January vacation in East TN?? (Knoxville, Sevierville: school, live, to move)

[cicilyb]

Hi- We are palnning a trip to your area the first week of January. We have been considering relocating to the area for a few years now (coming from south west FL.) We have vacationed there in June- 2x's and in late October. We had beautiful- comfortable weather for all 3 trips. We have decided it is time to experience the winter season- to see if we would like it. We would wait til late Jan or Feb, but have school age kids, so are taking this trip on the last part of their xmas vacation. Is there alot of congestion at this time of year? We love Dollywood, and would love to experience it all decked out in its xmas attire. Any idea if they keep the holidays going there over the first week of Jan. Anything else fun to do in January? I have read the temperature averages on weather.com- so know the numbers- but how does it feel and look in January to you all. Also- this time we think we will spend some time in Knoxville, to get a feel for the city. Any suggestions regarding things to do in and around Knoxville? This is going to be a quick 3 days there, but we welcome suggestions.

[jabogitlu]

Not sure, but I would imagine January in Dollywood/greater Pigeon Forge isn't that heavy. Maybe around the new year's but...

January is a very bleak month here, and one of our coldest. Last year winter was brutal (relatively), but that's not always the case. Just make sure you pack your scarves and gloves! Since you've been here in June and October, you know how pretty east TN is. That's important, because it looks a lot like a dead zone in January.

[kmdejonge]

Fellow Dollywood lover here! Dollywood is only open until January 2nd, 2010 and then they close until the end of March, but it will be Christmas themed from the beginning of November through Jan 2: Dates & hours of operation & events calendar at Dollywood.

I don't have kids so I'll leave it to someone else to tell you what to do downtown with them. My recommendation would be to contact the Knoxville Tourism Department for some information or check out their guide to the city here: Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation | The Official Site of Knoxville

Good luck!

[TN Gal now]

displays in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg will be lit through Jan, Feb, and maybe March. One year, they took them down just before Easter...and it wasn't an early Easter

Enjoy your winter visit!

[hiknapster]

Hello! We're from swFlorida, too. We lived in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and Estero. We are very, very glad to be here. We left four years ago, tomorrow. That's right. October 1, 2005 we pulled out of Lee County, Florida and it was the best thing we ever did.

Yep. It looks kind of stark in the winter. Occasionally we get a dusting of snow, but not usually. I happen to like the change of seasons. It's not the same old thing all the time. It's also not very cold, if you've ever lived up North. If you are a Florida native, though, it might be very different.

The best thing about our winter is that it is mild, doesn't last very long, and kills off nasty things like gators.

And off course, then we get the payoff. We have an absolutely glorious, breath-taking springtime!

[RamblinRoseRanch]

It's cold, grey and makes you think that spring is NEVER going to come. :0) Depending on where you're coming from, you may not notice a difference, but the humidity makes the cold feel that much colder.

[FLORIDA TO NIOTA 2010]

Originally Posted by cicilyb

Hi- We are palnning a trip to your area the first week of January. We have been considering relocating to the area for a few years now (coming from south west FL.) We have vacationed there in June- 2x's and in late October. We had beautiful- comfortable weather for all 3 trips. We have decided it is time to experience the winter season- to see if we would like it. We would wait til late Jan or Feb, but have school age kids, so are taking this trip on the last part of their xmas vacation. Is there alot of congestion at this time of year? We love Dollywood, and would love to experience it all decked out in its xmas attire. Any idea if they keep the holidays going there over the first week of Jan. Anything else fun to do in January? I have read the temperature averages on weather.com- so know the numbers- but how does it feel and look in January to you all. Also- this time we think we will spend some time in Knoxville, to get a feel for the city. Any suggestions regarding things to do in and around Knoxville? This is going to be a quick 3 days there, but we welcome suggestions.

You have to go snow tubing at Ober Gatlinburg. We had a really great time. We stayed at a place called Smokey Shadows, around redlight 10 ( I believe) the people were so very nice. Our room had a hot tub in the room and a heated pool and stream right in back of the rooms (off balcony) It was so beautifull just sitting in the room listening to the sound of the stream. I would love to stay there again. The rooms were very clean and reasonable.

[hiknapster]

Knoxville Zoo will be open. That would be a great place to take the kids if it isn't too cold.

KNOXVILLE ZOO

[cicilyb]

Thanks for your replies. I was wondering about the KNoxville Zoo and whether it would be open. Have never been there. I'm sure my girls would like it. Tubing in Ober Gatlinburg sounds like a ball. Our kids have never seen snow- and whether it's man-made or mother nature made- the girls would love that. Prior to having kids our vacations were usually ski vacations out west. Have not been ready to spend the money on a big ski vacation out west, but a little bunny slope in Gatlinburg might be fun for them to try out. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the weather is doing. Do the grownups get to bo tubing as well? As someone who grew up in South Fl, never got to do that as a kid. Glad to hear we won't be too late to see the christmas lights in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Thanks again!

[LauraC]

It's really blah-looking in January. No leaves on the trees. Grey skies. But, if you are going to move here you should see the not-so-nice months, too. You might want to look for indoor things to do.