Harvest Festival 2011

If you've never stayed at Highlands Condos for the Autumn season, you and your camera have been missing out on hundreds of photo opportunities, not to mention atmosphere and a sense of majesty you just can't get anywhere else in the world!

Make your reservations for Highlands Condos in Gatlinburg and get views that comb over miles and miles of historical Appalachian ridges, hills, and peaks with nearly every color but blue. The crisp Harvest Festival air will add a touch of dignity to the luxury you're going to get in our condos and you won't want to leave until its time to go home!

Should you decide to venture out though, there are plenty of things to do during the Harvest Festival. Let's take a look at what Autumn offers the Smokies in East Tennessee!

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

Harvest Festival Starting Up!

Oh, how we have been looking forward to the Harvest Season! Cooler temperatures, an air of dignity (literally, as you breathe in, the air just gives a taste that makes the atmosphere feel more reverent and majestic without being too much - you'll understand it when you get here), Hay Rides and, saving the best reason for last, the colors of the mountains as they change here during the Harvest Festival.

From our views here on Highlands Condos, it's not crazy to think you might stand outside on our balconies and snap pictures for 10 full minutes or more - looking for perfect angles, dents and hillsides. The views themselves will be no contention as you can literally see out for miles of Smoky Mountain color and see the might of the mountains in full bloom. Suddenly it becomes clear how a culture like our great ancestors could've stayed stubbornly in place during the harsh years of generations before.

That's what the Harvest Festival is all about - celebrating the cultures that were our foundation and the mountains that built that foundation. There are several great places to capitalize that on here in the Smokies -

- The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge.
- Dollywood, which holds a Harvest Festival event month-long every October.
- Cades Cove out in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- The Arts and Crafts Community of Gatlinburg.
- The Hay Rides of Gatlinburg (Sept 15th to Oct 31st).

If that doesn't give you the spirit of the Smokies in a gorgeous Autumn setting, nothing will. If it does, boy are you in luck, as they are relatively easy to get to from Highlands (although Cades Cove is a good 34-40 miles away, it's well worth the trip) and you can take many chances to explore the cultures with our 4 Night Special which we have listed here:

Fall Specials - 4 Night Special
Starting Aug. 15 through Dec. 23
4 Nights / 1 Bedroom Condo $349.00 + tax
4 Nights / 2 Bedroom Condo $419.00 + tax
4 Nights / 3 Bedroom Condo $539.00 + tax
Void October 8 thru October 31 and Thanksgiving week.

October Specials 4 Night Special (Peak Season prices)
Starting Oct. 8 through Oct. 31
4 Nights / 1 Bedroom Condo $445.00 + tax
4 Nights / 2 Bedroom Condo $545.00 + tax

Reservations for Harvest Festival go pretty quickly, so make your reservations TODAY and get the views that are our National Treasure. Hope to see you soon!