Top 12 Christmas Holiday Shows in the Smoky Mountains!

smoky-mountain-opry-christmas-show-pigeon-forge-heysmokiesThese top 12 Christmas Holiday Shows in the Smoky Mountains will get you into the spirit of the season! No place else in the mountains celebrates the Christmas holidays the way Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Sevierville do and we’ve got their Top 12 Christmas Shows just for you!

A Christmas holiday in the beautiful Smoky Mountains filled with live music and dance creates fun family memories to last a lifetime. So while you’re visiting the Great Smoky Mountains this holiday season, do yourself a favor and take in a show or two…or five!

A Comedy Barn Christmas, Pigeon Forge
It’a a holiday filled with laughter as only the Comedy Barn can deliver this season. They’ve traded in the overalls, well some of them, for some really funny Christmas costumes and they’ll be singing and clogging and laughing all the way through to the new year! And don’t forget those darling Comedy Barn Canines that are sure to warm your heart this Christmas!

Biblical Times Dinner Theater, Pigeon Forge
This holiday season Biblical Times Dinner Theater recreates “The Christmas Story” through the prophetic eyes of Simeon during the second half of their dinner show featuring traditional Christmas music, Southern gospel, and contemporary Christian music.

Christmas at Dixie, Pigeon Forge
The Christmas show at Dolly Parton’s  Dixie Stampede has been upgraded with $2.5 million renovations in lighting and state-of-the-art video special effects that will wow fans of all ages. As usual, guests will enjoy Dixie’s 4-course meal and 32 majestic horses; however during the special holiday show the arena will be transformed into a live Navitity scene, and a lively parade of toys are brought to life by the Sugar Plum Fairy herself.

Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry, Pigeon Forge
With an even bigger and better show than before, Christmas at The Smoky Mountain Opry features award-winning aerialists, ice skaters, and live animals including donkey, camels and a rare white lion. In this year’s production, they are all helping Santa Elves work overtime to get ready for the big holiday. With laser light effects and special winter’s snowfall, this is one show that’s sure to become a Christmas favorite.

Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival, Pigeon Forge
This year’s annual Christmas in the Smokies Bluegrass Festival will be held December 9-12, 2015 at the Ramada Inn & Smoky Mountain Convention Center. With almost two dozen bluegrass musical acts and workshops, you’ll see why this festival has had folks toe tapping and hand clapping, and coming back year after year for some of the region’s finest bluegrass music.

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5 Fabulous New Years Eve Celebrations in the Smoky Mountains!

New Years Eve Celebrations in the Smokies December 31, 2015

Ring in the New Year 2016 with family and friends in the Great Smoky Mountains at one of these five fabulous celebrations!

Cherokee Lights & Legends and Annual Cherokee New Years Eve Fireworks
Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds, Cherokee, North Carolina
Gates open at 5:00 p.m. to Cherokee Lights & Legends where interactive displays tell ancient Cherokee Christmas legends. There’s an ice skating rink and other fun activities for the entire family.  Live entertainment begins at 9:00 p.m. and the big fireworks spectacular is at 10:00 p.m. For more information visit, Cherokee Lights & Legends or call 800-438-1601.

3rd Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration
The Island in Pigeon Forge
Free festivities begin at 8:00 p.m. until the countdown to midnight and a fireworks show. Enjoy a free concert by The Fairview Union! For more info, visit islandinpigeonforge.com or call 865-286-0119.

New Years Eve Masquerade Ball
Three Jimmy’s, Gatlinburg
$1,500 in cash prizes for the best dressed guests! Tickets are $100 per couple ($50 single) and include a prime rib and salmon dinner with champagne toast at midnight. $20 cover charge for entertainment Blair Xperience at 8:00 p.m. For reservations and info, call 865-325-1210 or visit Three Jimmy’s.

Rockin’ New Years Eve with The Kincaid Band
Hard Rock Cafe, Pigeon Forge
Bring the kids and enjoy a great meal before The Kincaid Band kicks things off at 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve! For more info, call 865-430-7625 or visit Hard Rock Cafe.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show & Ball Drop
Downtown Gatlinburg
This is the 28th year for the city’s midnight fireworks extravaganza. It shoots off from roof of the 400-ft. tall Space Needle to specially choreographed music. The Space Needle is located near the intersection of The Parkway and Historic Nature Trail at traffic light #8. For more information, call the Gatlinburg CVB at 800-588-1817.

Bears in the Smoky Mountains Active | Getting Ready for Hibernation

Bears in the Smoky Mountains are active while getting ready for hibernation this year. Sightings and encounters with people have been on the rise this autumn since many bears are traveling as much as 10-15 miles outside their normal foraging range within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in search of food. Visitors and residents alike should take extra measures to secure trash in your automobiles, homes and businesses.

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National Park Rangers report the increased bear activity is due to an unusually low amount of forest foods available this year. White Oak acorns, Red Oak acorns and other nuts, known as the mast crop, have provided an extremely low yield. There has also been a lack of carbohydrate-rich wild cherries available for the bears this year.

For those planning a hike, the National Park reports increased bear activity on the following trails this fall:
Laurel Falls Trail – Little River Road
Little River Trail  – Elkmont
Grotto Falls Trail – Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Ramsey Cascades Trail – Greenbrier
Mt. LeConte Lodge Area

For those planning to backpack, the National Park reports increased bear activity at the following backcountry sites this fall:
Cosby Knob Shelter
Mt. LeConte Shelter
Russell Field Shelter
Backcountry Campsites 13, 21, 24, 38, 41, 95
Backcountry Campsite 113 is currently closed

For up-to-date backcountry trail and campsite information, call the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at 865-436-1297.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources strongly encourages visitors and residents in the Smoky Mountains to use the following tips to keep both bears and humans happily coexisting:

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Festival of Christmas Past and Holiday Homecoming in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Festival of Christmas Past at Sugarlands Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Look out! Granny Franny has found the mistletoe! (Photo: NPS)

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park hosts two old-fashioned holiday events in December! The Festival of Christmas Past will be held Saturday, December 12, 2015 at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Holiday Homecoming will be held Saturday, December 19, 2015 at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina.

Festival of Christmas Past @ Sugarlands Visitor Center
Saturday, December 12, 2015
9:30 am to 4:00 pm
There’s nothing like an old-fashioned Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration with traditional harp singing and holidays stories from long ago. In addition to live mountain music, your family will enjoy fun games and activities like apple cider pressing and make-your-own Christmas ornaments and wreaths. There will also be craft demonstrations of quilting, basket making, weaving and spinning. Don’t miss one of the short guided walks in the forest!

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#OptOutside in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Black Friday with 3 Ranger-led Hikes!

#OptOutside in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Black Friday with 3 Ranger-led Hikes! Explore some of the Smokies 800 miles of trails over the Thanksgiving Weekend with special guided hikes allowing you to learn more about the park’s cultural and natural resources in a fun way in the fresh air!

#optoutside-black-friday-heysmokies

Adorable little backpackers at Clingmans Dome getting ready to hike the Appalachian Trail with their father.

Friday, November 27 @ 9:00 am
Cucumber Gap Trail in Elkmont – 4.8 miles roundtrip
Meet your Park Ranger guide at the Little River Trailhead in Elkmont at 9:00 a.m. for this easy hike through a magnificent cove hardwood forest along the river. Learn the interesting history of the Little River Logging Company during this 3-4 hour guided hike. For more information, call Suguarlands Visitor Center at 865-436-1291.

Friday, November 27 @ 10:00 am
Abrams Fall Trail in Cades Cove – 5 miles roundtrip
Meet your Park Ranger guide at the Abrams Falls Trailhead, halfway around the Cades Cove Loop Road at 10:00 a.m. This moderate-rated hike takes you to one of the National Park’s largest waterfalls. Join Park Rangers to learn about the 2,900 miles of streams in the park and their importance of making the National Park one of most biologically diverse places in the world. Program will last about 4 hours. For more information, call Cades Cove Visitor Center at 865-448-4104.

Friday, November 27 @ 10:00 am
Little Cataloochee Trail near Cataloochee – 5 miles roundtrip
This trail is rated moderate because of a few steep sections but mostly it follows an old roadbed to several old, historic homesites and the Little Cataloochee Church. Participants will meet at the parking area on the left just after entering Cataloochee Valley and follow your Park Ranger in your vehicle for five miles to the Little Cataloochee Trailhead. For more information, call the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at 828-497-1904.

Rangers, volunteers and Friends of the Smokies staff will be available the Park’s Visitor Centers throughout the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend to provide information on how you and your family can enjoy all the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has to offer!