GATLINBURG, PIGEON FORGE, SEVIERVILLE AND SEVIER COUNTY CELEBRATE 30 YEARS OF WINTER FAMILY FUN
Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Sevier County mark 30 years of Smoky Mountain Winterfest this November 2019! Winterfest is a heartwarming celebration of enchanting light displays, unique shopping, award-winning shows, family attractions, winter adventure and the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains!
Smoky Mountain Winterfest began in 1989 as a collaborative effort between the cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville along with Dollywood and Sevier County. The initial idea of Winterfest was to extend the visitor travel season into the months of November, December, January and February by highlighting the winter beauty of our Smoky Mountains, offering festive family events and entertainment along with themed light displays throughout the area. With humble beginnings 30 years ago, Smoky Mountain Winterfest has been an overwhelming success story for all of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Sevier County!
Today, this popular winter favorite has grown into a cherished family tradition with area businesses throughout our mountain towns putting their own spin on this exceptional season in the Smokies. Special menus at our hometown restaurants, holiday shows at our theaters, train rides and cookies with Santa, trolley rides with hot cocoa, street-side storytelling and caroling, outdoor ice-skating, fireworks shows and breathtaking holiday décor at our family attractions. “Our businesses have taken our winter experience to an extraordinary level making a winter visit to the Smoky Mountains an entirely unique and authentic experience for families who visit throughout the year,” said Mary Hope Maples, Director of Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Council.
The majesty of the Great Smoky Mountains along with 15 million twinkling LED lights provides the perfect winter wonderland setting for our 30th Anniversary Smoky Mountain Winterfest Celebration. All new this year, The Incredible Christmas Place features daily activities including cookie decorating, storytelling and ornament making in a delightful new house created for the jolly guy himself at Santa’s Haus. Anakeesta Theme Park atop downtown Gatlinburg charms with their Woodland Winter Wonderland complete with a 1,000-foot tunnel of twinkling artic lights, life-size snow globe with the natural beauty and backdrop of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and a forest of firefly lights along their exhilarating Treetop Skywalk. A winter trip to the Smokies wouldn’t be complete without a stop at our premier shopping destination, Tanger Outlets Sevierville…home to high-end shopping like Coach, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and more, now with valet parking for your convenience and complete holiday shopping pleasure. Family classics like Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, Ober Gatlinburg Ski Area and Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland (to name a few) each add to the fun year after year with new light displays, décor, events and experiences for your whole family to enjoy! Pair this with our warm hospitality… and winter in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Sevier County is no longer a time for hibernation but rather, a time for family celebration!
Our Smoky Mountain vacation destination will be vibrant with winter fun, offering great vacation value and family adventure in one convenient location beginning November 22, 2019 through February 17, 2020. Make your plans today at www.SmokiesFun.com and experience this special season with us in the Smoky Mountains.
For more information and a complete list of Winterfest events please visit www.SmokiesFun.com
