Fall in the Great Smoky Mountains is a glorious experience, filled with color, cool nights and so much to do! Fall begins here with the Harvest Festival – a 9-week-long event that includes the transformation of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville into a quaint fall wonderland. This year, there will be life-size 3-D Scarecrow people in Gatlinburg and all kinds of adventures.
Starting September 16th and running through November 21st, the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival is an annual tradition that was extended to Thanksgiving week this year.
Gatlinburg‘s special Harvest Festival events include the Halloween-themed Legend of Hallow Mountain at Anakeesta (through 11/2), OktOBERfest at Ober Mountain (through 10/31), Ripley’s Fright Nights at Ripley’s Haunted Adventure (weekends in October), Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair (10/13 – 10/30), Gatlinburg Chili Cookoff Nov. 11 and a Veteran’s Day celebration also on November 11.
Anakeesta visitors can enjoy the wonderful foods and drinks of the season, such as a pumpkin-spice latte, while taking in the views of the Smokies as the leaves change into reds and golds. Adventurous guests can zip through the forest in fall or take a thrilling ride down the mountain on the Rail Runner Mountain Coaster. Read all about Anakeesta in our blog post.
At Ober Mountain, OctOBERfest celebrates some of the time-honored traditions of the original OktOBERfest in Munich, Germany. The indoor/outdoor festival is a great way to experience the Smoky Mountains in fall.
One of the highlights of OktOBERfest is the food. During the month-long celebration, along with daily shows, the Seasons of Ober Restaurant switches to its OktOBERfest menu that includes food that is German inspired derived from recipes and cuisine from traditional Bavarian festivals including schnitzel, bratwurst, strudel, turkey legs, salted pretzels, and sauerkraut.
What would an Octoberfest be without beer? There will be an Outdoor Bier Garten open daily for festival attendees who are 21 and over. The Smoky Mountain Oompah Band will entertain daily with authentic lederhosen attire, traditonal Bavarian folk dances, oompah music, sing-a-longs and yodels.
Festival goers also can enjoy everything else Ober Mountain has to offer: Ice Bumper Cars, a Rock Climbing Wall, the Ski Mountain Coaster, an indoor Ice Skating Rink, the Alpine Slide, Chair Swing, Scenic Chairlift, Amaze’n Maze, Mini-Golf, and the Wildlife Encounter.
Ober Mountain Ski Area and Amusement Park offers mountaintop fun for visitors of all ages, such as ice skating, outdoor activities, shopping & dining…plus Skiing, snowboarding & tubing. Check out the Ober web cams here.
Tunes and Tales
Also during Harvest Festival are two fun interactive events in downtown Gatlinburg: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival Tunes and Tales runs 10/2 through 10/24 and features costumed storytellers, musicians and cloggers on the Parkway, portraying Appalachian characters from days past on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Appalachian Ghost Walks are nightly lantern-led tours that showcase the history and hardships of the city’s early Native Americans, homesteaders, and pioneers.
For Pigeon Forge, Dollywood’s annual Harvest Festival anchors the city’s celebration of fall. The theme park celebrates with elaborate seasonal décor and food. One of the highlights is Great Pumpkin LumiNights, which features artistic sculptures, whimsical scenes and lighted pumpkin displays throughout Dollywood. The Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival also includes the Southern Gospel Jubilee, encompassing more than 800 individual concerts spread out among 10 venues in the park.
Dollywood Contributions
As always, artists and craftspeople from all over the country converge on Dollywood to share their talents and handiwork alongside the park’s resident community of crafters.
Carved pumpkins of every size and shape come alive with lights at night all over Dollywood during The Great Pumpkin Lumilights. In Wildwood Grove, the luminated pumpkins join the Wildwood Tree, which lights up at night with colorful butterflies. The Wildwood Tree itself comes alive at night with a Harvest story for visitors. During Harvest Festival, the park stays open until 9 p.m.
If you want to go behind-the-scenes of Great Pumpkin LumiNights, you can! Dollywood offers Behind The Glow Guided Tour, where visitors get a VIP viewing of the Wildwood Grove Tree experience, special LumiNights treats and refreshments and a Great Pumpkin LumiNights activity card.
Live Music
Southern Gospel, family, and bluegrass music will all be featured this season. Dollywood’s Back Porch Theater will be offering a different featured singer every night of the week. One of this year’s featured performers is The Gina Furtado Project. Gina is a twice-nominated International Bluegrass Music Association Banjo Player of the year and has been touring the east coast since her tween years.
Sevierville Participates
In Sevierville, there’s lots to do during Harvest Festival as well. The Sevierville Farmer’s Market runs Fridays at the municipal complex from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Kyker Farms Corn Maze is a hit with adults and kids alike and is open on select dates September 26 through October 31.
Take one of the City of Sevierville’s four self-guided Fall Driving Tours to see all the colors in the trees. Go to visitsevierville.com/fall and click on the link to each tour for a downloadable map and information about points of interest. Tours span Douglas Lake, Boyd’s Creek, Middle Prong and English Mountain.
Another way to enjoy fall and the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival is at Robert Tino’s Smoky Mountain Homecoming, October 1-3. It’s located at the artist’s studio in Sevierville and will feature local artists and crafters. A portion of the proceeds from each ticket sold benefits the Robert A. Tino Art Scholarship at Sevier County High School.
Here’s a list from the Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau of some of the many events happening this Harvest Festival season where you can enjoy gorgeous displays of pumpkins and gourds at area businesses; sample seasonally inspired meals at local restaurants; and plan an adventure to view fall leaves:
September Schedule
1-Dec. 31: Sevierville’s 225 Mile Challenge | Celebrate Sevierville’s 225th birthday by walking, running, rolling, or kayaking through the city | 225Challenge.com
1-December 31: Old Slow & Easy Sevierville’s Railroad exhibition (open daily, 9-5) | Sevierville Visitor Center | 3099 Winfield Dunn Pkwy, Kodak, TN | (865) 932-4458
3-6: Tanger Outlets Sevierville Labor Day Weekend Sale | tangeroutlet.com/Sevierville
4, 11, 18, 25: Sevierville Farmer’s Market (9am-1pm) | 136 Bruce Street | fb.com/seviervillefarmersmarket
7-12: TN Smokies Baseball vs. Chattanooga Lookouts | Smokiesbaseball.com
9-11: Fall Dixie Gas Show | Chip’s Antiques | (865) 254-8027 dixiegas.homestead.com
10-11:Shades of the Past Fall Rod Run | Dollywood’s Splash Country | shadesofthepast.com
16-18: Fall Rod Run | LeConte Center | rodrun-pigeonforge.com
16-18: 21st Annual Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival | dumplinvalleybluegrass.com
21-30: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival | Decorations & Events throughout the Smokies | VisitSevierville.com/fall
23-25: Ford F-100 Truck Nationals | Sevierville Convention Center | (423) 623-4644 | f100supernationals.com
24: Ronnie Milsap in Concert | Country Tonite Theatre | 8pm | countrytonitepf.com/celebrity-shows
24-30: Dollywood’s Harvest Celebration & Pumpkin LumiNights | Dollywood.com
24-30: Oktoberfest | Ober Mountain | obergatlinburg.com/oktoberfest/
25: Color Me Mutt 5K Color Run | NASCAR SpeedPark | 8am-10am | bit.ly/ColorMeMutt2021
25: Ober Uphill 5K | Ober Mountain | 9am-11am | obergatlinburg.com/event/ober-uphill-5k
25: East TN Hamfest | Sevier County Fairgrounds | 8am | seviercountyars.com/hamfest-2021
25-26, 30: Kyker Farm’s Corn Maze | Kyker Farm | Th/Fr 4pm-7pm, Sa. 10am-7pm, Su. 1-6pm | 865-679-4848 | kykerfarmscornmaze.com
October Schedule
1-31: Oktoberfest | Ober Mountain | obergatlinburg.com/oktoberfest/
1-31: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival | Decorations & Events throughout the Smokies | VisitSevierville.com/fall
1-30: Dollywood’s Harvest Celebration & Pumpkin LumiNights | Dollywood.com
1-3, 7-10, 14-17, 21-24, 28-31: Kyker Farms Corn Maze | Kyker Farm | Th/Fr 4pm-7pm, Sa. 10am-7pm, Su. 1-6pm | kykerfarmscornmaze.com
2: Bruce Street Brewfest | Historic Downtown Sevierville | 2pm-6pm | www.brucestreetbrewfest.com
2: Sevierville Farmer’s Market (9am-1pm) | 136 Bruce Street on Saturdays fb.com/seviervillefarmersmarket
1-3: Robert Tino’s Smoky Mountain Homecoming | (865) 453-6315 | smokymountainhomecoming.com
2-3: Circle Yer Wagens | VW Show & Swap Meet| Sevier County Fairgrounds | circleyerwagens.com
5: National Night Out | Community Booths, Giveaways, Music, Food | Sevierville Municipal Complex 110 Gary Wade Blvd.| 6pm-9pm
10:The Island Chalk Fest | The Island in Pigeon Forge | 8am-6pm | islandinpigeonforge.com/chalkfest
15-16: TNT Tractor Pull | Sevier County Fairgrounds | tnttruckandtractorpull.com
15-16: Smoky Mountain Rubberstamp & Scrapbook Show | Sevierville Convention Center | toomuchfunpromotions.com
15-17: Wears Valley Fall Festival | wearsvalleyfallfest.com
21: History & Haunts | Historic Downtown Sevierville | 6pm-10pm | DowntownHistoryandHaunts.com
22: Tracy Lawrence in Concert | Country Tonite Theatre | 8pm | countrytonitepf.com/celebrity-shows
23: 6th Annual Jeeptoberfest in the Smokies | Quaker Steak & Lube | thejeepcrew.org
23: Smoky Mountain Collector’s Showcase | Cards, Comics, Toys & More | Sevierville Civic Center 200 Gary Wade Blvd.| fb.com/smokymtncollectorsshowcase
29: Sheriff’s Department Spooktacular Block Party |Sevier County Fairgrounds | Trick-or Treating Event | 5pm-9pm | seviercountysheriff.com/halloween-block-party.html
30: HalloWine Chocolate Wine Trail | Rocky Top Wine Trail | bit.ly/HalloWineTrail2020
November Schedule
1-5: Sevierville’s Smoky Mountain Harvest Fest | Decorations & Events throughout the Smokies | VisitSevierville.com/fall
Let American Patriot Getaways help you plan your visit and your stay!
The views from the Great Smoky Mountains and the changing leaves – an attraction all itself – can be seen from a cabin in the mountains.
Let American Patriot Getaways and the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival activities be your destination for fall foliage this year. Find a cabin in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg with an incredible mountain view. Check out our Pinterest board on Cabins near Dollywood.
With cabins for every group size and budget, you’re sure to find the perfect home away from home this autumn. Book online or give our friendly Reservation Department staff a call at 800-204-5169 today.
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