Christmas Shopping in the Smokies
Whether you’re here for the holiday season or any other time of year, the Smokies is a great place for shopping for Christmas. Especially in light of the horrific tragedy experienced in the area with wildfires and evacuations, if and when you can support any of the area businesses, please do when it’s safe! Businesses rely on the Christmas season to cover their slower months.
If you would like to donate directly to the Gatlinburg Relief Fund, you can do so by going online, texting “PFG” to 91999, dropping off donations at any SmartBank location, or mailing PO Box 1910, Pigeon Forge, TN, 37868-1910. This information is courtesy of Visit Gatlinburg.
The Incredible Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge
Open since 1986, experience Christmas year-round (closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) at the South’s largest Christmas shopping village. With over 43,000 square feet of space, you’ll find designer Christmas trees, Christmas lights, personalized items, ornaments, home decor, jewelry, apparel, and more. Complementing the shops is The Inn at Christmas Place, a Christmas-themed hotel. Every room includes Christmas decorations, like small Christmas trees, pillows, wreaths, and winter artwork.
Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community
[efsnotification type=”alert” style=”round” close=”false” ]Contact locations for availability due to wildfire evacuations[/efsnotification]
The shops are open year-round, and each one offers inventory from local artisans. You’ll find baskets, quilts, pottery, photography, paintings, and more. Journey through the 8-mile trail loop and hunt for a one-of-a-kind handcrafted gift from one of the 120+ artisans. If you want to make something for next Christmas, plan on attending the Arts and Crafts “Hands-On” Workshops from April 7-9, 2017.
The Island in Pigeon Forge
With more than 60 retail and specialty shops, you are sure to find a perfect gift at The Island. For the kids, you’ll find the Build-A-Bear Workshop, Gotcha!, Big Rock Candy Kitchen, The Toychest Company, and Puzzled. There is even a store dedicated to Christmas! At Christmas and More, they have seasonal products for other holidays, too.
The Village Shops in Gatlinburg
Step back in time and walk on cobblestone roads while you explore all the 27 unique shops at The Village. At Alewine Pottery you can watch one of the working potters make a unique treasure. The Pepper Palace offers free samples of hot sauce, salsa, and BBQ sauces that will light up your taste buds. Visit U Name It to buy personalized gifts like purses, bibs, charms, coasters, and more. The Celtic Heritage shop has goods from the British Isles, like jewelry, tartans and kilts, perfumes and colognes, and food. Plus, you can pick up your family’s coat of arms.
If those spots aren’t comprehensive enough, remember that Gatlinburg has over 400 shops and five malls, plus Sevierville’s Tanger Outlets has dozens of stores. Where are your go-to shops in the Smokies? Let us know in the comment section below.
Content on this page is subject to change. Please contact the locations mentioned to see if promotions, hours, pricing, etc. are still valid.
About April Sadowski
April Sadowski is a wife, mother of a toddler, and a travel junkie. She's a content author for the Smoky Mountain region and is always looking for the latest tip for making a vacation a memorable one.
3 Responses to “Christmas Shopping in the Smokies”
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We planned on being in Pigeon Forge next Friday 12/9 but my husband has asthma do you think it will be safe for him to go. Wasn’t sure about the air quality or smell.
Jodie,
The EPA has an air quality checker that I can see being useful in your case (https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.local_state&stateid=44&mapcenter=0&tabs=0). Right now I wouldn’t recommend it, but that might change by next week. As far as fires go, next week has a forecast of rain for Sunday, Monday, and a bit of Tuesday, and Thursday. There is an active air quality alert that is set to expire Saturday, so the rain might be a factor on why it ends on that day. I wish I was an expert on those matters and could help you.
Update on the smell… I read a Facebook post from someone who visited Thursday and said the rain cleaned up the air so it doesn’t smell at all. With the next couple of days forecasting rain, you should be good. It looks like the air quality has improved greatly as well and is forecasted to continue to improve.