April Special Events for 2013

Gracious goodness, we're halfway through April and there's STILL a lot of events coming up before May! At Green Valley, we're within a few minutes to Gatlinburg and downtown Pigeon Forge, and our location gives you easy access to:

* Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales (April 5th August 10th)
* Welcome Home Vietnam Parade (April 16th, additional events 15th-18th)
* Grand Spring Rod Run (April 19th)
* Festival of Nations at Dollywood (Ends April 22nd)
* Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage (April 23rd-27th)
* Gatlinburg Winefest (April 27th)

You can see more on these events at http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events.aspx and http://www.gatlinburg.com/events. Next month, we'll have the Barbecue and Bluegrass (Dollywood), the BLOOMIN' BBQ and Bluegrass (Sevierville), more info on the new Island section of Pigeon Forge and more! www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com.

Upcoming Spring Events for 2013

March is here! We've had quite the peaceful winter, and more than our share of early-year snow to complete the season, but now we look forward to Spring, the return of emerald hills, full trees, green Smoky Mountains as far as the eye can see, and the special events that make the area magical every time of the year.

Spring events are typically some of the more unique kinds of activities the cities offer and this year is no exception. Take a look at what the next little while has to offer the Smokies:

Gatlinburg Improv Fest
March 8th - March 9th, 2013

Sweet Fanny Adams, one of the longest-running theaters in town and a model of academic dramatic influence in town, hosts this weekend festival for improvisational comedy enthusiasts in downtown Gatlinburg. Lots of performances and even workshops for developing your own talent further will be expected. See www.gatlinburgimprovfest.com/ for more information.


A Mountain Quiltfest
March 12th - 16th, 2013

The city of Pigeon Forge hosts a very popular festival in which over 20,000 visitors participate in many classes and seminars, and view some of the most gorgeous quilts in the country. More than 60 classes and seminars will be featured and a vendor mall will be onsite for enthusiasts to purchase supplies. http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events_quiltfest.aspx


Dollywood's Festival of Nations
March 23th - April 22nd, 2013

Dollywood opens every season with the most exciting Spring festival you'll find in East Tennessee - the Festival of Nations gathers many of the countries of the world to Dollywood where many cultures will add to the entertainment of the park. Africa, India, China, France, Poland and more will all be there and providing some of the best shows you will see all year! http://www.dollywood.com


Easter Sunrise Service at Ober Gatlinburg
March 31st, 2013

The Sunrise Service is a Christian lead Easter service at the top of our
provided. Tram rides start at 5:45 AM in downtown Gatlinburg and are
omplimentary to visitors for this event. http://www.obergatlinburg.com


Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales
April 5th - August 10th, 2013

Ever wanted the Smokies to be filled with the old timey music and legends
that it used to have way back in the day? Come to Gatlinburg for Smoky
Mountain Tunes and Tales and you can experience Gatlinburg celebrating
Appalachian Culture the way it used to. Music, stories, dancing all
throughout the city on evenings. http://www.gatlinburg.com


More events are coming as Spring progresses through the Smokies. Stay tuned with us as always for updates on the latest events coming up in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com.

"Saddle Up!" 2013

Looking for something REALLY different in the Smokies for February? Come check out "Saddle Up!" a Wild West-themed festival happening all across Pigeon Forge from February 21st to February 24th, 2013.

This adds a whole new dimension to the Country Music scene in the Smokies, with singing, dancing, a chuck wagon cookoff and even a Cowboy Church on Sunday. Entertainers this year include Brenn Hill, Chris Isaacs, Waddie Mitchell, The Quebe Sisters Band, Dave Stamey, Sourdough Slim, T. Scot Wilburn and the Shut Up N' Playboys, and Wylie and The Wild West.

You can see more information at www.mypigeonforge.com.

Gatlinburg New Years Eve Party!

In the Smoky Mountains, as anyone who has ever visited us would know, we take our special events seriously. Our Harvest Festivals are saturated with colors, our Springs are brisk with bloom to spare, our Summers are wall-to-wall attractions and special events and our Winterfests are full of holiday cheer.

And during New Years Eve, we both end AND begin the years with a bang!

Come to Gatlinburg for the big New Years Eve party where there will be many restaurants and local places celebrating the event. There will be entertainment leading up to final countdown, and then the epic ball drop at the final seconds of 2012 that ends with an EXPLOSION of fireworks on the Space Needle in the center of downtown Gatlinburg. More than 15 minutes of colorful sparks and flames will fire from the tower.

Gatlinburg is only a short ride away from Green Valley in Pigeon Forge; just 10-12 minutes driving or you can even take a trolley to connect to Gatlinburg and enjoy the festivities. Go on out, have the time of your life, ring in the new year, and then come back to our comfortable beds, in our comfortable rooms, for a well-earned rest. www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2012

Gatlinburg will be celebrating the Thanksgiving Season as the city traditionally does - with three special events going on at the same time, under the same roof at W.L. Mills Auditorium near Ripley's Haunted Adventure.

From 11/20/12 to 11/24/12, the Gatlinburg Festival of Trees will be the first event to take place at W.L. Mills and its also an excellent introduction to the coming Christmas season. This is a charity event sponsored by Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries and features dozens of exquisitely made Christmas trees to make a man-made Yuletide forest in the great convention center. All proceeds go to the ministry efforts of Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries.

Then, from 11/21/12 to 11/25/12, the Great Smoky Mountains Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Show will be held on the other side of the convention center. With 100+ booths and artists both local and from Virginia, Ohio, Georgia and way beyond, there is a wide berth of arts and crafts available - from candles, baskets and wood works to rock works, paintings, clothes and more.

Finally, on the nights of 11/23/12 and 11/24/12, the Great Smoky Mountain Dance Theatre will perform two shows of the Nutcracker "Sweet", which means that on 11/23/12 and 11/24/12, you could enjoy three amazing holiday special events on the same day under the same roof! If you are your family are looking for something amazing to start the holiday season, here it is!

These special events are only about 10-12 minutes from our spot in downtown Pigeon Forge and we recommend them to anyone visiting the mountains. www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com.

Autumn 2012

Now we enter the prime of the Autumn season with Harvest Festival in Pigeon Forge.

All throughout the mountains, those magical colors have already started their full bloom and we'll be seeing the zenith of them within the next couple weeks. Dollywood begins it's annual Southern Gospel and Harvest Celebration on Oct. 3rd and lasts through Nov. 3rd. This festival features a full month of nonstop Gospel performances by the best in the industry along with artists and crafters who come to the park to show off the skills handed down to them by the generations. Well worth the price of admission!

There are also two different Oktoberfest events in the Smokies as well. Wears Valley, between Pigeon Forge and Townsend, will be having one that caters more to the Autumn celebration of the mountains (http://wearsvalleychamber.com/) while Ober Gatlinburg holds a traditional German theme for theirs (http://www.obergatlinburg.com). Both are well worth the efforts to attend!

As always, there's a lot more to do in the Smokies than we can fit here, so be sure to come out and see some of it before it's gone! www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com.

Labor Day Weekend 2012

One more week until Labor Day Weekend! We'll be very excited to meet the many visitors coming out here between August 31st and September 2nd and we hope you're one of them!

There won't be a lot of special events going on during Labor Day Weekend (except for the Fine Arts Festival going on in Gatlinburg), but this is to give you more of a chance to check out the many attractions and entertainments that are already here. Dixie Stampede, MagiQuest, The Lumberjack Feud, Comedy Barn, Zorb, The Track, Lazerport and so many others in just 10 minutes worth of driving!


There are also several sidewalk sales at shopping centers around the city - Christmas Village, Pigeon Forge Crossing and Tanger Outlet will all be having outdoor sales throughout the weekend.

Come on out to the Smokies and enjoy the 3-day weekend with us at www.greenvalleypigeonforge.com. See you soon!