Growing up in a rural city in Georgia, I distinctly remember my favorite event held every spring and fall in my town: the craft fair. From beeswax candles to hypnotic sculptures, this fair was a rare cheap day of fun for my whole family (there were 7 of us!), and we would always return from it with one-of-a-kind art, a…

“International peace and cooperation.” Seems like a lofty idea and notorious beauty pageant answer from the 1990s. However, the United Nations believed in this grand hope so much that it created and established a long-lasting initiative in 1997 with its final resolution in 1998. In the initiative’s proclamation for the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for…

Music through your car’s speakers, YouTube videos scrolling through Facebook, short clips on Instagram, the same repetitive news on the television; we are constantly bombarded every day with sounds that we are hearing, but what happens when all the simulations are turned off and we simply listen? Is it something more than physical? Can it calm anxious noises in our…

Revisit those perfect memories in your mind: crisp, cool air that is warm with sunlight; beautiful blue skies painted over the array of bright yellow, orange, and red forestry of the mountains; and simple moments swaying in the rocking chair at the cabin. Don’t own any memories like this? Has it just been too long? We can fix that. While…

Get ready to play and stand in awe in the Smokies at the 2019 Great Smoky Mountains Hot Air Balloon Festival! This summer – Saturday, August 17, 2019 – the skies above the Smoky Mountains will be filled with amazing, colorful hot air balloons creating a truly magnificent sight! If you’re looking for something fun, different, and perfect for a…

Like the soft beginnings of a piano prelude ushering in the soul-stirring melodies of an orchestra, the first flashes float on the feigning light of dusk amongst the lush green forests: the rare dance of the synchronous fireflies begins. As one of the few places in the world where you can play witness to this hypnotic display, the beautiful mating…

The community calendar in Pigeon Forge (and neighboring Gatlinburg and Sevierville) is packed year-round. No matter what you’re into – art, photography, barbecue, music, wildflowers, flora and fauna, holiday lights – there’s an event for you in the Great Smoky Mountains. Planning a trip to Pigeon Forge and want some ideas on what to do? Read on to see what…

World Art Day, April 15, falls on a Monday this year, right in between multiple art festivals, workshops, and specialty events in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg! Feeling a little uninspired by work or school? Discover what World Art Day is all about: inspiration and self-expression. Whether it’s journaling, knitting, painting, photography, or woodwork, you can finally escape all the distractions…

As blooming flowers burst forth and fill the Smoky Mountains with the sweet aroma of spring, it’s time for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage again! After welcoming over 800 pilgrims to the programs from over 32 states and countries in 2018, the 69th annual event is set to take place April 24-27 2019, and if you like to hike, journal, shoot…