When Is the Best Time To Visit Tennessee

With Tennessee’s impressive variety of activities, festivals, and parks, it may be difficult to know when to visit. The Smoky Mountains can offer widely different experiences, for example, depending on the time of the year that one decides to visit. Festivals vary greatly during the year as well, ranging from flower festivals to music and food festivals. While summer is traditionally the most popular season, attracting families and water enthusiasts, other seasons offer their own appeal—winter brings snowy wonderlands, spring offers blooming wildflowers and mild temperatures, and fall abounds in cozy seasonal festivals.

Winter Tourism

Tennessee attracts many northern visitors each year who are looking to escape the cold and rainy climate of the Northern United States. However, for those looking to experience a winter wonderland, the Smoky Mountains and other natural landmarks, such as Harrison Bay State Park, offer a scenic, snowy landscape as well. Near Gatlinburg, for example, visitors will love going for a winter hike along Twin Creeks Trail or Laurel Falls Trail or enjoy snow tubing, skiing, or snowboarding down Ober Mountain.

Larger towns like Nashville and Memphis offer a variety of winter activities that are sure to get travelers in the winter spirit. Families can enjoy a stroll through The Nashville Zoo during its “Zoolumination” event, where the grounds are adorned with dazzling holiday lights. On particularly chilly days, travelers can warm up with comforting hot cocoa or indulge in Nashville’s famous “hot chicken”—crispy fried chicken seasoned with spices served on bread with a pickle. Meanwhile, Memphis shines as a festive destination for New Year’s Eve, with lively celebrations on its iconic Beale Street. The city also features ice rinks and popular spots like the Memphis Botanic Garden, which celebrates the holiday season with enchanting light displays and its “Holiday Wonders” event, making it a perfect spot for winter activities.

Spring Tourism

As temperatures rise and flowers bloom in the Smokies, Tennessee comes to life, celebrating spring with a variety of cultural events and lively festivals. Home to over 1,600 species of wildflowers, Great Smoky Mountains National Park has earned the nickname “Wildflower National Park.” Additionally, Gatlinburg hosts its annual “Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage,” a week-long festival dedicated to celebrating the park’s flora, featuring a variety of guided hikes to help visitors appreciate the blooming flowers. A visit to the Cherokee National Forest, near Bristol, is another great way to take advantage of the mild, warming temperatures, where travelers can go trout fishing, wind sailing, or water skiing, as well as a hike or horseback ride on one of the park’s trails.

Looking for a good spring festival? The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates the 1,000 cherry blossom trees that are spread throughout the city. The festival takes place in April each year and features local art and Japanese traditions such as a tea ceremony, origami making, food trucks, and more. Daffodil Day is another fascinating springtime festival that visitors can enjoy, with more of a quaint, small-time vibe, and it takes place in the town of Bell Buckle. The festival celebrates the thousands of daffodils that bloom along the nearby streets and fields, featuring a flower show, a tree seedling giveaway, live music, local vendors, and more.

Summer Tourism

Summer is the busiest tourist season for the state of Tennessee, with music festivals, camping, hiking, amusement parks, and extreme sports such as white water rafting being a few of the attractions. For hikers, campers, and picnickers, the summer is a prime time to visit some of Tennessee’s 15 national sites and parks, including the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and Obed Wild and Scenic River. Along the Tennessee River, travelers can partake in a variety of water sports and activities, including paddling, kayaking, canoeing, and cruising. For more water fun, Dollywood’s Splash Country is a family favorite, offering tube rides, waterslides, a wave pool, and more.

When it comes to music festivals, Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee, is one of the most renowned in the country. This four-day event draws crowds of up to 70,000 attendees, offering an eclectic lineup of music genres ranging from pop to indie and electronic. In addition to the performances, festival-goers can enjoy art installations, food vendors, and a campground for those wanting to be more immersed in the festival experience.

Fall Tourism

Fall in Tennessee is a glorious time, filled with vibrant fall foliage, particularly in the Smoky Mountains. Throughout the Smokies, visitors can appreciate brightly-colored yellow birches, mountain maples, American beeches, pin cherries, and hobblebushes. The best time to visit to view peak fall foliage is around mid-October and early November, although a fairly colorful display begins to appear in mid-September.

Tennessee’s small towns are filled with autumn spirit as well, hosting a variety of unique festivals. In Centerville, for example, visitors can enjoy the town’s annual Banana Pudding Festival, while the Main Street Festival in Gallatin is decorated with pumpkins and offers plenty of live performances, arts and crafts, and food and drinks. In Nashville, fall activities are abundant as well, such as the Hermitage Ghost Tours for those fond of Halloween and the Cheekwood Harvest Festival.

Year-Round Activities

Regardless of the season, there are countless activities that visitors can enjoy all year in the great state of Tennessee. The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, for example, has a regular year-round calendar of country musicians who perform in the arena. The Country Music Hall of Fame is another consistent classic that travelers can visit regardless of season. Known as the birthplace of Rock 'n Roll, visitors can always find a music studio or live music event happening in Memphis as well. Those who are history fans can visit one of the state’s Civil War sites, such as Shiloh National Military Park, which is open year-round, besides national holidays.

From snowy hikes and wildflower festivals to ghost tours, every season in Tennessee offers something unique for visitors. Fall is ideal for those who want to take in the state's beautiful foliage, while summer is perfect for sunny days filled with music festivals and water sports. Travelers with an avid interest in history or music will find that Tennessee has year-round activities to satisfy their interests.