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Check Out The Mountain Life Festival At Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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By NPT Staff - September 9th, 2014
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Making sorghum syrup is one of the highlights of the Mountain Life Festival at Great Smoky Mountains National Park/NPS

Fall in the Smokies is sublime, and on September 20 you can enjoy the weather and colors while taking in the annual Mountain Life Festival at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The festival will be held at the Mountain Farm Museum adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This special event preserves the legacy of Appalachian folkways and is a tribute to the many families who lived on lands that later became the national park.

The Mountain Life Festival provides an opportunity to share with park visitors some of the traditional fall activities that were an important part of rural life in the southern mountains and reflect the spirit of cooperation that existed among families and neighbors. All activities are free and open to the public including demonstrations of hearth cooking, apple butter making, sorghum syrup making, blacksmithing, lye soap making, food preservation, and chair bottoming. Artifacts and historic photographs from the national park's collection will also be on display.

The syrup-making demonstration has been the centerpiece of the event for over 30 years. The sorghum syrup is made much the same way it was produced 100 or more years ago, using a horse-powered cane mill and a wood-fired cooker. The syrup-making demonstration is provided by students, staff, and volunteers from Swain County High School Future Farmers of America through a cooperative agreement with Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

In addition to the Mountain Life Festival events, visitors will also be treated to music jam sessions which are held on the porch of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center every first and third Saturday of the month from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Mountain Farm Museum is located adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, two miles north of Cherokee, North Carolina. For more information, call the visitor center at (828) 497-1904.

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