Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair Returns
By Leif Palmer
Posted on October 8, 2019
If you're a fan of arts and crafts, October promises to be just the month for you. It's crafts season in the Great Smoky Mountains, and if you happen to be planning to travel to Gatlinburg this month, there's one special event you might want to mark on your calendar. The 44th Annual Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair comes to the Gatlinburg Convention Center October 10 through 27.
For more than two weeks, the city hosts some of the most talented crafts people from around the United States. How do we know they're among the best? Because the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair is a juried event, which means that all applicants are screened, and they're not selected to participate unless their work is genuinely handcrafted and of the highest quality. As a result, visitors know that the products they're seeing on display are the real deal.
The convention center's 150,000 square feet will host some 200 different exhibitors, whose work encompasses a wide range of arts and crafts forms. You'll see plenty of traditional, familiar styles of crafts, but there will be many unique ones you might not have heard of. Here are just a few examples: metal sculpture, dulcimers, split wood baskets, jewelry ear cuffs, clay flowers, hammock chairs, candy and honey, pearl jewelry, woodturning, rock candles, and folk art games and puzzles. And that's just scratching the surface.
What's really cool about the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair is that not only can you browse and shop this wide array of merchandise, but in many cases, exhibitors will be producing their crafts on site, so you can watch them at work. Feel free to stop by the booths and talk to the artists and ask them questions about their work. They're always more than happy to accommodate.
In addition to all the arts and crafts exhibitions, the Craftsmen's Fair features a DIY kids' craft area, food vendors and a live-music stage, where contemporary country, gospel and bluegrass artists will perform at 12 and 3 p.m. daily. Fair hours are daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except for Sundays, which are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.
If you're interested in attending the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair, your best option for parking is to utilize one of our seven downtown Gatlinburg lots, many of which are within one block of the convention center. Please refer to the Gatlinburg parking map on our website to choose which lot may be most suitable for you.
And when you're not attending the fair, you're still within walking distance of downtown Gatlinburg's restaurants, shops and attractions. And whether it's by foot or by trolley, getting around Gatlinburg is easy. We look forward to seeing you at the fair!
About Leif Palmer
Leif Palmer loves residing in Gatlinburg. He is an avid outdoorsman: rowing for exercise on the lake, trail hiking, and free climbing rocks in the mountains. He indulges his arty side by periodically beating up pieces of marble by sculpting. He is always frustrated by his inability to sink long putts, and hates his curly hair (but his wife loves it). Leif has been known to muster enough courage to change a diaper, and hopes his son will become a chip off the old block.