(0)As tactful, careful hands move around the wet clay on the potter’s wheel and callused, careful fingers thread glass beads along the thread to join a colorful necklace, you are afforded front row seats to the passion and personality behind the intricate handmade art that graces so many shops, homes, and Cabins for YOU cabins all over the Smoky Mountain area.
Watch in wonder as bears emerge from pieces of wood at the carver’s hands and beautiful landscapes form on the painter’s canvas while you wander through this crafter’s mecca. Another Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair reconvenes after 40 years of bringing together the area’s finest artisans to display their talents, discuss their work with visitors, and offer their beautiful art as a staple piece to your home or meaningful gift to a loved one.
From booth to booth, watch leather goods, intricate quilts, stunning paintings, rustic copper art, and incredible metalwork come into formation! Every artist undergoes a thorough jury process to ensure the distinctive quality that has built this event as one of the Southeast’s most popular from year to year. Past handmade works have included:
Pottery | Leather Goods | Birdhouses | Copper Work | Jewelry | Metalwork | Handbags | Quilts | Wind Chimes | Dolls | Garden art | Wood Toys | so much more!
Hosted in the conveniently located Gatlinburg Convention Center in downtown, the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair places you within walking or driving distance of hundreds of Cabins for YOU cabins for any size group! Twice a year, during the months of July and October, the Craftsmen’s Fair hosts over 200 artists from all over the nation across 15,000 square feet of booths. Guests can explore daily from 10 am to 6 pm and 10 am to 5 pm on Sundays. For only $7 (and kids under 12 are free!), you get a first-hand experience of Gatlinburg’s rich cultural appreciation for artisanship and close-up experiences of stunning, one-of-a-kind handmade crafts. If you are not able to get to every booth you were curious to see, next-day passes are available in the Craftsmen’s Fair Office!
Recognized by the Southeast Tourism Society as the one of the Top 20 Events in the Southern United States, the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair is repeatedly touted as a “must see” and a “unique experience of a lifetime” by past visitors! Make meaningful connections while you fellowship among the people who create and stand in awe of the creations while getting to know Gatlinburg like never before! Who knows, you may even feel inspired to get back into that old hobby or create something of your own!
During the Summer Craftsmen’s Fair, a Kid’s Corner is offered to young, aspiring crafters to produce their own pieces of art to take home! Music is also celebrated during this artistic extravaganza in both seasons; throughout the afternoon visitors will be hypnotized by brassy, rhythmic plucking of bluegrass instruments and smooth, harmonious voices of country and gospel singers on the main stage.
While snacks are offered by the Gatlinburg Convention Center, save some of your appetite for the booths inhabited by local candy makers! After hours of watching beautiful art coming to life before your eyes, chatting with the artisans, and picking up stunning works of wood, jewelry, and pottery, you’ll have worked up an appetite and be ready to explore!
Check out the official website for the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair for exact dates in July and October, because this is an event worth planning a vacation for, especially if you fancy yourself an artist, crafter, or collector! Use the Options For YOU search engine to match up with the perfect cabin to create your dream Smoky Mountain vacation.
Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community
Headed to the Smokies for a cabin trip during other times of the year? Guests to the area can still find plenty of handmade art and gifts in the historic Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community! Only 3 miles outside of downtown Gatlinburg, the 8-mile loop is a Tennessee Heritage Arts and Crafts Trail. Formed in 1937, the trail is home to the largest group of independent artisans in North America and many of the talented artists that attend the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair. The long list of handmade gifts you can find along the Arts and Crafts Trail includes candles, stained glass, leather, silver works, pottery, quilts, carved wood, jewelry, and so much more!
Annual Holiday Craft Shows
Also held in the Gatlinburg Convention Center, you can enjoy holiday craft events made up exclusively of the artisans in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. Much like the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair, visitors can meet the creators behind the handmade gifts and art and purchase one-of-a-kind pieces from the artists themselves. However, during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Craft Shows hosted by the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, admission is FREE!
Watch as over 100 Smoky Mountain local artisans show off their talents and reveal the methods, often passed down through multiple generations of family with roots in the East Tennessee area. Bring home the most authentic souvenir from the Smokies you will appreciate just as much Gatlinburg cherishes her deep heritage in craftsmanship!
Pigeon Forge Rotary Club Craft Fair
If you are visiting the Smokies during fall, don’t miss out on the month-long craft fair in October in downtown Pigeon Forge! Hosted outdoors under a big tent in Patriot Park, tour 75 booths with crafters both from the area and all over the country.
This event is free of admission, but graciously accepts donations to help benefit the local charities! Parking is free and Patriot Park is also, conveniently, a stop along the Pigeon Forge Trolley’s route. From 10 am to 6 pm, daily, get a head start on your Christmas shopping or find the perfect décor for fall and the holidays; you are sure to get tons of compliments, and these beautiful handmade pieces are great conversation starters!
Of course, fall is one of the most heart-stopping, gorgeous times of year to stay in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains as the fall foliage creeps over the mountain forestry with bright reds, yellows, and orange. All the more reason to visit during the month of October and attend the Pigeon Forge Craft Fair!
Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival
Each April in the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, the Townsend Artisan Guild and the Tennessee Valley Handspinners Guild host a festival in honor of the very specific area of crafting in the fiber arts! The event is free, but you can opt to take classes to get an introduction or refine your skills in turning fleece into clothing and goods or artwork. Vendors offer tons of helpful information and demonstrations among numerous booths. Crafters in the fiber arts can find everything they need in supplies, tools, and hand-spun and hand-dyed yarn to take home and create! Curious visitors are welcome, too, because a wide selection of finished fiber goods is available to purchase directly from the producers. Kids can learn all about where the yarn comes from as they meet the llamas, rabbits, sheep, and goats on display at the festival!
No matter when you decide to visit the Smoky Mountains, in between exploring all the different crafting events and communities, come home to a cozy Cabins for YOU cabin to make your dream Smoky Mountain vacation complete!