Travel and Recreation

Dollywood’s Harvest Festival Celebrates the Beauty of the Smokies

Guest-favorite festival features fall fun, immersive music, thousands of pumpkins

DOLLYWOOD, ONE OF America’s favorite fall family destinations, celebrates the splendor of autumn in the majestic rolling foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains during the Harvest Festival presented by Humana going on now through October 30. The annual guest-favorite event includes the family-friendly Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health, which has quickly become a cherished experience for parkgoers.

Soak in mountain majesty as the hills come alive with vivid color, the smells of apple and pumpkin treats waft through the streets and the sounds of our award-winning rides fill the air with adventure. As the sun sets, you’ll be wrapped in a whimsical warming glow as the park transforms into an enchanting display of illuminated carved pumpkins and shimmering pumpkin icons.

“Fall is a special time of year in the Smoky Mountains, because God’s handiwork is on full display for everyone to enjoy when they come to visit,” Dolly Parton, Dollywood’s Dreamer-in-Chief said. “It’s also the time when the heat of the summer fades and the crisp, cool evenings make it just right to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Some of my most treasured family memories took place during the fall, and I want our guests to make their own wonderful memories while they are here.

“Our team works so hard to bring the mountains right into the middle of the park with all those great decorations and experiences. You really are surrounded by the colors of fall the whole time you are here. It’s no wonder we won this year’s Golden Ticket award for Most Beautiful Theme Park in the whole world; no other park in the world is built right in the middle of the Smokies!”

Last season, reinvigorated decorations and visually-impactful landscaping techniques were implemented throughout the park to immerse visitors in a fresh, new look. One of the “biggest” additions to last season’s festival returns this year, as guests can peruse more than a dozen colossal pumpkins. Last year’s prize pumpkins ranged from 800 to 1500 lbs. each. The massive displays come from growers across the East Coast who look forward to sharing these gargantuan gourds with guests.

When the sun sets over the Smokies, the park transforms into a display of autumn splendor as thousands of carved pumpkins

and larger-than-life pumpkin icons light up the night. A warm orange glow shines across the park, inviting you to explore a world of not-so-spooky nighttime fun. Stroll through a forest of shimmering sunflowers, see a family of glowing frogs, and snap a memorable family photo in front of our towering Pumpkin Tree.

No festival at Dollywood is complete without award-winning entertainment, and the Harvest Festival certainly delivers. With artists representing genres from Southern gospel and bluegrass to classic country and Americana, there is something to satisfy every musical taste. Performances take place on indoor and outdoor stages throughout the park, allowing the engaging sounds to echo through the surrounding hillsides and create a highly-engaging entertainment offering. Even more artists can be found roaming the park, literally taking the music to the streets!

Among the festival headliners are CeCe Winans (Oct. 9), Shenandoah (Oct. 20-21, see the Boomerocity article from Everything Knoxville July 2021), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (Oct. 4), Rhonda Vincent and the Rage (Oct. 14-15), and the Lee University Singers (Oct. 17). A complete schedule can be found on Dollywood.com. Additionally, the new Night Time at the Back Porch offers some of the best up-and-coming performers from the Southeast an opportunity to share their talents during the park’s evening hours.

Dollywood’s culinary team has created a smorgasbord of creations to take advantage of the bountiful supply of crops provided by the Smoky Mountain harvest. The smells of smoked bratwursts, turkey legs, or chicken and andouille sausage gumbo pair nicely with the fresh tastes of sweet potato poutine, spiced pumpkin bisque and

BUSH’S three bean pumpkin chili. For sweet treats, the ever-popular pumpkin spice is in full supply with items ranging from pumpkin spice churros with pumpkin fluff to pumpkin spice salted caramel mocha iced coffee. Items like the maple pecan and bacon funnel cake, hot apple cider and the apple pie milkshake are perfect to carry and enjoy while admiring the beauty of Dollywood in the fall.

Visiting artisans and makers display their handmade wares at locations throughout Dollywood. Many even demonstrate the talented skills and techniques they use as they create their one-of-a-kind treasures.

During the Harvest Festival, Dollywood is open from 10 am to 9 pm Wednesday - Monday through October 30. The park is closed on Tuesdays throughout the festival. For more information and a park operating calendar, visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.

With so many opportunities for creating vibrant new family traditions and fun date nights, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival is a must-see experience this season.

New Exhibitions Opening Emporium Center October 1

THE ARTS & Culture Alliance is pleased to present five new exhibitions at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from October 1-31. Masks are required for all visitors, as is maintaining physical distancing guidelines. Most of the works will be for sale and may be purchased through the close of the exhibition by visiting in person or the online shop at www.knoxalliance.store.

The Fountain City Art Guild in the Lower Gallery

The Fountain City Art Guild will feature original art by nearly 30 local artists, including oils, watercolors, woodworking, and more. The mission of the Guild is to create an atmosphere that promotes, encourages, guides, supports, and informs artists in our guild, which currently has about 50 members.

The Fountain City Art Guild began in 1979 as a group of women who met in the “Art Cellar,” the basement of Chloe Harrington’s home. Most of the Guild members were watercolor artists. For several decades, they were known as the Fountain City Watercolor Guild, and they met in various churches and homes in the community, holding exhibitions in local businesses. In 2000, the Guild voted to allow other 2-D media in their exhibits, and in 2015, members voted to allow nonfunctional 3-D work as well.

Alex Smith: Rerouted in the Upper Gallery

Alex Smith is a native Knoxvillian. A graduate of Carson Newman University, he also studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and completed his MFA at The New York Academy of Art. He enjoyed living and working in Brooklyn, New York, until the pandemic. Knoxville has welcomed him home. The past year and a half have informed this new exhibition. Artist statement: Like most of us, I’ve grown accustomed to constant detours and changes of plans. Detours send us down roads we didn’t anticipate, and now that we’ve gone this route, we have had to find new ways to interact and experience the world. This exhibition includes works of New York’s grit alongside East Tennessee’s verdant landscape, ranging from hyper-realism to abstracts. While my landscape has changed, I remain true to my classical training and goal, which is to make work that invites viewers to look closer and know the painting’s story. Douglas Molinas Lawrence: 50 Bud Vases in 50 Days on the North Wall

Artist statement: This project was born out of a desire for change. I am a planner, I over-design and overthink everything, stressing the details. I have so many full sketchbooks, but all too frequently get overly critical in my head and am paralyzed into inaction. The designs are left on paper, rather than translated into wood. I decided to break that cycle, to push myself out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to make 50 bud vases in 50 days, each beginning as a 6" x 6" x 2" block of ash. There is a certain creativity that only arrives while engaged in the act of making, and that’s what this project taps into. The bud vase was a natural fit as the focus of the project, as the plants chosen to fill each are brought in only as a temporary attraction, never lasting perfection. Each day in the challenge required releasing the previous day’s idea and beginning anew again, similar to the daily routine of finding new plants with which to decorate. Mike Lana: Beyond the Walls in the Atrium Beyond the Walls is a series focused on exploring the Bible through recontextualization, modern parallels, and a playful aesthetic delivery that looks to balance material, concept, design, and stylistic juxtaposition to present a fresh view on the greatest story ever told. As it is with the church delivering the gospel, or good news, outside of its’ walls to reach into the world, so comes the title of the series. Mirroring life, and the calling to the great commission, its intent is to transcend beyond the walls of the gallery and into the streets - beyond the eye of the individual and into the heart.

Foothills Craft Guild: Fine Crafts in the Display Case

Foothills Craft Guild is pleased to showcase the work of more than 15 artists working in a variety of media such as fiber, wood, stained glass, hand stitched bead art jewelry, clay, leather, glass, and so much more.

The Foothills Craft Guild, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization chartered in 1968 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to promote fine crafts by 1) setting high standards of creativity and excellence of execution for a variety of handcrafts, 2) providing demonstrations, scholarships, and education about fine craft for people of all ages, and 3) promoting the sale of fine crafts. FCG is the oldest member craft guild in the State of Tennessee and has earned a reputation nationwide as one of the best in the Southeast region. Their vision is to continue to set standards that encourage artisans to take advantage of new technologies and techniques to design and create works of beauty. They are dedicated to expanding their educational activities about fine crafts and creating strategic partnerships to encourage the continuation of fine craft.

The exhibitions are on display at the Emporium Center, located at 100 S. Gay Street in downtown Knoxville. The Emporium is open to the public Monday-Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 865-523-7543 or visit www.knoxalliance.com.

Celebrating 5 Years Serving Knoxville

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Zoo Knoxville: BOO! at the Zoo

October 9 - October 24

BOO! AT THE ZOO is Knoxville’s largest Halloween event featuring several nights of not-too-scary Halloween fun perfect for preschool and elementary-aged children. A Halloween tradition, BOO! at the Zoo is a family event featuring trick-or-treating along the BOO! Trail, where little trick-or-treaters can fill their bag with goodies as they make their way through the zoo.

BOO! Dates: Saturday - Sunday, October 9-10 Wednesday, October 13 (Member’s Night) Thursday - Sunday, October 14-17 Thursday - Sunday, October 21-24