Celebrate spring wildflowers, treats and Bigfoot at festivals in the Smokies
Nothing says springtime in the Great Smoky Mountains quite like colorful flowers, a walk in the woods, a cold glass of strawberry lemonade, or … um, the sight of Bigfoot wrestling?
As spring sets in, festivals and other events are springing up around the Smokies like wildflowers.
Among the most popular of these, of course, is the annual eight-day stretch set aside for peak viewing of the synchronous fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This year, those days have been scheduled for June 4-11. With a limited number of visitor parking passes available via lottery for each of those nights, however, relatively few of us might get that opportunity.
Even if you’re left hoping for better luck next year for firefly viewing, here are a few other festivals in the area of the Smokies that you could seek out this spring.
Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
As the spring wildflowers come out in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so do nature lovers from around the country. The 73rd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage at the park will be April 26-29, offering hikes, exhibits and programs exploring the area's natural resources.
Participants in the nonprofit event can register at wildflowerpilgrimage.org for events each day including hikes along specific trails, birding walks, nature journaling and photography and sessions teaching about salamanders, snakes, bears and bats. A full schedule of events is available on the website.
Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival in Townsend
Guess what? Bigfoot is coming the Smokies in early May! (Well, maybe kinda sorta.)
The day-long Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6 at the Townsend Visitors Center, 7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, after the Bigfoot 5K race at 9 a.m.
The outdoor festival will include Bigfoot experts, Bigfoot wrestling, music by "the guitar-shredding Slashsquatch," chainsaw carving, 70 vendors, square dancing, food trucks, a scavenger hunt for kids, storytellers and a chance for attendees to compete in a "Bigfoot Calling Contest," according to the event's web page.
Featured guests will include knife-maker Robby Bowman from History Channel’s "Forged in Fire, the Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings (A.I.M.S.)" from the Discovery Channel sharing their adventures in cryptid hunting and Turtleman talking about his search for Bigfoot.
Festival tickets are $10 in advance or $15 on May 6. Information: bigfest.carrd.co or Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival's Facebook page.
Dollywood's Flower & Food Festival
Dollywood, which opened for the season in March, will celebrate the food and flora of spring in the Smokies with the Flower & Food Festival now through June 11.
During the festival, the theme park will be decked out in floral displays and towering sculptures fashioned from living plants, according to the park's website. Adding to the colorful springtime display is the Umbrella Sky, with yellow, purple, pink, green and blue umbrellas overhead, and street performers flying through the air in a sway pole show.
Visitors who get the Flower & Food Festival Tasting Pass for $33.99-$36.99 can try up to five festival foods, such as garlic shrimp mac and cheese, berry funnel cake and blueberry boba tea.
More: What Dolly Parton told us about her new museum, wardrobe exhibit coming to Dollywood
Park tickets are available at dollywood.com/tickets/.
Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival in Townsend
More than 50 clans will gather for the Smoky Mountain Scottish Festival May 20-21 at the Townsend Visitors Center, a location that offers "scenic views of the mountains reminiscent of the Scottish highlands," a release said.
The festival will feature a range of live music, from rock 'n' roll to folk, as well as competition among bagpipes and drummers.
Professional and amateur athletes will compete in the hammer throw, caber toss, sheaf toss and other events. Attendees can join in the haggis throw. Other events will include dance competitions, scotch-tasting seminars and clan challenges.
Tickets are available online at smokymountaingames.org, at prices from $15 to $35; admission is free for children age 15 and younger.
Robin Gibson is the people and trends editor for Knox News. Contact her at ragibson@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @RobinGibsonTSP.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Smokies things to do in spring include Dollywood and Bigfoot festivals
