Best known for its busy and colorful autumn season, the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg also come alive with a different kind of color each spring.  And now’s the time to get ready to enjoy the three-month Springfest celebration that begins in early March and continues thru June 8, 2008.

Gatlinburg transforms as winter turns into spring – and as the city’s streets overflow with baskets of beautiful blooming flowers and plants. Pansies, daffodils, tulips, bougainvilleas, lantanas and wave petunias are among the many varieties of flowers seen throughout the city. Live entertainment can be found along sidewalks, adding a festive flair to the time-honored Downtown Parkway stroll. Members of Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community display unique handcrafted wares as they gather at the Gatlinburg Convention Center to host their annual Easter Arts & Crafts show, March 19-22.

The smell of hickory-smoked barbeque fills the air as folks roll up their sleeves and sample secret sauces on delectable ribs and wings from vendors from all over the Southeast on April 17 at Gatlinburg’s Ribfest & Wings.  This festive street party offers live entertainment and barbequed ribs and wings on the open grill.

The 58th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, April 23-27, provides hikers and nature lovers an opportunity to see delicate wildflowers in bloom. Hosted by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the University of Tennessee Botany Department and the Gatlinburg Garden Club, this seven-day program offers more than 150 different hiking tours of trails ranging from easy to strenuous, exhibitions, demonstrations, classroom lectures and delightful motor excursions into the Smokies.

Spring events continue with Gatlinburg’s Scottish Festival & Games Grand Parade on May 16 in downtown Gatlinburg. All Scots are invited to march or ride in the parade. On May 17-18, Mills Park in Gatlinburg becomes competitive ground for the 27th Annual Scottish Festival & Games where clans meet and feature Highland athletics, bagpipe competitions, Highland dancing, Border collie demonstrations, haggis hurling, entertainment and whiskey tasting, along with food and merchandise vendors.

And don’t miss Gatlinburg’s Fine Arts Festival, a family-oriented arts festival featuring juried artists from around the country, delicious cuisine and live music in downtown Gatlinburg on  May 17-18.