August 16th through the 20th, Gatlinburg holds the Songwriters Festival. Live musical entertainment in downtown Gatlinburg. There are only 3 ticketed concerts, all the others are free. We were there last year and sat on Bubba Gumps deck, ate shrimp and listened to the singing from across the street. Great week to vacation in the Smokies. Lazy Bear Cabin has this week open and anyone that mentions this post will receive 10% off total lodging!