Firefly Show Set for June
The annual appearance of synchronous firefly beetles in the Park occurs the first week in June and continues until mid-June. Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides transportation to nightly firefly activity in Elkmont each night during the annual firefly show. The City of Gatlinburg trolley service operates transportation between the Sugarlands Visitor Center and the Little River Trailhead at Elkmont.
Driving Trails in National Park More Beautiful Than Ever!
The driving trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides breathtaking mountain views. Drive alongside soothing rivers flowing freely amidst a certain quietness offered by the mountains. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is easily accessible from downtown Gatlinburg by taking Historic Trail Road. This drive takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
Don't Miss the Rhododendron This Year
Rhododendron will be blooming very soon throughout the Park. Nine species of native shrubs in the rhododendron genus live in the park: rosebay (white) rhododendron, Catawba (purple) rhododendron, flame azalea, sweet azalea, Cumberland azalea, small-leaved azalea, pinxter-bush, pink azalea, and clammy azalea. Together they cover thousands of acres in the national park. Although azalea are grouped in the rhododendron genus (members of the heath family), when most people consider rhododendron, they are thinking about either rosebay or Catawba.
Rosebay rhododendron is the most common rhododendron in the Smokies. It thrives around streams and in ravines at elevations below 5,000 feet. Rosebay’s big clumps of whitish flowers appear in June at the lower elevation and from July into August at the middle altitudes. One of the best places to see rhododendron is along Hwy 441 beween Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina.
River Tubing Still A Popular Outdoor Sport
It won't be long until water lovers start tubing down cool mountain rivers. Some of the more popular tubing spots in the Smokies include the Wye in Townsend and several outfitters in Townsend and Pigeon Forge.
River running through
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Boar on Display at
Sugarlands Visitor Center
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Summit Fest 2008 to be Celebrated June 6 & 7Summit Fest 2008 will be held in Gatlinburg, TN at Gatlinburg's Winery Square on June 6th and 7th. The event will include autograph pictures signings, Apa and Lhakpa slide show, food, fun, and product demonstrations. Special guests will include Apa Sherpa, the only man in history to reach the top of the world 17 times. As the world record holder of the most summits of Everest, Apa is widely recognized to be one of the greatest living mountaineers. Another special guest will be Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa whose goal was to set an Everest speed ascent record. He not only broke the late Babu Chirri Sherpa's Everest speed ascent record of 16 hrs 56 mins, but he shattered that record with a record time of 10 hrs, 56 mins, and 46 sec.
Find your way out of Ripley's Marvelous Mirror Maze? Ripley's Marvelous Mirror Maze and Candy Factory features over 100 mirrors. Enjoy hundreds of your favorite candies at Ripley's Candy Factory. Located on the Parkway in Gatlinburg.
River Battle at Dollywood
Dollywood's $5 million River Battle is a themed water raft ride equipped with powerful soaker guns. Nine rafts, each with room for eight passengers, follow a 500-foot channel. As the rafts navigate the waters, the battle begins as passengers, each armed with a soaker gun, take aim at each other and more than 100 targets along the way, including large-scale “talking animals”—beavers, skunks, otters, bears and more. Some of the targets shoot back while others display a variety of special effects, creating surprises at every turn and ensuring that no two rides are ever exactly the same. River Battle also engages park guests along the ride’s banks. While rafters are soaking each other in raft-to-raft sparring, they also can “shoot” observers along the way in “raft-to-shore” fun. In the park’s ongoing effort to provide opportunities to bring families closer, River Battle is yet another ride addition that allows parents and children to ride together.
4th Annual Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival is May 17-18The festival is a family-oriented event featuring quality artists from around the country, delicious cuisine, and music in a beautiful mountain setting. Volunteers from the community produce the festival to benefit the Sevier County Arts Council and Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, an internationally recognized visual arts center which provides creative experiences year round.
“The Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival has acquired a wonderful reputation in their four years of hosting this event,” said Tom Bauman, Executive Director of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. “The event is a juried festival with the reputation of having quality artist and craftsmen. We feel very comfortable joining ranks with them, Traditionally the Southern Highland Craft Guild normally produce events exclusive to guild members. “
The Gatlinburg Fine Art Festival features over 50 professional artists and craftsmen annually awards $5,000.00 in cash prizes.
Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies will host a “Night With The Artists” party, allowing the sponsors and the public to meet and greet the artists. The party is set from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday May 16. Cost per person is a $50 donation. At this year’s event, a special “Life Time Achievement” award will be presented to Jim Gray, one of the area’s most respected artists.
Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales - June 13 - August 9
Picture this… it’s early evening in the Smokies. You are strolling along the Parkway in downtown Gatlinburg and see a gathering of people just ahead. As you draw closer, you begin to hear the distinctive sounds of a dulcimer. Curious, you stop to watch and listen. A dulcimer player gracefully strums an upbeat mountain melody as those around him clap rhythmically in time. After listening for a few minutes, you continue on your evening Parkway stroll and soon come upon yet another gathering.
Here you find a group of people performing old fashioned clogging. The audience is laughing as a few onlookers who undertake an impromptu dance performance along with them soon learn just how difficult the steps of authentic Appalachian dance really are.
These are just two of numerous entertainment mini-performances you can experience every evening from June 13 through August 9 as you stroll in downtown Gatlinburg. It is Gatlinburg’s Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales – returning for its third season in 2008, featuring costumed musical performers, storytellers and artisans portraying various time periods from the 1800s to today. At 6 p.m. each night, a horse-drawn wagon carries the performers down the Parkway to their designated locations for the evening. Fourteen nightly acts involve the audience as they each perform in simultaneous 15-minute performances along the Parkway throughout the evening.
"The rotating cast of 20 acts including storytellers, musicians and crafters share their stories and skills during the 11-week event,” Special Events Manager George Hawkins said. “Our intent is to take what we feel is one of Gatlinburg’s greatest assets – the walkability of the community – and provide something that would be fun and somewhat different than what most places are doing,” Tourism Director David Perella added.
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Smoky Mountain Pottery Festival- June 7
This juried show features the Smoky Mountain area's most talented potters who will be exhibiting and selling their wares. Highlights of the festival include:
• Demonstrations of wheel-throwing, hand-building, and other techniques.
• Raku firing
• Children's Tent and other educational programs.
• Distinctive pottery in many styles, with over 24 artisan booths
• Music and food
• Free admission
The event will be held at the Townsend Visitor Center from 9AM - 5PM.
Smoky Mountain Troutfest
May 17-18, 2008
Troutfest is an outdoor festival, held at the Townsend Visitor Center. It is fun for kids and adults of all ages. There is no charge to attend and parking if FREE. A Banquet and Auction will be held on Friday night before the festival begins.
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Family Fest in the Smokies
May 23-25, 2008
The 18th annual Family Fest in the Smokies features Southern Gospel Music with Bill & Gloria Gaither and welcomes Anne Graham Lotz as guest speaker, Gaither Vocal Band, Gordon Mote, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Kevin Williams, Russ Taff, Janet Paschal, Lynda Randle, Isaacs, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Ben Speer, Booth Brothers, the Collingsworth Family and Buddy Greene.
Series runs Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 10am & 6pm, and Sunday at 10am & 6pm. www.gaither.com
Dollywood's KidsFest -
June 13 - August 3
Go wild this summer at Dollywood’s KidsFest with Creature Adventures starring the Kratt Brothers, the original creature adventurers, and all of their amazing animal friends! See Chris and Martin Kratt, stars of PBS’ popular Zoboomafoo series, as they introduce a fascinating cast of creatures.
Animal lovers of all ages will be captivated by the Kratt Brothers as they take audiences on a world-wide expedition as told through the wonderful eyes of wildlife! See some familiar faces while making new friends, too, all while learning more about the magnificent animal world.
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Memorial Day Powwow
This annual event in Cherokee NC draws more than 200 dancers and more than 2,000 spectators. Men and women compete for thousands of dollars in different age groups – there are participants younger than 5! – performing dances including traditional, grass, jingle, fancy and more. These events offer great opportunity for non-Natives to appreciate a diversity of Native cultures. Beyond this, the powwows are safe, family entertainment that includes everyone from young children to tribal elders. Many powwows promote themselves as a safe, drug-free environment. Event is held is the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds on the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Gates open at 10:00AM.
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Bloomin' BBQ & Bluegrass Festival -
May 16-17
Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass is a family oriented event celebrating the beauty of spring, championship barbecue and world class bluegrass music. Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass takes place during Smoky Mountain Springfest in historic downtown Sevierville TN.
The Barbeque Cook-Off is an official barbecue championship of the state of Tennessee and is coordinated by the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.
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