Ten Fall Activities in Pigeon Forge, TN

It's a sure sign of fall when the aroma of cinnamon and apples wafts through the air, the leaves shift from forest green to hues of red, orange, and yellow if you're lucky. Several cities throughout the U.S. celebrate fall with designated events and festivals, but the spooky season festivities in Pigeon Forge, Tennesee, attract thousands each year. If you're wondering how to pumpkin spice up your fall this year, check out these ten fall activities in Pigeon Forge to get you in the mood for seasonal fun. 

1. Chalkfest

Spooky season isn't limited to dressing up and gathering candy; lauding entertainment comprises a large portion of the autumn months. This year, The Island at Pigeon Forge hosts the seventh annual Chalkfest on Sunday, Oct. 8 (Oct. 9, if it rains). The theme? Entertainment.

Artists of every skill gather for an artistic foray into the most inspiring, riveting, and awe-inducing portraits of entertainment. From singers to actors to fantastical creatures, singular chalk enthusiasts and groups sketch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The canvas is blank, and the options are as endless as Crayola's color titles. 

2. Pigeon Forge Halloween Spooktacular

Though autumn generates thrills and enthusiasm from all ages, safety should prevail. To capitalize on the importance of a safe Halloween, the Pigeon Forge Community Center organized a Spooktacular and Safety Day to outline the best practices to keep your Halloween safe and healthy. Bring your costumed youngsters to the center for a pre-trick-or-treating bash with candy from local businesses. 

Collect candy, model costumes, and hop to the haunted house during this free, all-day event.

3. Dollywood's Harvest Festival

Every year, Dolly Parton's magical theme park, Dollywood, hosts a pumpkin-packed, fall-flavored extravaganza for guests. The Harvest Festival kicks off the 2023 season on Sept. 20 and runs through Oct. 30. Admire the gorgeous changing leaves as you zip through the Smokies while pumpkin-perfumed sweets fill your nostrils.

Waltz through Wildwood Grove, where illuminated sunflowers pose in their most photogenic positions. Beside the sunflowers, find the Wildwood Tree, bright purple branches complimented by Parton's nightly narrations. Visitors feast on harvest-themed food and libations as Bluegrass, Gospel, and Americana singers serenade the public.  

4. Great Pumpkin LumiNights at Dollywood

Harvest Festival at Dollywood hosts Great Pumpkin LumiNights, a dazzling spectacle that warrants its own section. When the sun sets, the pumpkins in the park come alive. Dollywood disperses over 12,000 pumpkins throughout the grounds, with a 40-foot jack o' lantern tree centerpiece. Pumpkin frogs leap lilypads at Drop Line Pond, and pumpkin spiders weave their webs throughout Craftsman's Valley. Find Dolly's Guitar, a pumpkin-decorated string instrument that plays “Tennessee Mountain Home.” 

5. Rotary Club Fall Crafts Festival

Local artists and crafters mingle and sell their masterpieces at the Rotary Club Fall Crafts Festival. Stop by Patriot Park from Sept. 29 to Oct. 28 and peruse handmade toys, intricate woodwork, and unique furniture to decorate your home. Admission to the Fall Crafts Festival is free. However, the Rotary Club accepts donations to give to charities. 

6. Rocky Top Mountain Coaster's Coasts and Goblins 

Dips and turns won't be the only cause of your shrieks and shouts this October. The Rocky Top Mountain Coaster's nine-minute track ups the antics and the scares with a haunted ride each Spooky Season. For the fifth anniversary of Coasts and Goblins, riders zip through haunted houses, wave to clowns and creatures, traverse through eerie lit-up terrain, and hope to make it off the ride. Enjoy East Tennessee's longest coaster and Pigeon Forge's best, with a little help from the supernatural, the paranormal, and the spectral. 

7. Foliage Tour

Grab your hiking boots and binoculars for this five-hour walking tour of the beautiful fall foliage of the Smokies. The Trees of Many Colors Tour takes tourists on treks throughout the Mountain Mile, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Wears Valley, Townsend, and Foothills Parkway with a tour guide well-versed in dendrology. Tours begin Oct. 10 and run through Nov. 9. 

8. The Island

Pigeon Forge's landing place features amusement rides, shopping plazas, top-tier dining, lodging, and a thematic fall spectacle. As soon as fall's official start date (Sept. 23) comes around, The Island decks out the landscape with pumpkins, corn, candy apples, and scarecrows. Orchestrate family costumes and capture sentimental photographs with mesmerizing backdrops of the Ferris wheel or seasonal decorations. 

On Halloween, The Island hosts a free, family-friendly trick-or-treat event with live music, a fountain show, and endless entertainment. Kids open their bags between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to collect their loot. 

9. Tennessee Shine Company

Why can't adults participate in Halloween fun, too? After dealing with the comedown of the kids' sugar rushes, head over to Tennesee Shine Co. for the best Apple Pie Moonshine in the business. Tennesee Shine Co. lives by its motto, “Respect the Shine!” and with a bottle of their Apple Pie Moonshine, you will. Enjoy free moonshine and wine tastings to wind down from the hectic hallows happenings.  

10. Kyker Farms 

The Kyker family continues opening their farms to the corn-crazed public with corn crawls, corn-inspired zip lines, corn cob swings, and corn tubs. Kiddos love Kyker Farms. They test their bouncing skills on the jump pad, witness how fast their rubber duckies swim in the duck races, and lounge in the corn pools. Older individuals, test your escaping skills at any of Kyker Farms' four corn mazes, pick a pumpkin from the patch, or zipline. Board a hayride for a glimpse into the Kyker's 213-year agricultural legacy. 

Fly Into Fall Activities in Pigeon Forge

Whether you live in Tennesee or plan a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains for the fall, Pigeon Forge offers countless haunted and not-so-scary attractions to fill your itinerary this fall. Frolick through the foliage on a five-hour tour, create a chalk marvel at the Island's annual Chalkfest, and grab some homemade Moonshine for an unforgettable spooky season.