Everything’s coming up Christmas in The Smoky Mountains! It’s that time of the year once again…the time of the year when our little towns of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg magically turn into a Christmas Light Spectacular!
I remember my first Holiday Season spent in Pigeon Forge. I would drive around town and look at the lights every night! I couldn’t wait to have my family and friends come to town so I could show them the spectacular displays placed around town.
The shops and businesses work night and day to make sure things are exactly perfect for Winterfest to kick off. In my days working at Dollywood, I was shocked at the amount of time the employees spent decorating for Christmas. People would work around the clock—for real—24 hours a day for several days!
Lights are wrapped around each tree and building in the park. They decorate the theaters with pine garland and point all the garland ends in the same direction…now that’s effort! It is beautiful. Dollywood also has festive food and drinks like hot chocolate, wassail, and Christmas cookies from their Bakery that will make the trip even better.
Another spot to see the lights is Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge. It runs along the river, down from The Old Mill. Lights are displayed in oversized patriotic displays like The Liberty Bell, The Spirit of St. Louis, The American Flag, and Iwo Jima. You can walk along the trail and see the lights up close. My little girl loves that! She asked the other night when we can go to the park and see the lights up close.
If you want to “take it all in” and see what the town has to offer, I suggest taking the Trolley Christmas Tour. Leaving from their headquarters (beside Patriot Park) the trolleys (decorated with flashing lights themselves) take you around to all the hot spots with the best light displays.
The trolley rides themselves are pretty fun. When my nephew was a little boy, he thought the trolley ride was an amusement ride, like at Dollywood. I didn’t tell him any different because it was a lot cheaper than riding on a rollercoaster. The trolley is also a great way to get around town and avoid parking and traffic issues. They provide a schedule with times and routes—it’s kind of like our very own version of the subway.
While making your plans to visit us over the holidays, remember to take an evening to enjoy the lights. Hours and hours have been spent to make your trip to The Smokies the best and most memorable trip it can be!