Spend Halloween in the Great Smoky Mountains
Frightful fall fun
As the nights become shorter and the chill in the air deepens, spooky sightings and thoughts abound. Why not spend Halloween in the Great Smoky Mountains with haunted houses, spooky events and tours and charming festivals?
Ripley’s Fright Nights
Discover what goes bump in the dark as live actors, special effects, and unexpected surprises keep you on your toes in this bone-chilling walk-through experience at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Located in Gatlinburg, Ripley’s adventures will let you take a step into the unknown, where fright lurks behind every corner — or maybe just the ones you least expect! You can venture through the darkness as live actors keep you on your toes in this terrifyingly fun adventure.
For example, Ripley’s Fright Nights has guests stepping into the unknown with terror lurking behind every corner. During the month of October, Ripley’s Haunted Adventure increases the frights with special shows on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Halloween with no extra charge after admission.
Full of suspense and surprises, the ghastly allure of Ripley’s Haunted Adventure is perfect for brave souls ready for a horrifyingly good time!
You also can join all of Gatlinburg’s ghouls and goblins at Ripley’s Trick or Treat Karnival. Located at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza, enjoy costumed characters, family-fun activities, and most importantly, satisfy your sweet tooth with a little trick or treating.
Gatlinburg’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not! offers fun, and sometimes heart-stopping, and super weird adventures. Ripley’s history began more than a hundred years ago with a cartoon drawn by LeRoy Robert Ripley. Ripley began to travel and started publishing yearly books in 1929. His first “Odditorium” opened at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1933 and he also hosted a television program to show the world his affection for things beyond belief in the world in which we all live.
Read more about Ripley’s in our blog post.
Gatlinburg SkyLift Park
Sky Bridge in Gatlinburg.
As the leaves change color, visitors to Gatlinburg SkyLift Park will enjoy a family-friendly Halloween Boo Bash.
By day, visitors can walk the haunted SkyTrail meeting animatronic witches, ghostly figures, lighted trees, and spooky spiders along the way. However, when night falls on the mountain, the SkyTrail transforms into a haunted walk. There is also an eerie fog that cloaks the SkyBridge adding spooky chills and thrills for those who dare to cross.
Located at SkyLift Park in Gatlinburg, the SkyTrail is scenic walkway that connects end of the SkyBridge.
Read all about SkyLift Park in our blog post.
Elkmont
Elkmont Ghost Town is about 8 miles. When you take US-411 from Gatlinburg to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and drive toward Cades Cove for about 7 miles you will see the sign for Elkmont Campground.
A trip to Elkmont, Tennessee is sure to be filled with mystery and storytelling. Once a settlers’ village, then a logging community, Elkmont’s lively existence came to an end as a wealthy visitors’ country club community that Smoky Mountains National Park let fade into its current dilapidated state.
Just 15 minutes from Gatlinburg, Elkmont offers hiking and exploring opportunities. There are trails, a cemetery, dilapidated buildings to admire from outside and refurbished buildings that can be explored and even rented for special occasions.
Watch the video below to learn more about the history of Elkmont Ghost Town.
OR for more about Elkmont, read our blog post.
Appalachian Ghost Walks
In its 20th year, Appalachian Ghost Walks was named one of the Top 15 Spookiest Ghost Tours in the US by TripAdvisor. This nightly tours allow tourists and locals to not only learn about Appalachia’s rich history, but also the haunting ghost stories of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains. The Gatlinburg GhostWalk is just one of sixteen different lantern-led ghost and history tours that operate year-round, daily, and/or nightly.
Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg
The Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg is not for the faint of heart. Explore a bone-chilling 1900s-style Victorian home with scares and surprises lurking around every corner. Guests can explore the mansion’s through secret passageways in a terrifying, self-guided tour.
Coasts & Goblins
October 1-31, 2024
During the whole month of October, visitors to Rocky Top Mountain Coaster will experience Coasts & Goblins with the same hills & thrills you love, plus added lights, goblins, ghouls and ghosts. Halloween nights will bring fun and frights to visitors after dark beginning October 1st.
Another spooky mountain coaster experience, Halloween in the Holler turns Moonshine Mountain Coaster into haunted attraction on weekend evenings in October and, for the last week before Halloween, (Friday, October 25 – Thursday, October 31) it remains haunted every night.
Trick Or Treat at The Island
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Halloween at the Island is a celebration for all ages! Join the businesses at The Island for trick or treating, Halloween music and a special Halloween fountain show. Enjoy this family-friendly, spooky celebration starting at 5 pm on Halloween.
Get ready for a spooktacular Halloween night at The Island in Pigeon Forge! Join us on Thursday, October 31, from 5 PM to 7 PM for a fun-filled evening of trick-or-treating at participating locations. Dress up in your most creative costumes and collect delicious treats as you explore all The Island has to offer. And as always, parking is free, so you can focus on having a frightfully good time with your family and friends!
Read more about The Island in our blog post.
Craveyard Nights
September 27 – October 31, 2024
Interact with spooky figures, get your face painted, and have your photo taken with Halloween characters this year on Saturdays at Crave Golf’s Craveyard Nights. Crave’s will have both indoor and outdoor Halloween themed courses, along with its always fun mini-bowling, escape rooms, candy, toy store, and soft serve ice cream.
Sevierville Hauntings
History & Haunts
Thursday, October 17 6pm-8pm
Have a howling good time in historic downtown Sevierville! This event brings a new harvest of activities everyone will enjoy, from guided historic walking tours and costume contests to storytellers, live music and lawn games. Admission is free. Activities are subject to change. Call ahead to confirm planned activities.
Kyker Farms Corn Maze
Opening October 5th, 2024
The more than 200-year-old Kyker family designs new trails each year. You can visit their facbeook page to see this year’s design. Paid admission includes 1 pumpkin from the patch as well. Opening weekend hours are Saturday 10-7 and Sunday 1-7. Admission is $19.50 for 6 and up.
Dollywood’s Harvest Festival 2024
Now through October 28
Fall glows brightest at Dollywood, where autumn days burst to life in vivid color and nights glimmer with illuminating surprises. Explore among enchanting Hoot Owl Hollow, hear a mystical melody from Dolly’s giant, glowing guitar, and gaze up at a towering 40-foot pumpkin tree exclusively during Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health. By day, celebrate the season of many colors with the return of Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana, where dozens of talented musicians perform Southern gospel, country and bluegrass melodies, the scents of fall treats waft through the streets and the sounds of thrilling rides like Big Bear Mountain fill the air with adventure.
Ready to find a cabin for a spooky good time in the Smokies?
Book a Gatlinburg Cabin with a hot tub close to all the action so you’ll have the perfect place to unwind under the stars. Be sure to check out all our amazing featured deals.
Check out our useful vacation guides that include insider tips to help you plan the perfect Smoky Mountain vacation.
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Published on Thursday, October 3, 2024