While you’re in Gatlinburg celebrating the Easter holiday, be sure to set aside enough time to visit the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community Easter Show. Show your support for these talented area artists and craftsmen as they showcase their work, and get that one-of-a-kind souvenir of your visit to Gatlinburg in spring.
The Easter Show
The Community Easter Show brings many of the artists and craftsmen you’ve admired and followed on Gatlinburg’s Tennessee Heritage Arts & Crafts Trail together with other artisans and craftsmen from the Gatlinburg area. This free event provides a wonderful overview of the amazing culture and traditions of creating in Appalachia.
Everything is hand-made, from baskets and brooms, quilts and textiles, pottery and ceramics, woodworking and carving, candles and soaps, to photography, leather goods, furniture, jewelry, dulcimers, candy, and specialty prepared foods.
The Easter Show supports the local Arts & Crafts community as they keep Appalachian art and techniques alive. The annual Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community Easter Show is held in late March or early April, during Easter break, at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
The Community
For over 80 years, the artisans and craftsmen of Gatlinburg have lived and created along “The Loop”. Not only can you visit the artists and craftsmen in their galleries and buy their work, but you can also watch demonstrations, and a few shops even offer classes where you can create your own masterpiece to take home with you.
Visit the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community’s website here and meet the members, get a map of the loop, find exact event dates (they vary year to year), and more information.
While you can walk or drive the 8-mile Loop, you can also take the trolley (the dedicated yellow route). In fact, maybe the best way to see The Loop is to use the map to scope out the shops and galleries you particularly want to visit beforehand, then take the trolley, since some galleries are gathered in clusters, while others are strung out along the way. The map will prove invaluable, as it not only shows the galleries but also gift shops and restaurants along the route.
Enjoy Your Stay and the Show
If you miss the Easter Show, the Community holds events, including several Evening with the Artist, throughout the year. Want to make The Loop the center of your stay here? Let us help you find the perfect vacation home in Gatlinburg in spring that’s closest to Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community. Give us a call today!