**Updated for 2020**

There is nothing like East Tennessee in the Fall! It is absolutely beautiful with the clear blue skies, the mist on the mountains and the vivid colors of the leaves. Add in Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin Luminights and you get the perfect Fall day! Great Pumpkin Luminghts has been open a few weeks, but we had the chance to visit last night! It’s so cool that Dollywood is almost in our backyard because we don’t ever want to miss a thing! Here are 5 reasons why you should not miss Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin Luminghts:

1. It’s Even Bigger and Better Than Last Year!

Last year was the first year for Dollywood to host Great Pumpkin Luminights. It was an overwhelming crowd favorite! So in true Dollywood form, it came back this year, bigger and better than ever! It has new immersive harvest-themed displays, exciting activities and an expanded footprint that is more than twice the size of the 2017 season! Last years fan favorites such as the pumpkin spider and the pumpkin dance party return, but are joined by elaborate new additions including a couple of Dolly Parton inspired displays. In 2020 it continues to grow, literally, with the addition of colossal pumpkins!!

2. Character Interactions and Great Themed Food!

Our family’s favorite character is Harvey the Pumpkin! We loved posing with him in Wilderness Pass! Also, as you pass through, be on the lookout for the Pumpkin Master, Patches the Scarecrow and many other friends! Your children will love to meet each one! While you are in Wilderness Pass, don’t miss a photo opp of the amazing 40 ft. tall expertly-carved pumpkin tree! It’s breathtaking! It made my always-on-the-move son stop and stare in awe!

The treats this year are amazing too! Culinary creations abound, thanks to the bountiful supply of crops from a Smoky Mountain harvest. The smells of smoked beef brisket, turkey legs and sausage pair nicely with the fresh tastes of fried green tomatoes, fire-roasted corn and sweet potato casserole. For sweet treats, the ever-popular pumpkin spice is in full supply with items ranging from pumpkin spice milkshakes and cinnamon rolls to a twist on the park’s beloved cinnamon bread. Pumpkin praline funnel cake, hot wassail and harvest kettle corn are perfect to carry and enjoy while admiring the beauty of Dollywood in the fall.

3. The Pumpkins are Amazing!

Your family will bask in the glow of thousands of intricately-carved pumpkins as you wander through the displays throughout Timber Canyon, Wilderness Pass and the upper Craftman’s Valley area. Visit the pumpkin “artists” in the Grist Mill area. They host demonstrations at various times between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.

4. It’s Very Family Friendly!

Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin Luminights will definitely get you in the Halloween mood, but will definitely not leave you or the little ones in your group scared in any way! Dolly seems to make “family friendly” the goal of everything she does and this is no exception. There is nothing scary about any display in the whole park! The music is “Halloween-y” without being over the top and it is just all fun and beautiful!

5. You Can Make a Day of It!

Dollywood’s Great Pumpkin Luminights is only part of the Harvest Festival going on at Dollywood! Alongside the nighttime display is also a musical event with over 800 musical acts performing throughout the length of the festival. In addition there are also multiple visiting artisans from across the country that come during the Harvest Festival. Many craft demonstrations take place each day.

As you can see, there are so many great reasons to visit Dollywood during the Fall Season! Your family, young and old, will love each part of the Harvest Festival culminating each night with the Great Pumpkin Luminights. Great Pumpkin Luminights start glowing about 4 p.m and continue until close. And don’t forget, new this year, come after 5:00 and only pay $35! I hope you choose to spend some time in “my Tennessee mountain home” (as Dolly would say!).

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