Springfest 2012

April is when all the best parts of Springfest in the Smokies come together to bring a peak season of incredible beauty and special events going on in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Everything is blooming right now and the colors are so rich, you'll need to bring more than one camera to capture it all!

At Sidney James, we offer convenience to everything you want to see in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and luxury to come home to once you're done for the day. We offer a range of rooms courtside, with jacuzzis, pet-friendly rooms, cabins, and more. Whether you want to go out to Dollywood for the Festival of Nations and the Wild Eagle Rollercoaster, or if you want to go downtown for Ribsfest, you will never be far away from the action at Sidney James.

Here's a look at what's going on for April in the Smokies:

Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show
4/4/12-4/7/12

Unique handcrafted gifts made by members of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community are offered as they host their annual holiday show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center/W.L. Mills Auditorium. Perfect Easter Time outing with the family. www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=30

Easter Sunrise Service at Ober Gatlinburg
4/8/12

Ober Gatlinburg continues its tradition of offering a free breakfast buffet and a sunrise Easter service at their facilities at the top of the mountain. Tram service starts at 5:15AM and the breakfast buffet at 6:00AM. www.obergatlinburg.com

62nd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage
4/25/2012-4/29/2012

Celebrate and enjoy the beauty of Great Smoky Mountains National Park with over 150 different programs, including hiking tours, motorcades, demonstrations and classroom lectures centered on the flowers, plants and wildlife in the great outdoors. For more information, call (865) 436-7318 ext. 22 or visit www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org. ($)

Ribsfest, Wings and BBQ
4/26/2012

The mountain of ribs and wings blend nicely against the Smoky Mountains as Ribsfest, Wings and BBQ starts again at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. The price of admission buys you all the ribs and wings you can eat plus entertainment, vendors and an Ice Cream Eating contest just to name a few. www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=27.


Visit us at www.sidneyjames.com

Early Spring Preview

Spring is most definitely in the air here in Gatlinburg. We are blessed with a much earlier return to blooming flowers, 70 degree temperatures, mild and gusty winds, and even some wildlife, than we were expecting.

This makes it an extremely advantageous time for you to come to the Smokies and get a full-on burst of early Springtime fun without the Springtime crowds. It's still relatively quiet in the Smokies, so come out and hike Rainbow Falls, check out downtown Gatlinburg and enjoy all the amenities we offer for your Smoky Mountain Vacation!

If you're wanting to come a little later and enjoy the special events, here's a look at whats coming up for the next couple months.

The 18th Annual "A Mountain Quiltfest"
3/14/12-3/17/12

The city of Pigeon Forge hosts a very popular festival in which over 20,000 visitors participate in many classes and seminars, and view some of the most gorgeous quilts in the country. www.mountainquiltfest.com

ClausFest Parade
3/17/12

Gatlinburg's Spring Parade is back on for 2012. The Clausfest parade features, get ready for this, all your favorite Christmas and St. Patrick's Day icons marching together in a grand fashion down the main street of downtown Gatlinburg. It's a sight worth coming to see. www.clausfest.org

Dollywood "Festival Of the Nations"
3/24/12-4/30/12

Dollywood opens it's gates once again to the tune of world music as Festival of the Nations returns to captivate visitors to the Smokies. Groups from Ireland, South America, Africa, Germany and more will be coming and coming back to entertain us here in the Smokies. www.dollywood.com

Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show
4/5/12-4/7/12

Imagine if the Arts and Crafts Community of Gatlinburg, with dozens of other independent artists and artisans from whole states away gathered in one huge building in downtown Gatlinburg and you have the setting for the Great Smoky Easter Arts and Crafts Show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. www.gatlinburgcrafts.com.

Reserve today at www.sidneyjames.com

New Years and January 2012

Who says the winter after Christmas gets dull in the Smokies? There are two very popular events worth posting on in just the first week of January.

First is the New Years Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks in downtown Gatlinburg which promises to be one of the biggest parties for miles and miles around. The streets will be filled with party-goers having a great time in the Smokies, listening to the music being played by Pyro-Shows until the big fireworks display at the Space Needle. When the big tower explodes in a storm of fireworks, you'll know it's time to celebrate the New Year!

Next up from there is the Wilderness Wildlife Week in Pigeon Forge on Music Road from January 7-14. This is an event for serious nature lovers and fans of the Smoky Mountains to come and see what the mountains are all about. There will be plenty of indepth lectures, guest speakers, exhibits, demonstrations, vendors and even guided walks that's perfect for kids and adults. You can see more of that at http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events_winterfest_wilderness.aspx.


And you'll be able to get to both in 15 minutes while staying at Sidney James here in Gatlinburg. Stay tuned for more as Winterfest continues on and we look at new special events coming up!

Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade 2011

Still more Winterfest activity going on? Down in the center of town? That I can get to from Sidney James in just 10-12 minutes walking time without fighting traffic or parking space?

You bet! And this week is the big one - The Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade on December 2nd (Friday) at 7:30PM! All throughout the main downtown road, from Alamo Steakhouse on Highway 321 to Stoplight #10, our favorite carolers, characters, floats, locals and even the Polar Express itself will be walking, dancing, singing, marching and rolling down the streets for an hour-or-more long Winterfest party!

Our location is ideal for getting to and from the festivities with minimal wear and tear. You and the kids will be back to luxury in no time, and for years ahead you'll talk about how good that night was back when you were young.

Make your reservations today at www.sidneyjames.com.

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!

Harvest Festival 2011

September is here and Autumn is on its coattails as we get ready to celebrate the Harvest Festival here in the East Tennessee section of the Smoky Mountains. The colors, the cooler temperatures and the atmosphere in general is something you can just drink in as you walk around the city of Gatlinburg between now and November.

There are a lot of great reasons to visit the Smokies during Harvest Festival - and here they are:

Taste of Autumn
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Description: The Taste of Autumn has been Gatlinburg's tastiest charity event for 13 years. A $25 donation will give you access to food from all kinds of vendors with the best food in town at the huge W.L. Mills Auditorium. All proceeds go to the United Way of Sevier County.
Start Date: September 15th
End Date: September 15h
Link Out: http://www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=7

Smoky Mountain Trout Tournament
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Description: This popular event is hosted by Rocky Top Outfitter and is open to children as well as adults, visitors as well as local. Admission prices apply.
Start Date: September 24th
End Date: September 25th
Link Out: www.rockytopoutfitter.com

Oktoberfest at Ober Gatlinburg
Location: Ober Gatlinburg
Description: German food and German fun on top of the world for the Fall Season! Get in early and join in the music, dancing and everything else Ober Gatlinburg has to offer
Start Date: September 30th
End Date: October 30th
Link Out: www.obergatlinburg.com

Ripley's Fright Nights
Location: Ripley's Haunted Adventure
Description: An entire month of screams, frights and thrills to celebrate Halloween in Gatlinburg. Character parades, the living dead, and things you better say your prayers to prepare for.
Start Date: October 1st
End Date: October 31st
Link Out: www.ripleys.com/gatlinburg/

Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair
Location: W.L. Mills Convention Center
Description: Artists and Crafters local and from hundreds of miles around gather at the Gatlinburg Convention Center where over 120 booths and all kinds of handcrafted items, plus the artists, are on display.
Start Date: October 6th
End Date: October 23rd
Link Out: www.craftsmenfair.com

Trick or Treat Kick off Karnival
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Description: From Noon to 3 P.M. Gatlinburg will celebrate Halloween with the Gatlinburg Police Department and Gatlinburg Fire Department working in conjunction to offer a safe, family fun filled trip for everyone!
Start Date: October 31st
End Date: October 31st
Link Out: www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=54

Winter Magic Kickoff & Chili Cookoff
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Description: Offering mouth-watering recipes of homemade chili ranging from mild and delightful to wild and adventurous, the City of Gatlinburg celebrates the start of Winter with an awesome Chili Cookoff! Bring admission and a lot of napkins.
Start Date: November 9th
End Date: November 9th
Link Out: www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=11

Trolley Ride of Lights
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Description: Visitors can soak up the spirit of the season from the comfort of a Gatlinburg Trolley by taking the relaxing Gatlinburg Winter Magic Trolley Ride of Lights. These are popular guided excursions that are sure to become a tradition.
Start Date: November 9th
End Date: January 30th
Link Out: www.eventsgatlinburg.com/event_detail.aspx?id=13
Mark your calendars and build your itineraries because it's going to be an awesome Autumn for the Smoky Mountains!