Winterfest Kick Off!

Gracious goodness, is it already time to think about Winterfest? You bet it is, and Sidney James is your key to enjoying everything November can offer for you!

First up is the Chili Cook-off and Winterfest Kick-off on November 10th from 5:00PM to 8:00PM. This is a huge party at Ripley's Aquarium just a few minutes walking distance from us (and probably faster than driving and parking) with 30,000 cups of chili (with the purchase of an admission "spoon") from nearly two dozen vendors and restaurants plus loads of great, free fun for the whole family! Music, entertainment for the kids and then the big switch for the start of Winterfest (and the accompanying trolley tours) as the million-dollar lighting displays all go up around the city. Again, you could walk there and back much easier and probably faster than you could to drive and park - convenience is the name of the game at Sidney James!

And that convenience will also come in handy when it gets to be Thanksgiving time and the W.L. Mills auditorium hosts three special events for the Thanksgiving weekend (November 22nd to the 26th for all three events at one time) - the Gatlinburg Festival of Trees, the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Holiday Show, and the Nutcracker "Sweet", about 3 days of quality holiday entertainment just 5-6 minutes of walking from Sidney James Mountain Lodge.

Make your reservations today at www.sidneyjames.com because Winterfest reservations, as you might imagine, go pretty quickly in this magical season and we want to share that season's magic with you. Make your reservations today!

October Fun in the Smokies

October is finally here and we're glad to have it at last! As of writing, we're expecting the full Autumn bloom within the next week or so and there's plenty of great stuff to do while you wait, or in the meantime as the leaves come down on us here in Gatlinburg.

For those of you who want to see the Harvest Festival side of October, Gatlinburg offers you the entire month of great cultural events to partake in. October 6th-23rd is the Annual Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair for the Fall Season (there are about three a year!) and you get to watch all your favorite artists and artisans from the area and areas beyond craft those wares right in front of your eyes. The Craftsmen's Fair is at W.L. Mills Auditorium in downtown Gatlinburg and just a 5-10 minute walk from us here at Sidney James.

There is also the Oktoberfest going on all month up at Ober Gatlinburg with all the German folk dancing, singing, food and entertainment you can handle! The Arts and Crafts Community is also excellent for the artistic side of Gatlinburg, and when you want to see those gorgeous colors all on their own and you can drive the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (self-guided vehicle tour through the mountains) for some great photo opportunities. Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail is on the road we're on, so you just need to go up the road a little bit to start.


For those who want to come for the Halloween opportunities, Ripley's Haunted Adventure is where you want to go for scares and screams at the month-long Fright Night with its new show, "Backwoods Terror: You Just Made a Wrong Turn.", there is also the Mysterious Mansion (long rumored itself to be genuinely haunted) on River Road for more haunted house fun and Gatlinburg itself is perfect for trick or treating! Again, these are all easy walking from us here at Sidney James.

October is a lot of fun for people of all ages, so come on out for Halloween or the Autumn bloom or any time at all. The Smokies welcomes you!