# Travel >> Destinations >> North America

Things to Do in Gatlinburg, Tennessee in January

Gatlinburg is a year-round resort, set on the edge of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, 25 miles from Knoxville and 10 from the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport. Popular things to do in Gatlinburg in January include attending the Smokey Mountain Winterfest, a variety of winter sports and visiting local attractions like the Guinness World Record Museum and Hollywood Wax Museum.

Trolley Rides
- The Trolley Rides of Light is a yearly event taking in the downtown area holiday decorations. It departs from the main trolley station at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum three times each evening, at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m, for a guided tour around the Gatlinburg Winter Magic seasonal light displays. This event takes place in January between the 5th and 25th. Admission to this ride costs $5 as of 2010, and reservations are accepted by telephone from October 15 of each year.
  
  Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum
  
  800 Parkway
  
  Gatlinburg, TN 37738-3247
  
  865-436-0535
  
  eventsgatlinburg.com
The Winter Special Olympics at Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park
- Tennessee's only ski resort at Ober Gatlinburg offers nine trails with three lifts, an assortment of winter sports, amusement park rides and a wheelchair-accessible restaurant. Each year in January, the resort plays host to the Winter Special Olympics, where entrants compete for trophies in Alpine skiing and snowboarding races. Resort temperatures seldom drop beneath 34 degrees Fahrenheit and snow-making equipment ensures runs are fully functional, including two runs each for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. Amusement park and resort features include an aerial tramway, wildlife encounter, Alpine slide, blue cyclone rapids ride, ice skating, bungee run and children's rides. The complex is reached by road, or a gondola from the town.
  
  Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park
  
  1001 Parkway
  
  Gatlinburg, TN 37738
  
  865-436-5423
  
  obergatlinburg.com
New Year's Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks
- The town of Gatlinburg celebrates New Year with a fireworks show, ball drop and street party, "at the stroke of midnight on January 1." The ball drops from the 407-foot-tall Space Needle, a structure with glass elevators and an observation deck, followed by a program of fireworks with accompanying music. This climax of the New Year celebrations is preceded by live entertainment including music performed from the balcony of the Gatlinburg Convention Center, at the Historic Nature Trail's Airport Road entrance.
  
  115 Historic Nature Trail
  
  Gatlinburg, TN 37738
  
  865-436-4629
  
  gatlinburgspaceneedle.com