Is it time to start celebrating the Emerald Isles’ influence on the Smoky Mountains? Almost! Sevier County rings in the return of the green in the nature surrounding us with events honoring the Celtic heritage that is a large piece of our cultural foundation starting as early as 2 weeks before St. Patrick’s Day.
Take a look at these items and see if they get your Lucky Charms lit up for a March visit to the Smokies:
* Irish Month at Titanic Museum
March 1st – March 31st
March has always been Irish Month at Titanic Museum Attraction, honoring the 187 Irish passengers and crew sailing upon the Titanic, and each year has been a special tribute. Perhaps we never fully understand a culture until we savor the magical myths and stories that add mystery, legend, and resilience to its people. That is why the Irish Fairy Cottages appearing during March at Titanic Museum Attraction add depth to our longstanding focus on the Irish.
However, as I wandered through the ship on a recent evening, discovering for the first time Swallow Hollow, Secret Garden, and others, I felt as though here, with the Irish Fairy Cottages, we had captured a fragile, secret hope that informs the Irish culture and is responsible for the strength and resilience that allowed them to endure the terrible potato famine even as they struggled to grab sustenance for their children from working the soil.
For me, the Irish Fairy Cottages allow a glimpse into the heart of the Irish people. We cannot really grasp the fragile beauty of any culture without glimpsing the culture’s most cherished hopes, embodied in their legends and myths. In the Irish Fairy Cottages, we are allowed a glimpse into the most intimate heart of the Irish, a part of their identity they might share only with their most trusted acquaintances. And yet, during March at Titanic Museum Attraction, here they are. These delicate, legendary breaths of Irish legend.
See more on this event at https://titanicpigeonforge.com/titanic-tribute-to-the-187-irish-on-board-the-ship/.
* Get Lucky at the SkyBridge
March 1st – March 31st
Your Lucky Green Lights!
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day all March long this year by trekking 500 feet above Gatlinburg to enjoy the record-breaking SkyBridge’s green lights! All 680 feet of the bridge will be illuminating St. Patty themed green lights, helping you get into a feeling of luck this season! In addition, dangling beneath the SkyBride will be twinkling shamrocks brightening up the night’s sky!
In addition to the St. Patricks Day themed lights, we will also have Live Music select nights throughout the month! Performers and performance times will be updated as we get closer to the start of our Get Lucky event.
All Get Lucky event elements will be inckuded in your SkyPass or General Admission cost, and the holiday lights will be on display through March 31.
See more on this event at https://www.gatlinburgskypark.com/events/st-patricks.
* Lights at Gatlinburg Space Needle
March 10th – March 17th
The Gatlinburg Space Needle will be lighting up the Parkway with its festive green and gold lights throughout the St. Patrick’s Day Celebration.
See more on this event at https://www.gatlinburg.com/event/lights-at-gatlinburg-space-needle/495/.
* Shamrock Celebration at Anakeesta Plaza
March 14th
There’s Celtic music in the air! Enjoy the luck of the Irish in our Shamrock Celebration this March featuring St. Patrick’s Day décor, live entertainment, and even green beer!
* St. Patrick’s Day Celebration At Park Vista
March 17th
Our Chef’s St. Patrick’s Day menu will not dissapoint!
Vista Grill and Firefly’s will be honoring this fun, annual celebration by offering appetizer, entree and drink specials all St. Patrick’s Day weekend – so grab some friends and come enjoy some great food and drink!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!
Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes) Appetizer $12.95
creamy potatoes with a crispy crust, served with caramelized onion, warm apple sauce & sour cream
Corned Beef and Braised Cabbage Entrée $24.95
slow braised corned beef, applewood bacon braised cabbage, parsley potatoes & whiskey glazed carrots
Shepherd’s Pie Entrée $22.95
well-seasoned lamb, layered with peas, corn, carrots & roasted garlic mashed potatoes
See more on this event at https://www.facebook.com/TheParkVistaaDoubleTreebyHilton/.
* St. Patrick’s Day at The Island
March 17th
Enjoy St. Paddy’s Day at The Island on Friday, March 17! The whole Island will be lit up green so you can celebrate with fun festivities all day long!
Enjoy live entertainment throughout the day from The Blarney Girls and The Tennessee Irish Dancers. Plus, don’t miss our special Island Fountain Show, featuring “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys!
And, what’s St. Paddy’s Day without festive drinks and good eats? Grab a pint of Beer at Yee-Haw Brewing Co. and enjoy fun Irish-themed fare at Timberwood Grill and Mellow Mushroom!
Visit The Island in Pigeon Forge on Friday, March 17th to join in all the festivities as we celebrate St. Paddy’s Day!
See more on this event at www.mypigeonforge.com/event/st-patricks-day-at-the-island.
Additional Irish/Celtic Places In The Smokies:
https://boudiccascelticpub.com/
https://www.celticheritage.net/
https://www.foxandparrottavern.com/
https://www.rampantlionpub.com/
http://www.gnomepub.net/sev/index.asp
