Events

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open year-round, but the events and activities in, and around the park, change with the seasons. From festivals and activities, to days you can get into the park free, we have your complete guide to the happenings in the Smokies, as well as in nearby gateway towns in Tennessee and North Carolina.

A family camping in a national park

Great Smoky is always free but parks that usually charge an entrance fee will be free on several days during the year. Check our list of dates.

A monarch butterfly on a milkweed flower.

The national park and parts of North Carolina are on one of the natural migration routes. Learn more about the annual monarch-tagging event.

Fireflies lit up at night.

For about two weeks each year, Elkmont in Great Smoky becomes the site of the most magnificent synchronized firefly gathering in the world.