Gatlinburg Goes Gleefully Green During the St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Gatlinburg sure does know how to throw a party. I witnessed this firsthand with the New Year’s celebration. However, you might be surprised how well this tourist town decks out the streets in an enveloping shade of green for St. Patrick’s Day. There’s quite a substantial amount of Celtic pride shown in various businesses all year round. This will only magnify as the city commemorates Irish culture with the following 5 things, leaving you with no doubt what is happening this entire week. And I’m not talking a load of Blarney!

A Green Space Needle

From March 10th through March 17th, the Gatlinburg Space Needle will be a bright green to honor the foremost patron saint of Ireland. The landmark piece will also be illuminated in a shade of gold, which means all 407 feet of the tower’s height will be a spectacular sight all week long.

Green Beer

If you like a little green artificial food colors in your beer, Gatlinburg will be no different than most bars and restaurants throughout the country. I don’t have an official listing of all the specific places in town they’ll be offered, but I’m sure it’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel. I’ll be honest, I’ve never drank a green beer in my life, so I’ll have to think about this one.

Green Decorations

During the week of St. Patrick’s Day, the city of Gatlinburg will be going green beyond the environmental initiative of past years by putting on a temporary decorative Irish tinge. Irish flags and miscellaneous items will be floating through the streets and stamped on objects and structures all over.

Celtic Music

Boudicca’s Celtic Pub is the best place to go for Celtic music every single day of the year, so there’s no question it’ll be turned up another notch during St. Patrick’s Week in Gatlinburg. Celtic Heritage is another shop at the back of The Village that features music and a good selection of housewares, jewelry, apparel, and tons of valuable trinkets and souvenirs to get you in the spirit, especially if it’s your family heritage.

Green Food and Irish Cuisine

I’ve mentioned Boudicca’s as a wonderful place to hear music, but if you haven’t tried their food—also available every day of the year—you are missing out. Bangers and Mash, Beer Cheese, Burgers, and brews specific to Celtic nations are mainstays here. It’s elevated comfort food at its finest.

For a further diversity of foods, you can go out to the Arts and Crafts Community to try 2 places I haven’t yet visited, The Rampant Lion and Fox and Parrot Tavern—the latter an authentic British tavern, the former a Scottish-leaning pub. They are on my list, so get there before I do and let me know how they were!

Of course I can’t leave out the Shamrock Celebration at Anakeesta from March 14th through the 17th. Everything I mentioned above will be seen, heard, drank, and eaten here during this honored holiday. You all know I recommend a visit to Gatlinburg’s premiere mountaintop adventure!

Will you be celebrating with the rest of Gatlinburg during St. Patrick’s Week. I plan to do a bit more experimenting, and I’m a little excited about it—maybe for the first time. No offense, but don’t be an eejit and broaden your horizons, even if it’s just once a year! Slainte!

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