Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival

This year marks the 5th anniversary of the Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival. This is a free admission family event that highlights art and music of artists from all around. Many vendors will have tents set up along River Road at Ripley’s Aquarium. There will be plenty of food from local vendors available as you walk through all the display tents as well. You’ll find many things to buy as souvenirs or gifts while at the Fine Arts Festival.

There will be over 50 artists displaying, making and selling their crafts at the fair. You can watch and even custom order souvenirs. Take a look at all the goods the vendors are offering and listen to the music that will be performed by a live band. Enjoy some of the bluegrass, jazz, Celtic, rhythm and blues songs that will be played by Kevin McGuire and DownStream. There will also be food stands serving hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, corn dogs, etc. throughout the festival. Many of the food vendors are from local restaurants.

The Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival is scheduled to be held on May 16th and 17th this year. There will also be $5,000 in prizes up for grab. If you’ll be in Gatlinburg TN during those dates make your way down to River Road and check out the Festival. Proceeds will help the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and Sevier County Art Council.

Scottish Festival and Games

May 15-17 2009 is the date for this year Gatlinburg Scottish Festival. The weekend will include a fun-filled packed weekend. There will be athletic competitions, entertainers, vendors, pipes & drums, highland dance and more!

The activities will begin Friday at 9:30am at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. At 3:00pm there will be the Scotch Whiskey Tasting at the Quality Inn on the creek. Everyone is invited to join in on the Gatlinburg Highland Festival games and wine tasting. The tickets to this event are $10 and you must be 21 years or older to attend.

At 6:00 pm is the GSFG Parade. It will begin at stop light number 10 in Gatlinburg TN prior to the games. Wave your family crest and colors proud as you walk with your clan through the downtown lights, shops and sounds of the beautiful Gatlinburg. The march is about a mile long and will also include a trolley coming behind the parade for those who would rather or need to ride.

On Saturday the gates open at 8:00am and the day is jam packed with activities. From dancing to border collies to athletics, Saturday will be a day you do not want to miss.

Sunday will start the competitions and the parade of Tartans and the mass band tribute to the veterans. The pipe band competition, clan challenge, and bonniest knees and Haggis Hurl will all lead up to an evening of Trophy presentation on the main field.

Even if you are not Scottish, you will want to join in on the fun. So plan your vacation to Gatlinburg TN today!

Wildflower Pilgrimage 2009

The annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage is right around the corner. It will be celebrating it’s 59th year of this 5 days celebration occurring on April 22-26 this year. The Wildflower Pilgrimage is a truly unique way of experiencing the beauty of the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg TN. It’s a celebration of the beauty of the wildlife by holding demonstrations, hikes, and many programs and seminars.

The area that the Smoky Mountains is on is protected land to preserve the wildlife. Take a walk for some fresh air as your guide takes you on trails in the Smoky Mountain National Park. You’ll stop and enjoy the wildflowers all along the trail as well. Art classes will be offered so that you can capture the colors and beauty of wildflowers in paintings. One of the classes will take you through the Smoky Mountain National Park to let you try out your photography skills.

The day the Pilgrimage starts, there will be a luncheon held at the W.L. Mills Conference Center located in downtown Gatlinburg TN. Until the pilgrimage ends, you will be able to take advantage of as many classes as you can handle. They will be offering over 150 programs to choose from. The teachers and guides for each program are professionals and many are employed by the National park Service. Morning, afternoon, evening and all day classes are available. Classes, locations and the descriptions of each class are listed on their website by date and time at www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org. Some of the popular classes are held more than once. Some classes are held indoors and some have admission fees.

Early registration is available if you want to sign up in advance. You can do this by going to their website or calling their phone number. On site registration will be held at the W.L. Mills Conference Center where available programs will be listed. Transportation is not provided so be sure you have a way to and from your trailheads. No refunds will be issued for those who are unable to make their program date. All funds do benefit the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage expenses.

If you are coming in from out of town, please be sure you plan for crowded streets and accommodations. Please view our Gatlinburg cabins page for more information about accommodations in Gatlinburg TN.

Mountain Man March

The second annual Mountain Man March will be taking place on April 4 this year in Gatlinburg Tennessee. This march is a tribute to the men and women in uniform and honors 1LT Frank Walkup who was killed during his tour in Iraq in 2007. 1LT. Walkup was a Tennessee Native and graduated from the University of Tennessee. Once he graduated he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. He was deployed to Iraq and was killed on June 16, 2007 by an explosive device that detonated near his position during a patrol. This march honors him and has become a tribute to the rest of the soldiers who didn’t make it home from their deployments.

The Mountain Man March starts at 9am on Saturday, April 4 in downtown Gatlinburg TN and goes up Highway 321 to Pittman Center Road. The march cover 26.2 miles in the Smoky Mountains with stretches of roads and includes off road terrain and mountain slopes. This march drew in thousands of participants last year. It’s become a tribute to all members in the military by fellow military personnel, veterans, and civilians. The motto of the event is “Honor Through Actions” and those who participate walk 26.2 miles in the military boots.

There are categories for the Mountain Man March: Military Heavy, Military Light and civilian. There is an entry fee of $50 per person or $200 for a group of five. The entry fee does include light breakfast on the morning of April 4, snack foods and water at any of the 12 water points along with a BBQ meal at the finish line and awards for those who participated.

This event is sponsored by UT-Knoxville Army ROTC Ranger Company. Anyone is able to join the event and proceeds do go to support the Ranger Company and also to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund in the name of 1st LT Walkup.