Bear-Varian Fall Festival at Anakeesta

Autumn comes alive high above downtown Gatlinburg during Anakeesta’s Bear-Varian Fall Festival, a seasonal takeover running from late August through the first of November. Bavarian-inspired food, craft beer and live entertainment fill the mountaintop villages while the color builds on the ridges below. Pumpkins, scarecrows and harvest décor go up across the park, and the AnaVista Tower and Treetop Skywalk put you above most of the leaves instead of underneath them.

Live Entertainment Around the Park

The Undead Heads play classic rock with a zombie twist, The Vampirettes work through 1960s hits in vintage vampire style, and The Pretzel-Tones give current songs a polka spin. Gretchen hosts the Bear-Varian Bonanza Games, an interactive show built around Oktoberfest-style challenges, and Hans the stilt walker roams the walkways for photos.

The lineup rotates, so not every act performs every day. If there’s one you want to catch, check the park calendar for your date.

Bavarian Food and the Beer Tasting Card

Food leans hearty. A jumbo pretzel with warm beer cheese at Pretzel Haus, a smoked pork shank with German potato salad at Smokehouse, a crispy pork schnitzel plate at Clifftop, potato pancakes at Bratgarten, and a Bavarian spiral potato with gouda cream and sauerkraut at Tater Tavern. Dessert runs to a warm apple plait, a cinnamon apple crepe and a German chocolate shake.

Guests 21 and older can add a Bear-Varian Beer Tasting Card for six 8-oz. pours at stations spread across the mountain. Ten breweries and cideries are pouring this season, including Blackhorse, Highland, Xul, Hi-Wire, Peaceful Side and Gypsy Circus Cider. Tasting locations serve 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, which is later than the park opens on early days. Unused pours carry over to another visit through November 1 as long as you keep the pass.

Admission

Advance tickets start at:

• Adult (12 to 64): $39.99
• Child (4 to 11): $27.99
• Senior (65+): $32.99
• Ages 3 and under: Free

General admission covers all-day Crystal Express gondola and Ridge Rambler access plus the mountaintop attractions: Treetop Skywalk, AnaVista Tower, Vista Gardens, the TreeVenture challenge course, BirdVenture and the treehouse play area. The festival itself costs nothing extra. Prices come from the official ticket store and can vary by date.

You may purchase tickets at GetYourGuide, the ticketing partner for My Smoky Mountain Guide. Most tickets are discounted.

Optional Add-Ons

Purchase these directly from Anakeesta:

• Bear-Varian Beer Tasting Card, $22.99: six 8-oz. pours and a souvenir lanyard, 21+ with valid ID, redeemable August 28 through November 1 with a valid admission ticket
• Astra Lumina night walk, $18.99
• Mountain coaster pass, $16.99: two rides on the Hellbender or Rail Runner

Hours, Parking and Getting There

Hours shift throughout the season, generally opening at 9:00 or 10:00 AM and closing at 8:00 or 9:00 PM, with the longer days falling on weekends and through peak leaf season. Posted closing is when the last ticket sells, and the last ride down runs an hour after that, so an 8:00 PM close is not an 8:00 PM eviction.

Anakeesta sits at traffic light #5 on the Parkway. A paid lot next to the entrance is run by Parkway Parking rather than by Anakeesta, and the city garages are a short walk away. Downtown parking fills fast on fall weekends.