What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center

Name: Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Address: 123 Cromwell Drive, Townsend, TN, 37882, US
Telephone: +18654480044
Price range: $
Rating: 4.8

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Townsend, TN
Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center

Explore the history and heritage of the Smoky Mountain Region of Tennessee and North Carolina!
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Join us at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center to celebrate the cultural heritage of East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains region! Our gallery exhibits, educational programs, demonstrations, and festivals guide you on a historical journey through time to visit the diverse cultures of Townsend and Tuckaleechee Cove!

11/17/2024

That’s a wrap on our Holiday Handcrafters Festival! Thank you to everyone who came out to this fun event to support us and these amazing vendors! We hope you’ll come back to visit us during our annual Christmas in the Village event starting up in the next few weeks!

11/16/2024

It's time for our final sneak peek at some of our amazing vendors for this year's Holiday Handcrafter's Festival!

Don't forget the festival takes place tomorrow from 10am-4pm where you can see all these amazing artists and more at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center!

Featured Vendors:
- Trentham Family Farm - goat milk lotions and soaps with organic oils and butters, lip balms, beard butters, and balm
- Lemony Squeeze - handcrafted lemonades
- Old Stage Candle Company - Hand-poured scented candles and melts
- Salty Crossing Soapery - Bar soaps, soap dishes, bath soaks, lip balms, and gift sets
- Scrap Happy Designs - Gemstone jewelry, bowl cozies, welding hats, baby bibs, quilts, jar openers, potato bags, and Christmas ornaments.
- Arcadia Farm of Seymour - sheep milk soap, hand-woven wool area rugs, hand-woven dish towels, coasters, and wool crafts
- Hope Blooms - Button crafts, hand-painted Christmas ornaments, and seasonal items
- KangaRue Krochet - Crochet plushies, beanies, and market bags
- Midnight Moon Botanicals - All natural & handcrafted body products, soap, and candles
- Perfectly Imperfect - Hand-quilted quilts and handmade items

11/15/2024

It's time for another sneak peek at some of our amazing vendors for this year's Holiday Handcrafter's Festival!

Don't forget this Saturday from 10am-4pm you can see all these amazing artists and more at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center!

Check back tomorrow to see even more talented artists!

Featured Vendors:
- Annie Morton Designs - functional textile art products made from vintage quilts and woven fabrics
- Margaret’s arts and crafts Of The Smokies - Gnomes, signs, birdhouses, and porch signs
- Jammin Jams TN - Whole fruit jams, seasonal and savory jams, mini sampler boxes, gift bags with Cookbook
- Luke's TN Gourds - Gourd art, gourd birdhouses, wood-burned gourds
- My Cat Pottery - unique pottery creations
- Beech creek designs - Earrings, Christmas ornaments, wooden and clay magnets, beaded earrings, crocheted and sewn items
- Brookshire's Happy Hill Wood Creations - hand-made unique gifts such as turned wood bowls, lidded boxes seam rippers, and pens
- Weathered Creations - old architectural pieces to create original art
- Author Sam Venable - author and humor columnist
- Sharon Webb Artistry - Handcrafted jewelry and paintings
- Sophisticated Country Design - Door hangers, signs, and laser engraved gifts
- Simply Cindy D - Handcrafted jewelry, carved avocado seed necklaces, small hand-painted framed watercolors

11/13/2024

Who's ready for a sneak peek at some of our amazing vendors from this year's Holiday Handcrafter's Festival?!

This is only some of our vendors so make sure to come back tomorrow to see more!

Featured Vendors:
- A Mayes Pottery & Jewelry - Beautiful Ceramic Pottery and Jewelry
- Batson Creative - handcrafted wooden & screen printed gifts/home décor
- The Crafty Cricket - Home décor, Sewing items, Beaded items, Ornaments, Wreaths and Door hangers
- Ash Jo Makes - Heirloom quality crochet baby gifts
- Daisy Made by Emily Allison - Crochet Products
- Em.Burge Pottery - Handmade pottery for the home and garden
- D&T seasonal creations - Goat milk soaps, soy/candles, bath and body products, lip balms, some aromatherapy made with essential oils, cutting boards, and small wood crafts
- Farmhouse Crafts by Kristal - Door hangers, wood engraved hymns, twine signs, Christmas Ornaments, earrings.
- Johnson Enterprises - Fire Pokers and Grilling Skewers

11/12/2024

Mark your calendars for November 16th from 10am-4pm and prepare to immerse yourself in a delightful display of creativity at the Heritage Center for our annual Holiday Handcrafters Festival! This beloved event is more than just a shopping trip—it’s a cherished holiday tradition that perfectly ushers in the spirit of the Christmas season!

This year, our Handcrafters Fair is shaping up to be the biggest one yet! Showcasing the talents of more than 30 local artisans from the Smoky Mountain Region and beyond, we are proud to display a cornucopia of unique, handmade, and handcrafted goods. Rest assured, there won’t be a single mass-produced item in sight!

We eagerly await your presence on Saturday, November 16th. Please remember, while the Fair itself is free to enter, we highly recommend bringing enough funds to indulge in the rich, diverse selection of crafts and goods. It’s an ideal opportunity to find one-of-a-kind gifts for loved ones, or to treat yourself to something special! Be a part of this vibrant community event and celebrate the unique charm of handcrafted goods with us!

11/11/2024

Thank you to the brave men and women who have served our country! Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. Today and everyday we celebrate you.

11/10/2024

Happy Veterans Day! We want to thank all the men and women who served our country. We are grateful for the sacrifice you and your families have made. In honor of this special day, we offer all veterans free admission on November 11th!

11/07/2024

We still have a few seats open for our Holiday Herbal: Bath & Body Class this Saturday at 10:15am!

Want to find the perfect holiday gift? Join herbal instructor Debbie and us as we learn how to make bath salts, shower steamers, roll on and spray perfume scrubs, and much more! The holidays are the perfect time to share your love of herbs with friends and family! Make your own roll on or spray perfume/aftershave to take home along with recipes for the other gifts mentioned! Some previous herbal experience is helpful but not required! This class is open for ages 13+!

Reserve your seat below!
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/576735/availability/1544142461/book/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&g4=yes

11/04/2024

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...."

We are excited to announce the schedule for our 5th annual Christmas in the Village festivities at the Heritage Center! If you're interested in a taste of Appalachian Christmas traditions, complete with living history demonstrations, evening tours of our historic structures, and warm refreshments, don't miss your opportunity to visit with us this holiday season!

The official event dates are:
November 29th-30th
December 6th-7th
December 13th-14th
December 20th-21st!

To learn more information and to grab your tickets, see the link below!
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/413465/calendar/2024/11/?full-items=yes&flow=803045&g4=yes

Tennessee Arts Commission

11/01/2024

This week we said, farewell to our friend and colleague Logan Hull who was our director of operations and event coordinator.

Without knowing it, you have been impacted by Logan! She has been with us for 8 years and has booked almost all of the musical acts, events, facility rentals, etc. She is the 'MacGyver' of anything we don't know how to fix including anything 'tech-y'. Her last event was our successful fundraiser, Tastes of the Smokies, on October 13. Logan leaves a great legacy of finding great bands, handcrafters, and volunteers, but most of all, we will miss her wit and wisdom. We wish her well.

10/31/2024

Happy halloween from all of us here at the Heritage Center! We hope everyone has a fun and safe time tonight!

10/29/2024

Happy National Cat Day! We wanted to take sometime to honor our favorite cat, Cat Stevens! If you see him this week make sure to give him a pet!

10/27/2024

Join us on November 12th at 2pm for Holiday Herbal Gifts: Culinary Class! The holidays are the perfect time to share your love of herbs with friends and family! Join us as we taste yummy treats including seasoning mixes, holiday teas, infused oil, vinegar and honey and much more. Make your own seasoning blend or holiday tea to take home along with recipes for gifts!
Some previous herbal experience is helpful but not required. There will be recipe and info handouts and an herbal gift to take home!

Get your tickets below!
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/576724/calendar/2024/11/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/events-tickets/&g4=yes

10/25/2024

Would you consider sponsoring The Heritage Center? Like all non-profits, fulfilling our mission depends on generous supporters like you! As a sponsor, you join other local and national businesses who are partners in preserving our museum, cultural programming, historic buildings, and artifacts. You help us interpret and communicate their importance to the development of the mountain culture unique to East Tennessee while working to educate regional, national, and international visitors about the lives, stories, and legacy of those who lived it!

Help us do the work we do daily to preserve the history and heritage of East Tennessee. Your donations provide educational opportunities for visitors, families and students of all ages and support the presentation of events and concerts that celebrate both the current and historical culture of the region.

Please follow the link below to become a sponsor!

https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/419852/calendar/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/2024/09/21/please-sponsor-the-gsmhc/&g4=yes

10/23/2024

We have 5 tickets left for our National Park Bus Tour with special guest host Sam Venable! Join us on October 25th from 9:30am-2:30pm!

Sam Venable is a noted humorist, naturalist, and writer who will lead a fall tour to Newfound Gap, Sugarlands, Elkmont, and other areas inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park! This tour will take place aboard our climate-controlled, 18-passenger sprinter buses with large viewing windows on both sides! The best part is that our buses are ADA-accessible!

To save your seat follow the link below!

https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/413051/calendar/2024/10/?full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/events-tickets/&flow=803045&g4=yes

10/21/2024

10/17/2024

Our annual fundraiser, Taste of the Smokies, was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Heritage Center! We couldn’t have done it without each of you including the amazing restaurants, cafes, breweries, distilleries, and wineries who helped make this event possible! We take great pride in preserving and sharing the human history of the Great Smoky Mountains and because of you, we can continue our mission.

10/15/2024

We wanted to let everyone know of a great opportunity to help our neighbors! Our friends at Fire & Salt are collecting donations of frozen breastmilk and other infant supplies at their restaurant (792 Briarcliff Avenue Oak Ridge, TN 37830) for those affected by Hurricane Helene. Would you please consider donating?

Address

123 Cromwell Drive
Townsend, TN
37882

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18654480044

Website

http://www.gsmheritagecenter.org/

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Videos

That’s a wrap! Let’s recap our Holiday Handcrafters Festival!#townsendtn #holiday #holidayshopping #appalachia

Thank you to the brave men and women who have served our country! Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed. Today and everyday we celebrate you. #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #gsmhc #history #historycomesalive #familyfun #smokymountains #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #appalachian #museum #museumlife #livinghistory #VeteransDay #thankaveteran

Would you consider sponsoring The Heritage Center? Like all non-profits, fulfilling our mission depends on generous supporters like you! As a sponsor, you join other local and national businesses who are partners in preserving our museum, cultural programming, historic buildings, and artifacts. You help us interpret and communicate their importance to the development of the mountain culture unique to East Tennessee while working to educate regional, national, and international visitors about the lives, stories, and legacy of those who lived it! Help us do the work we do daily to preserve the history and heritage of East Tennessee. Your donations provide educational opportunities for visitors, families and students of all ages and support the presentation of events and concerts that celebrate both the current and historical culture of the region. Please follow the link below to become a sponsor! https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/419852/calendar/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/2024/09/21/please-sponsor-the-gsmhc/&g4=yes #easttn #heritage #museum #smokymountainnationalpark #tennessee #SmokyMountains #easttennessee #museumlife #museumeducation #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #appalachian #history #greatsmokies #townsendtn #tntourism #maryvilletn #knoxville #donate #donation #donatenow #sponsor #sponsored #BigSlateMedia

Here’s a recap from our event, Taste of the Smokies!

We will be closed tomorrow as we prepare for our annual fundraiser Taste of the Smokies! If you haven’t already, grab your tickets using the link below! https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/434916/calendar/2024/10/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/events-tickets/&g4=yes #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #gsmhc #history #historycomesalive #familyfun #smokymountains #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #appalachia #appalachian #museum #museumlife #livinghistory #fundraiser #supportlocalbusiness #easttennessee

Do you think Cat Stevens would make a great movie star? #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #gsmhc #smokymountains #historycomesalive #appalachian #appalachia #easttn #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #cat #netflixcover #catlover #catlife #netflix

Here’s a special message from Linda Davis herself! Make sure to grab your tickets to our Friday concert while you still can! #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #gsmhc #history #historycomesalive #familyfun #smokymountains #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #appalachia #appalachian #lindadavis #countrymusic #hillaryscottandthescottfamily #grammywinner #concert #legend

Welcome to the first video in our new series about our Heirloom Kitchen Garden! #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #history #familyfun #gsmhc #smokymountains #historycomesalive #appalachian #appalachia #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #garden #historicgarden #kitchengarden

We had a great afternoon listening to our local dulcimer club play! Thank you to everyone who came out for Play Music on the Porch day! #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #gsmhc #history #historycomesalive #familyfun #smokymountains #tntourism #townsendtn #greatsmokies #appalachia #appalachian #museum #museumlife #livinghistory #dulcimer #playmusicontheporchday #porchmusic #heritage

Please Sponsor the GSMHC

Would you consider sponsoring The Hertiage Center? Like all non-profits, fulfilling our mission depends on generous supporters like you! As a sponsor, you join other local and national businesses who are partners in preserving our museum, cultural programming, historic buildings, and artifacts. You help us interpret and communicate their importance to the development of the mountain culture unique to East Tennessee while working to educate regional, national, and international visitors about the lives, stories, and legact of those who lived it! Help us do the work we do daily to preserve the history and heritage of East Tennessee. Your donations provide educational opportunities for visitors, families and students of all ages and support the presentation of events and concerts that celebrate both the current and historical culture of the region. Please follow the link below to become a sponsor! https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/gsmheritagecenter/items/419852/availability/1361201493/book/?flow=803045&full-items=yes&back=https://gsmheritagecenter.org/events-tickets/&g4=yes #easttn #heritage #museum #smokymountainnationalpark #tennessee #SmokyMountains #easttennessee #museumlife #museumeducation #greatsmokymountainsheritagecenter #appalachia #appalachian #history #greatsmokies #townsendtn #tntourism #maryvilletn #knoxville #donate #donation #donatenow #sponsor #sponsored

Please Sponsor the GSMHC

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Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center

The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is first and foremost a museum; a museum whose mission is to preserve, interpret and share the history an culture of the diverse peoples and Native American who have inhabited the Southern Appalachians including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and offers exhibitions and programs for educational and cultural enrichment