Aside from Christmas, Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love pumpkin carving, bags of candy, fake spider webs stretched across door frames, and all of the costumes, from the cute to the outrageous. But my favorite part of Halloween, the part that sends excited shivers down my spine, is the haunted houses. Each year, I spend hours planning out which haunts I will visit, thinking about how absolutely scared I will be running through each one, and deciding how I can ever-more-tightly hold on to the back of my husband’s t-shirt. One haunted house that I know I don’t want

Continue reading →

---

For the Halloween enthusiasts who crave the creepy and swoon for the scary, Gatlinburg’s Horror Weekend 2011 is the place to be on October 1st and 2nd. This weekend at the Gatlinburg Convention Center, fans of all things freaky can meet dozens of celebrities from their favorite horror films, check out vendors, participate in costume contests, and go to several themed parties. Stars from some of the best horror films will be on hand to sign autographs, take photos, and answer questions. Here are just a few of the celebrities who will be in attendance: Bill Moseley – The Devil’s

Continue reading →

---

Gatlinburg is a city with a deep and rich cultural history. German food and music are a big part of that. Because of this, Ober Gatlinburg celebrates each year with Bavarian style festivals during the entire month of October. Oktoberfest features traditional Bavarian food, music and beer, and is always a load of fun for visitors and locals alike. This year, Oktoberfest will be the 201st anniversary of the original festival held in Munich, Germany. Although the very first Oktoberfest was not actually a festival, but the wedding celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Bavaria, it

Continue reading →

---

So you are back for more? I told you this is great stuff! I already whet your appetite for the great fall events taking place in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In the Goings-on of Fall blog I told you about the Trolley of Lights, the colorful foliage, Veteran’s Day activities, and trout tournament…and there is still MORE! But I wouldn’t want to completely overwhelm you with all the fun to be had here, so here is a second list of great fall events in Gatlinburg, Tennessee: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival: September 15 – October 31 the best harvest festival ever will be

Continue reading →

---

The Smoky Mountains are a beautiful and exciting place to visit any time of the year, but the beginning of fall is especially chock-full of great things to do. The air is cooling, the leaves are changing, and the water is chilly but invigorating. Bears, deer and other wildlife are active, making for fascinating sight-seeing. There is always plenty of food, music, arts and crafts, and at the end of September, the Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament will be making its 12th annual splash into Gatlinburg. This is a wonderful opportunity for father and son or for the whole family to

Continue reading →

---

Fall is one of my absolute favorite times in the Smokies! I love the beautiful colors on display as the leaves change; I revel in the crispness of the fall mountain air and adore all of the events taking place at this time in Gatlinburg. If this is the time of year that you make your annual trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, then here is a reminder of all the wonderful things you will want to check out. If you are trying to decide if this will be the year that you make your first pilgrimage to the inviting

Continue reading →

---

As I walked into my favorite hometown restaurant last Sunday, I quickly came to the realization that fall is upon us. In fact, I have found that in many restaurants and stores, the beginning of fall decorations- -changing leaves, scarecrows, cornucopias and the like- -have actually been completely skipped over in favor of cute kids’ costumes and black and orange Halloween decorations. I have even spotted the errant Christmas tree, tucked in a not-so-inconspicuous corner of the store! I am a consumer, and I am not fooled by this flit skip of the pure enjoyment of fall, in the absence

Continue reading →

---

Every year on September 11th, thousands of ceremonies and memorials are held all across the country for those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attacks and related attempts.  This year, on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the City of Gatlinburg will be holding a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza. [caption id="attachment_700" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="The Freedom Tower in NYC 8/20/11."][/caption] Beginning at 8:30AM on Sunday, this ceremony will be led by Ripley’s Entertainment Executive Terrylynn Battson. Battson’s son, Paul, was working at a building adjacent to the World Trade Centers

Continue reading →

---