Fall in the Smokies: 8 Things to Do [2023]
What to do in the Smoky Mountain Area in the Fall
Are you looking for things to do during the fall in the Smokies? What about Gatlinburg? Townsend? The smokies in general? You’ve come to the right place! Read on to learn eight things to do during the fall in the Smokies (specifically October).
As a local to the Smoky Mountain area, I can tell you that the fall is the most beautiful time to visit here. Try to visit when the leaves are at peak change — it’s different every year. But, it’s usually sometime in mid October.
Don’t forget to check out My View of the Smokies. It’s a travel guide written by me and it offers you a locals’ perspective and tips on visiting the area.
1. Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival
It’s one of the top things to experience in October. It takes place in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. It’s not one event, instead it’s basically a big celebration of fall throughout the areas. It lasts through late November and consists of fall displays everywhere.
You will see displays all along the parkway. Pigeon Forge puts out scarecrows as part of a fun scavenger hunt. Click here for a list of all the scarecrows to look for in Pigeon Forge.
Gatlinburg will have a lot of decorations out for the festival. Possibly more than any other area because the community competes for the best harvest decorations. You can vote for your favorite here. They also have a scarecrow scavenger hunt going on. You can download the app and use it to locate 30 different scarecrows in downtown Gatlinburg.
Sevierville is also a big participant in the Harvest Festival. There isn’t a competition going on here like in Gatlinburg, however, a lot of businesses still put out decorations. Click here for a map of all participating places in Sevierville.
2. Dollywood’s Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights
Buy tickets to Dollywood to experience the number one thing to do in Pigeon Forge in October. It’s the Harvest Festival by day and Great Pumpkin LumiNights by night. Aside from the rides there is fall themed food everywhere, fall displays, and lots of music.
3. Haunted Mountain Coasters
Rocky Top Mountain Coaster is the longest mountain coaster in Tennessee and they are having their annual coasts and goblins event every weekend in October. During the event the coaster will have spooks, ghosts, and goblins along it. They consist of animatronics and real people.
Moonshine Mountain Coaster is having their Halloween in the holler event every weekend in October and the entire last week in October. Their coaster also turns haunted and consists of real people and animatronics.
It’s recommended to not bring small children to either of these. I’ve never personally been to either because I’m a chicken — haha! But, most people love it!
4. Crave Golf Club
All through October they are having an event known as Craveyard Nights. It is geared towards kids and is family friendly. The putt-putt has been transformed into “haunted holes” a Halloween theme course. The escape room has been transformed into a Zombie escape room research lab. Each Saturday there will be a face painting station and spooky characters walking around.
It’s a great experience for kids! It’s not too scary for them and all about fun. Kids are encouraged to wear their own costumes to meet the other spooks.
5. Ober Mountain’s Fall Festival
It used to be called Oktoberfest but has been rebranded. Nevertheless, this is an event you want to attend during fall in the Smokies. It’s just so much fun! And, the views from up there are beautiful.
You do have to ride the aerial tram up to it. Once there they have a hay maze and slide, pedal bikes, ice skating, and so much more. Special foods you will find during the festival are Dunkel brats, Schnitzel Sandwich, pumpkin spice fudge, pretzels with beer cheese, German beers, local brews, and more.
There will be events going on throughout the festival as well. Each Friday there will be a movie night where a Halloween themed move is played on a 22′ screen. Another event is the Giant Pumpkin Festival. It’s from October 20-22 where you can see huge 1,000 pound pumpkins being carved.
Aside from Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin LumiNights, this is the top event in the area in October. I always enjoyed Oktoberfest so I can’t wait to see how this festival is.
6. Haunted Attractions
Ripley’s Fright Nights and the Mysterious Mansion are two popular ones in Gatlinburg. Ripley’s Fright Nights are going on every weekend in October and the event is not recommended for kids under the age of 12.
Mysterious Mansion is Gatlinburg’s oldest haunted house and is open year-round. Yes, it’s a haunted house attraction, however, it’s also a real haunted house. The legend is that a family died in the house in 1903 after becoming paranoid and turning on each other.
Although the haunted house is open year-round there is a special Halloween event every weekend in October.
7. Visit a Chairlift Attraction
Aside from Ober Gatlinburg there are two other chairlift attractions in Gatlinburg: SkyPark and Anakeesta. The views from both of them are absolutely gorgeous! And, they’re both hosting fall festivals.
Bear-Varian fall festival is found at Anakeesta and lasts all month long. Aside from the normal stuff at Anakeesta there will be live music, Halloween and fall themed decor throughout the park, pumpkin carvings, and more. Some of the fall food they have to offer includes giant turkey legs, soft pretzels, German chocolate cake, and bratwurst.
You also have the option of getting a beer tasting experience. If you purchase it you get to try six beers around the park. Anakeesta has partnered with many local breweries to bring you this experience.
The Gatlinburg SkyPark will be having their Boo Bash festival and it lasts all month too. The whole park will be decorated in fall and Halloween decor. You may see a few spooks on your walk around the park, but it won’t be too scary. They’re also having a special Fall Fest on October 27-28.
During the fall fest there will be face painting and balloon art for kids, prize giveaways, music, and games. Everyone is encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes to it.
The events at both parks are family-friendly. Although there are Halloween decorations, it won’t be scary. Both parks will also light up after dark. I know, it’s so hard to choose which one to go to during fall in the Smokies. But, I can tell you from experience that you can’t really go wrong with your choice. They’re both really good and fun to attend!
8. See Fall Foliage
The number one thing to do during fall in the Smokies! There is a reason so many people visit here in the fall. The mountains are absolutely beautiful! They come alive with vibrant colors of red, yellow, and orange. Pictures don’t do it justice, it’s something you have to see for yourself.
There are many ways to see fall foliage in the Smokies. The chairlift attractions are a good option, but if you want to really get up and close to the fall colors you need to head into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Hiking is a great way to see the leaves. Some trails are more known for their fall colors than others. If you don’t want to hike, scenic drives are a good option. In my opinion, even if you choose to do some hiking you should still take some of the scenic drives.
Hiking Trails Known for Fall Foliage
The trailhead is located in Cades Cove. It’s 5.2 miles roundtrip and leads to a 20ft high waterfall.
It is the highest point in the Smokies. The trail is about a mile roundtrip, however, it is very steep. It is paved and there are benches all along it to stop and rest.
This trail is a little more difficult than others. It’s 5.4 miles roundtrip and leads to an 80ft waterfall. You can always see a rainbow in the mist if you are there at high noon. It makes for a beautiful scene surrounded by the fall leaves.
It’s more of a walk than a hike. The trail is paved, easy, and 0.5 miles roundtrip.
It’s the most popular hike in the park. The trail is 2.6 miles roundtrip and leads to a beautiful 80ft waterfall.
Scenic Drives Known for Fall Foliage
To me, it’s one of the best if not the best scenic drive in the Smokies. It is absolutely beautiful with multiple pull offs and overlooks on it. It leads you through the mountains between Gatlinburg Cherokee, NC.
It’s a five mile one-way loop. It’s my second favorite scenic drive in the Smokies. There are many trailheads along it so you could easily do it after a hike. To get there you turn at traffic light 8 in Gatlinburg.
Even if you don’t plan to hike to Clingmans Dome, you should still drive to the Clingmans Dome parking lot. The road shoots off of Newfound Gap. The drive up to the parking lot and the views from the parking lot itself are beautiful!
This list would be incomplete without mentioning Cades Cove. It is the most popular scenic drive in the Smokies, even though I don’t think it’s the best. It’s an 11 mile one-way loop and it does offer beautiful views. However, traffic through here is bad and it can take up to 5 hours to get through the loop.
Remember to Leave No Trace
Always be aware of bears (and other wildlife) when in the area. They are most active in the mornings and evenings. Although it makes for a great trip to see them, stay at least 50 yards away from them.
It’s important to note that the Smoky Mountain National park does require parking passes now. Don’t forget to get yours so you won’t have to worry about being towed.
So Many Choices!
It doesn’t matter what you choose to do during the fall in the Smokies, the autumn colors and foliage you see will be breathtaking!
If you want to see a waterfall without hiking, go to The Sinks. It’s right along the side of the road. Once you pull off you are steps away from it. It is small at 20ft tall but it’s still really pretty. It will be full of autumn colors and you can easily get to Townsend from it if you’d like to spend some time there.
I know, it’s a lot. It can be very stressful and overwhelming to plan a trip here. As a local I know the area very well. That is why I offer custom travel itineraries to the Smoky Mountain Area(s).
