Winterfest Kickoffs!

immediately shifts to Winterfest, a special event that perfectly captures the energy and magic of the season with one proverbial kick-off.

Or actually two, as Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg both have a couple awesome celebrations set up in early November right next to each other!

On November 9th, Pigeon Forge will be kicking off the Winterfest with a new Veteran's Parade on, you guessed it, Veteran's Boulevard, before taking the festivities to Patriot Park in the center of Pigeon Forge where the Trolley Tour of Lights will begin. The Parade begins at 4:30PM on November 9th for 2011 and all are invited to attend!

And on November 10th, the "big" show is going on at Gatlinburg's Chili Cookoff and Winterfest Kick-off. Ripley's Aquarium becomes the city square for more than a dozen vendors, 30,000+ cups of chili and over 1,000 people are expected to show up for a night of fun, chili and the big "switch" which officially starts the Winterfest Season for Gatlinburg by turning on the million dollar lighting displays throughout the city. This event goes from 5:00PM to 8:00PM.

If that sounds like a blast, it's because it is! You can get to Pigeon Forge's Winterfest Kick-off in about 15-20 minutes from us here at Cove Mountain and Gatlinburg's in about 30-35 minutes and the drive is worth it! And when you're done partying hard, just think of all the luxury and relaxation you'll be coming back to in any of our cabins here at Cove Mountain.

Find the right cabin for you at http://www.covemountain.com/cabin_index.html and enjoy the magic of Winterfest!

Harvest Festival 2011

Wears Valley boasts some of the most gorgeous Smoky Mountain views in East Tennessee and for good reason. It is within 10-15 minutes of Townsend, TN which is the gateway to the National Park.

With Cove Mountain, you not only get these views and easy access to Townsend and the National Park (plus Pigeon Forge 10-15 minutes in the other direction), you get your choice of well over 100 vacation cabins from 1 to 6 Bedrooms with every luxury amenity you could ever want plus free pancake breakfast at Reagan's in Pigeon Forge. The views are to die for here at Cove Mountain and we want to invite you over to enjoy them and everything else we offer!

What else is there to do in the Smokies during Harvest Festival? Well, let's take a look.

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

Plan a Trip to Cherokee, North Carolina

Have you been across the National Park to Cherokee, NC? Cherokee is a sort of bookend to Gatlinburg and well worth a day trip visit out.

Cherokee is located on the other side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the Spur, on the same highway that the Sugarlands Visitor Center is on. From there, it is an hour's drive through the National Park, across THE most gorgeous scenery in the Tennessee Smokies (and over a dozen stopping-parking spots to take pictures, several hiking trails and plenty of picnicking opportunities), from the tops of the hills and then down again at the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center, which is your sign that you're 3-5 minutes away from Cherokee.

Once inside, you can go straight, take a turn left, or stop at the Arcade/Fun Center right at the gates into the town if the kids are getting antsy or you need a good place to stretch your legs a bit. Going left will take you to some hotels, some restaurants and some shopping alongside another arcade and fun center. Going straight will take you straight into the heart of the town. Cherokee is fairly small (about the size of Gatlinburg) and it's pretty hard to get lost.

From there are plenty of things to do from the aforementioned Arcades/Fun Centers to more cultural items of interest, like the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center, which offers a walking trail, historical architecture, and some exhibits on Appalachian culture from the old days, the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, which is, appropriately, the authority on Cherokee history and information with hundred of exhibits and excellent video presentations throughout the tour, the Oconaluftee Indian Village, which is a working Cherokee Indian Village meant to show you what life back in 1760 was like for the Cherokee Indians, and Unto These Hills, a dramatic production high in the hills showcasing the story of Tsali and more history plus incredible musical numbers.

Cherokee also features an island park where kids can wade in the Oconaluftee river or a canal in the center of the park plus a large, unique bamboo grove full of photo opportunities. If you have kids who like to skate, take them to the free skate park. If all else fails, Harrah's Cherokee Casino is a huge facility with entertainment like you can't get for miles and miles around.

Cherokee, NC is a little town with a lot to offer, so if you're looking for something different and you want to see a lot of gorgeous Smoky Mountain scenery on the way there, plan a day trip out and you won't be disappointed.

To get to Cherokee from Gatlinburg, take the Gatlinburg Bypass from the Spur (just 2 minutes before you reach the city from Pigeon Forge) and keep on straight for roughly an hour.

All pictures are copyright Ge'ne L. K. Lawhead

RV Camping in the Smokies

Bringing an RV to the Smokies? Want to find an RV park that isn't far from the quiet gate of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Want one close to the Townsend Wye for all the river fun you and your family could possibly want.

Our RV Resort, www.covemountainrvresort.com, has 54 extra large sites with full hook up, 30/50 amp electricity, wi-fi internet, water, sewer, cable TV, private pond, and, should you feel up for it, dozens and dozens of luxury cabins to rent at www.covemountain.com.

We're located dead center in Wears Valley, TN, where you can get to Pigeon Forge or Townsend within 10-15 minutes of driving and pretty far outside the major traffic congestions of the area.

No matter what the season, time or even vehicle, Cove Mountain Resorts is your home away from home in Wears Valley TN. Make reservations at www.covemountainrvresort.com today!

Record high temperatures (or at least close enough to it) are no match for what Wears Valley can offer your summer vacation in the Smokies.

We have a large pool onsite here at Cove Mountain and we're only a few miles, about 10-15 minutes drive, to the famous Townsend Wye river where you can swim all day for free in cold waters perfect for sizzling hot days. We're also within plenty of convenience to Pigeon Forge and Dolly Splash Country is only 20-25 minutes from us. If you've never been to Splash Country, you and your family don't know what you're missing with at least a weekend's worth of fun being offered on site there.

If you want something else in your Smokies vacation, check out our vacation packages at http://www.covemountain.com/packages.html where we offer:

Hot Stone Massage Package
1.5 Hours of Hot Stone Couples Massage
Aromatherapy
$295

Indulge Me' Package
Couples 1-Hour Side by Side Massage
Romantic Candlelit Dinner for 2
Smoky Sunrise Breakfast Basket -OR-
a Bed of Roses
Aromatherapy
$375

'Hot To Trot' Package
1.5 Hours Couples Hot Stone Massage
Romantic Candlelit Dinner for 2
Aromatherapy
$395

And more!

We have plenty to offer your summer vacation here in the Smokies, so go to www.covemountain.com to find out how we can make it happen!

Summer in Wear's Valley

Summer is the time to come to Wears Valley! Wears Valley sits in between "action-packed" Pigeon Forge and the much quieter Townsend, offering excellent summer vacation incentives for those who want either and Cove Mountain is your home away from home as you enjoy those incentives.

One of the best things to do in the summer in Pigeon Forge is Dollywood's Kidsfest. Completely family-friendly and full of performances and all kinds of fun stuff, Dollywood has been doing Kidsfest for years and each iteration gets better! This year we have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 4D, The Gazillion Bubble Show, Penguin Group USA and much more in addition to the list of rides and interactive items Dollywood already has. Great for the young'uns! June 17th through August 8th, 2011.

Townsend on the other hand offers the Great Smoky Mountains and all its natural beauty with tasteful (and tasty) restaurants on the side along with the famous Townsend "Wye". The "Wye" is a favorite spot for riverside swimming and hiking and not far from that is another famous spot in the Smokies, Cades Cove (www.cadescove.net).

All this can be yours and as easily as humanly possible with a summer reservation at Cove Mountain Resorts.

Wildflower Pilgrimage 2011

61 years. That's how long the Wildflower Pilgrimage has been going on on this side of the Smokies. As a cornerstone of the Gatlinburg Springfest, we'd be remiss if you missed an opportunity to make the blooming mountains and its flora and fauna yours during its nearly week-long run from April 26 to May 1st

The Pilgrimage is over 150 programs, hikes, lectures, demonstrations, exhibits and more showing the lifeblood of the mountains for all to enjoy, including the animal kingdoms - birds, reptiles, amphibians, you name it! It's a nature lover's dream come true and many come back just to do the stuff they couldn't do the year before.

Gatlinburg for a nature hike or exhibit will be a fine day trip from Wears Valley and as always you can count on luxury and peace off the main traffic of Springfest right here at Cove Mountain! Make your reservations today!