Park to host Holiday Homecoming at Oconaluftee Visitor Center 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will host a Holiday Homecoming at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Mountain Farm Museum on Saturday, December 10, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors of all ages can celebrate winter holiday traditions from multiple cultural groups who call Southern Appalachia home.

“Holiday Homecoming is about getting together, enjoying community, and sharing the many traditions dear to this part of the country,” said Supervisory Park Ranger Kristine Brunsman. “We welcome everyone to join us for this special event and share their own heritage and holiday traditions with us.”  

Traditions on display include hearth cooking, apple butter making, corn shuck dolls, holiday cards, home remedies, blacksmithing and storytelling. Visitors can also learn how to play the mountain dulcimer and sing holiday songs during an old-time acoustic music jam session from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is located on Newfound Gap Road, two miles north of Cherokee, NC. For more information call the visitor center at 828-497-1904. All activities are free and open to the public. The Friends of the Smokies and Great Smoky Mountains Association provided generous support for this event.