Smoky Mountain "Winterfest in Motion!" Lights! Camera! Action!

If you have neighbors who go EXTREME with the Christmas lights hanging outside their house, you will appreciate my neighbors in the Smoky Mountains region of East Tennessee.  This year, Smoky Mountain Winterfest is celebrating its 25^th anniversary with more than 12 million lights illuminating the region between Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

  

Making the drive to see the lights is an annual traditional for my family and it is definitely time well spent.  If you do not believe that you have the time to make the drive, let me take you on a fast trip that I call Winterfest in Motion! Watch video. 

The excitement begins with a driving tour at Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland located near I-40, exit 407 at Smokies Stadium.  Except for paying for admission into Shadrack's and Dollywood, the remainder of the tour is free.

In addition to the communities making things bright, entertainment theaters offer themed shows that also echo the wintery sentiment. Dollywood adds to the magical fun with its own award-winning Smoky Mountain Christmas. Chilly weather adventure is at Ober Gatlinburg and the spellbinding mystique of the Great Smoky Mountains offer a priceless opportunity for guests who visit.  There is no shortage of lodging options either that range from resorts and cabins to the more traditional hotels and bed & breakfast inns.

I recently wrote about this in a Tennessee Triptales blog for the state tourism office.