The Year-Round Christmas Town in the Smoky Mountains You Need To See

There’s an immersive Christmas village in Tennessee that keeps it festive 365 days a year

Christmas in my house starts on Thanksgiving Day. While my wife is inside preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I’m outside decking the house for Christmas. We run strands of colorful lights along the eaves of our small front porch. We decorate the bushes. I’m a Christmas guy. We’re Christmas people. And if you feel the same, to paraphrase Peter Frampton, I’ve got just the spot for you. It’s a place where you can eat, drink, and well, be merry. Year-round.

What is The Christmas Place?

There’s a mini-village nestled in Pigeon Forge, TN that keeps it festive The Christmas Place 24/7, all year long. What is The Christmas Place you ask? It’s a little like the North Pole picked up and landed in the Smoky Mountains, except the elves in Pigeon Forge ain’t giving any toys away. In fact, The Christmas Place touts itself as the South’s largest Christmas shopping village. The Christmas Place feeds the Christmas fever of people like me all year round, even if it’s 80 degrees outside. They offer a fantastic selection of indoor and outdoor lights, collectibles, Christmas ornaments, trees, gifts, and home and business decorations – most of which are considerably less gaudy than my own Christmas décor.

It’s also a great place to shop for Christmas gifts or simply walk around and get in the spirit of Christmas with designer-themed Christmas trees nestled among Christmas villages and shops. There’s also a holiday-themed candy store and a fashion boutique on-site. Gotta keep those elves stylin’! And naturally, the big guy himself, Santa, has also been known to make an appearance at The Santa Haus.

The Inn at Christmas Place

And of course, what self-respecting Christmas village would be complete without a place to stay?The Inn at Christmas Place, which, like the village, remains Christmas-themed 365 days a year. The inn features the same incredible decorations year-round, with an indoor pool, a large hot tub as well as an outdoor pool with a figure-8 waterslide. All rooms come with basic amenities such as flat-screen TVs, a DVD player, a microwave, free wifi and a coffee maker. Select rooms have in-room whirlpools, a gas fireplace and a private balcony. Character visits occur six days a week at 9 am from March through December.

The origin of The Christmas Place

The Christmas Place and the shops at Bell Tower Square were founded as a family business by Hurshel and Marian Biggs in 1986, both of whom have since passed away. It started out as a simple gift shop but has since expanded into a 43,000-square-foot foot experience. And it’s consistently ranked as one of the top Christmas and collectible stores in the United States.

Over the years, The Christmas Place has been honored for its many merchandising and decorating achievements. Among the awards they’ve received is the “NOEL Retailer of the Year” for a specialty store. This annual award recognizes a company that has achieved outstanding growth and performance through excellence in merchandising Christmas products. It also recognizes the significant contributions to the Christmas Decoration Industry.

The Christmas Place is located at 2470 Parkway in Pigeon Forge, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

Have you visited The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below.

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