatlinburg, you’re sure to find a special treasure hand created by a community of crafters like no other in the U.S.

For details on Gatlinburg’s Great Smoky Mountains as well as discount Gatlinburg attraction tickets and Gatlinburg vacation packages, you can visit http://www.westgatereservations.com/.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains the most visited of America’s many national parks. With more than 9 million visitors a year, the Great Smoky Mountains offers 800 square miles of spectacular scenery spanning much of Tennessee and North Carolina.

The Grand Canyon, despite its remote location, comes in a distant second to the Great Smokies in terms of visitors, with more than 4 million guests per year.

All told, the U.S. national park system spans 84 million acres and encompasses everything from mountains to seashores to the White House.

While a majority of National Parks are free year round, the National Park Service offers a number of fee free events throughout the year at those parks that do require an admission fee.

There’s no better time to celebrate the beauty, diversity and history of America’s 394 parks than during National Park Week, April 16-24, 2011. The parks will be waiving entrance fees everywhere and holding special events ranging from scavenger hunts to guided nature hikes.

Other remaining fee free days in 2011 include: June 21 (first day of summer), Sept. 24 (Public Lands Day) and Nov. 11-13 (Veteran’s Day weekend).

A long list of National Parks offer visitors the opportunity to join the National Park Service Family as Junior Rangers. Interested students can complete a series of activities during their park visit, share their answers with a real park ranger, and receive an official Junior Ranger badge or patch and a Junior Ranger certificate.

For more information on the U.S. national parks, visit www.nps.gov. Or go to www.westgatereservations.com for the latest on the Great Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg, TN including discount Gatlinburg vacation packages.