Laughing Lindsay

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Fall at Dollywood

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From September 20th until October 30, 2023, you can experience fall at Dollywood with their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! I have visited during this time of the year twice before and currently have plans to attend later this season! Here’s a look at what you can expect when you visit.

Fall at Dollywood

Fall at Dollywood

I recently told you all about my favorite things to do at Dollywood, no matter the time of the year. However, today, it’s all about fall! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit the park. You have the Harvest Festival to enjoy the during the day and Great Pumpkin LumiNights to view at night! I will go into more detail as to what that means below. Suffice it to say, Dollywood serves as the perfect backdrop for your autumn visit to the Great Smoky Mountains during the day and lights up at night for more fun!

Harvest Festival

Now technically a lot of the fake pumpkin decor is set up for the Great Pumpkin LumiNights. However, you can still view these amazing sights during the day. Plus, it ‘s fun to see things both during the day and then light up at night. Additionally, in recent years Dollywood has started to bring in huge real pumpkins to display. They lovingly refer to them as Colossal Pumpkins and make for great pictures since they really are as big as humans!

No festival is complete without food and entertainment. You can once again buy a tasting pass and experience several items from this year’s festival. Last year, I enjoyed their sweet corn hushpuppies with aioli and apple dumpling with ice cream. Both of those items have returned for 2022, so you can try them too. I also highly recommend checking out some live entertainment during your visit as they tend to rotate out groups from season to season.

Great Pumpkin LumiNights

Once the sun goes down, it’s fun to wander around the park again and see everything come to life! This is NOT a scary event, rather it’s a fun light-hearted event complete with lights. They have added a new section this year called Hoot Owl Hollow, which I am looking forward to seeing. It’s supposed to be a big owl surrounded by smaller ones, all made out of (fake) pumpkins! It really is amazing how many things they can make out of pumpkins! Don’t miss their pumpkin frogs!

Fall at Dollywood is filled with fun, day and night! I typically do a lap or two around the park during the day to enjoy all of the sights, sounds, and tastes of the Harvest Festival. Then, I usually take a mid-day break and return around sundown to do a final lap to experience Great Pumpkin LumiNights. So, what’s your favorite thing about fall at Dollywood?

If you are planning a trip to the park during a different season, here are my posts on those events:

What To Do in Fall in Gatlinburg, TN

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If you ever considered visiting the Great Smoky Mountains during the fall, here’s a great list of fun things to do in fall in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN! The Smokies are a great place to visit, particularly during the fall months as you can witness the seasons change in the mountains and lots of places fully embrace nature’s beauty with their own fall festivities!

Fall in Gatlinburg

Fall in Gatlinburg

Most of my list of favorite things to do in the Great Smoky Mountains during this time of the year are in Gatlinburg. However, I am including a bonus at the end, which is worth the drive to Pigeon Forge. Without further ado, here’s my list of things to experience when it’s fall in Gatlinburg, TN!

  1. Anakeesta – Like most of the places on this list, Anakeesta is a great place to visit no matter what time of the year it is. It has gorgeous views of the mountains all over the park. Plus, they have seasonal decor that changes on top of their neat mountain themes.
  1. Take a walk around downtown Gatlinburg – The town of Gatlinburg has different seasonal statues it puts out. During the fall months, you can see adorable pumpkin people all over town! It’s fun to just walk around and view them all. There are even several themed to the businesses they are located near.
  2. Ober Gatlinburg – Ober Gatlinburg has lots of different activities you can do, depending on the time of year that you visit. I highly recommend riding the chair lift up and taking in the view of Mt. Harrison! I also recommend experiencing OktOBERfest here with the live music and tasty German food!
  1. Gatlinburg SkyLift Park – Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to visit this place as of yet. However, I’m hoping to visit this fall to take in their view of the mountains, cross the SkyBridge, and walk the SkyTrail.
  2. Great Smoky Mountains National Park – I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the beautiful National Park here. It obviously has great views for experiencing fall in Gatlinburg and abundant hiking trails.

Bonus: Visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to experience their Harvest Festival and Great Pumpkin LumiNights! Fall at Dollywood is one of my favorite times to visit. In fact, I have a whole other post on it you can read by clicking that link.

So, what do you think of my list of things to do in fall in Gatlinburg? Did I miss anything?

If you are planning a trip to the area during a different time of the year, here are my other posts to help you plan:

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe: Easy and Tasty for Fall

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Last week, I posted about the easy autumn pumpkin apple butter dip (which was tasty). In that picture, you may have noticed the delicious looking pastries accompanying the dip. So, today I wanted to share this super easy caramel pancake mix scones recipe with you.

pancake mix scones recipe

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe

This pancake mix scones recipe can be adapted with 1-2 cups of other ingredients. Just substitute the caramel with an ingredient of your choosing. I want to try chocolate chip or blueberries some day as I think that would be delightful. Honestly, any other baking chips or pieces of fruit would probably be good. Since they are so easy to make, I’m sure we’ll make some variation of them again.

I will admit that my boyfriend and I selected caramel just because it seemed like a good idea to go with the apple butter pumpkin dip. However, we didn’t think about the possible big mess the caramel bits would create when they baked. So, here’s a personal tip if you make these with caramel: remove them from the pan asap or they will stick to the pan. Then, they will break apart as you remove them. Plus, they are even better when they are warm.

pancake mix scones recipe

Caramel Pancake Mix Scones Recipe

An easy pancake mix scones recipe that can be adapted to make other varieties.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 4 minutes
Cook Time 13 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 3 1/4 cups pancake mix
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • 1-2 cups caramel pieces or other add-in of your choice
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1 egg

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 425.
  • Mix the pancake mix and sugar in a large bowl.
  • Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
  • Stir in the caramel pieces.
  • In a separate bowl, beat together the whipping cream and egg with a whisk.
  • Stir the two mixtures together with a wooden spoon and a dough should form.
  • Sprinkle a work surface with extra pancake mix and place dough onto it. Knead the dough about 5-6 times.
  • Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape into circles. Cut the circles into 6 wedges.
  • Place the wedges onto a cookie sheet and bake for 11-15 minutes.
  • Serve warm.
Keyword Caramel

So, what do you think of this super easy caramel pancake mix scones recipe? They are perfect for fall weather and go well with Musselman’s apple butter. What kind of scones are you going to make?

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip Recipe is Perfect for Fall

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Earlier this year, I posted the spiced apple cake with orange glaze recipe that used Musselman’s apple butter. Recently, I received another jar of it to post about it and I made some autumn pumpkin apple butter dip using it. It’s so easy that I had to share.

pumpkin apple butter

Pumpkin Apple Butter

Like I said, this little pumpkin apple butter dip recipe is so simple, I’m not sure how I didn’t think of it before now. However, the people over at Musselman’s did, so that’s what matters. It’s a delicious dip that is great for multiple baked goods. We made some scones (stay tuned for that recipe) for them, but I could definitely see it going well with some honey pretzel sticks. They suggest serving it with gingersnaps or graham crackers, which could also be good. Additional serving suggestions from them include pancakes, waffles, french toast sticks, and spreading it on bagels. Yum! Just thinking about the possibilities makes my mouth water.

So, let’s get to this ridiculously easy pumpkin apple butter dip recipe!

Easy Autumn Pumpkin Apple Butter Dip

A delicious yet super quick dip that tastes great.
4.63 from 8 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups MUSSELMAN’S® Apple Butter
  • 1 cup solid pumpkin

Instructions
 

  • Measure out ingredients.
  • Put them into a bowl.
  • Mix together well.
  • Enjoy with your baked good of choice.
Keyword Easy, Pumpkin

 

Was I right? Is that not the easiest and simplest recipe I’ve ever posted? My boyfriend was actually surprised that I would do this recipe to feature on here because it is so simple. However, I think simple is usually good. So, I hope at least one of my readers is able to try this pumpkin apple butter recipe and enjoy it. It’s certainly the perfect dip for fall. Just smelling it reminds me of cooler days and sweet treats.

Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze Recipe from Musselman’s

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spiced apple cake

We were hit with a big snow storm on Thursday night while I was staying at my boyfriend’s house. It knocked out the power until Saturday night. Within hours of the power being back on, we made this lovely spiced apple cake using Musselman’s apple butter. Between the use of oranges, apple butter, and spices it’s a great winter treat to warm up with!

Note: we used whole wheat flour which made it darker and a little heartier. You can use a flour of your choosing, know it may turn out looking a little differently. I think it will probably be delicious regardless of the type of flour used.

Spiced Apple Cake

spiced apple cake

Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze

Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze featuring Musselman's Apple Butter.
4.72 from 14 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup MUSSELMAN'S Apple Butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 1 tsp. orange peel

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Sift flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.
  • Cream sugar and softened butter or margarine in large bowl.
  • Add eggs, beating thoroughly.
  • Beat in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.
  • Stir in apple butter.
  • Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and pour batter into.
  • Bake in 350°F oven 55 to 65 minutes or until cake tests done.
  • Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Make orange glaze by combining powdered sugar, orange juice, and orange rind.
  • Spoon glaze over warm Apple Butter Cake.
Keyword Apple, Bread

I don’t typically like orange-flavored stuff. However, I really liked this cake. The orange glaze goes well with the cake. The different flavors compliment each other well. Plus, the glaze gave the cake a different consistency on top. Then again, I’ve liked every other thing I’ve made featuring Musselman’s apple butter, including the apple butter bbq sauce I made. My boyfriend also loved this cake since he is a huge fan of oranges. It was the perfect way to celebrate the return of the electricity.

Disclosure: I received the apple butter used in this recipe for free. No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.