Loved it! Man they have every kind of fried country fair food you can thing off and let's face it…read morethe only reason people go to home town festivals is for the food....and this one has it!

It is dangerously dark on entering and exiting the theater. If someone falls and is injured UEC…read morewill be sued. You need to have better lighting for patrons entering and exiting

This theatre is conveniently located off the highway and near the KOA Campground. It's a good…read moretheater to come to for a deal. We take advantage of their Bargain Tuesday tickets, which are $6.00 per person all day on Tuesdays. It's a nice treat when you want to see a movie in theaters, but don't want to pay an exorbitant ticket price. The theater advertises luxury recliner seating, which is truly just recliners, and ours were unfortunately quite worn. The difficulty with just switching seats is that at the box office, you pick your seat, and it's then reserved and on your ticket. So if you get to the theater and see your seat is tore up and decide to sit in any other seat that's less tore up than "yours", you run the risk of being in someone else's seat when they arrive in the theater. This happened to us. So you either move to another, work it out with the person whose seat you're in, or go back to the box office and tell them to switch your seat. I understand the pros and cons of seat reserving for the theatre, but for the visitor, if you don't know what the state of the seat your picking is in when you're purchasing your ticket, it creates unnecessary hiccups. What we saw was the seats with the best vantage point were the ones tore up the most (AKA, the ones picked all the time to sit in). Aside from the reserved seating conundrum, the theater was good. The screen and sound quality were good, bathrooms were relatively clean, and there were just enough attendants at the concession stand. In all, spending only $6 for a ticket was justified, but spending anymore, I would have felt like I didn't get my money's worth. Not a terrible experience, but nothing extraordinary either. Would we come back for another Bargain Tuesday? Yes, we would.

In 2022, 85 championship teams from across the world convened in Lynchburg, TN to compete for the…read morecoveted title of "The Jack Grand Champion," and judging by their website the Grand Champion team receives a $25K check - not bad!!! my husband and I completed our training and received our Kansas City Barbecue Society [KCBS] BBQ judge's certification and were excited to attend [not judge but attend] our first BBQ competition! It's held annually in October and is such a lovely drive up to Lynchburg! Gary N did a great job of accurately capturing the "feel" of the event in his numerous photos posted here! There are a lot of vendors set up for this event selling eats, t-shirts, and more. There's a large, covered pavilion where the judging happens, and spectators can watch from bleachers. I don't recall the number of judges but I do recall at least one local "celebrity" newscaster among the judges. The Styrofoam containers for judging are deftly prepared and rushed to the judging area with immense intensity - it really is something to watch, and the "food runner" will scream at you to "get out of the way" if they need to! Others referenced free samples, which wasn't the case on our visit, except for the international area. No guests/visitors get samples of the competition BBQ to my knowledge. If you want lunch, you'll need to get something from the vendors. However, the international area competitors did offer us ample samples of their BBQ. They were all very friendly, too! The competition area is fairly spread out, so wear comfortable shoes and the entryway is sloped, so there's that. It's free as far as I know, and everyone should attend at least one championship BBQ competition - the Jack Daniels event is a well-run, fun one to attend.

The damp weather did not effect the day much, but you had to come prepared. One of the best things…read moreof this event is the Fall Peak colors as you drive in from any direction. Coming from Chattanooga area we chose to take the scenic drive down the old highway from Monteagle through Sewanee. As you arrive into town you can start seeing the smoke and smelling the BBQ. This is a very small town but everyone seems to be selling parking. $5-$10 mostly. We parked very close to downtown. The square is fully covered with tents and vendors as you walk in, live country music is playing. All the downtown shops are open and plenty to explore and see in the town. However, food is in our mind and we continue down to the food tents and competition area. Lots of free samples, but I did not see any from the competitors which was a disappointment. But still plenty to see and try. They also have food instructions, vendor demos, Etc I do wish they would move this so it is not the same weekend as Tennessee vs Alabama. We left early to catch the game as I am sure many do. At the least put a big screen up for the crowd. Lynchburg is a great small town and one you should visit. Jack Daniels is a short walk and free tour. Great day.

Honestly, save your time and go apple picking at a specific farm instead. This fair was much more…read morecraft-oriented and the number of actual apple products was severely lacking. Food was fine, but was primarily just fried foods you can get at any fair (not specifically apple-y). Only a few stands were selling fresh apples, and of those, only one had apple cider! Very crowded, and admission did not feel worth what we got.

After seeing the apple festival on Instagram, I knew it would be the perfect fall activity for me…read moreand my friends. We headed up north and had a relatively easy time with parking. We parked at the school for $5 and were easily able to get in and out. The festival had over a hundred vendors available for browsing, with lots of unique handcrafted items, interactive activities, and yummy food. You can get everything from tacos to barbeque to ribbon fries. We opted for some tacos, street corn, a pretzel, and some apple dumplings and all the food was great! The apple dumpling and the pretzel were personal highlights for me. The event itself does get really crowded, so be prepared to wait in lines for a good portion of your experience. Many of the vendors are cash only, and the day we went the credit card system was offline, causing a reliance on Venmo or other online payment options. Just like every other fair, the prices will be a bit high, so bring a decent amount of cash so you can enjoy your time. One thing I would hope to see in the future is more participation from local orchards. There was a lot of variety with vendors, but I was hoping to see more of a focus on apples as the star of the show. Overall, the festival was a fun experience I could see becoming a yearly tradition for our friend group.

The Commons in Collegedale is a wonderful community complex located near the Collegedale police…read morestation and public library. It boasts a spread of venue buildings, picnic shelters, pickleball courts, and two fantastic parks: the Imagination Station Playground and the Little Debbie Park. According to their website, The Commons happily hosts everything from bridal showers, weddings, and birthday parties to festivals and farmer's markets! They offer some lovely options for any event with not too shabby rental rates We've enjoyed visiting with our dog for a picnic and walking. It is a very clean and pet friendly complex. It's spacious, offers covered pavilions, walking paths, and multiple restrooms. The grounds are well maintained with plenty of parking, too. We look forward to returning for photos with the larger than life Little Debbie treat replicas at the Little Debbie Park!

First time at The Commons and it's a nice area that holds outside events. Attended a baby story…read moretime there that's put on by the Collegedale Public Library. It's a nice shaded pavilion with plenty of space to fit a good number of people in. The bathrooms are tidy and up to date which is nice for a park type of bathroom. It's close to the Imagination Station so you can walk about and then go play. They hold different events here throughout the year which is great spot for a common meeting area. Plenty of parking around the area which is also a plus.

Loved this each time we've been there, but parking is atrocious unless you're willing to arrive…read morethree hours before it opens. I'm serious about it because we tried that once. Bathrooms are poorly maintained port-a-potties and there aren't nearly enough.My biggest problem is there's no where to go to escape the sun. Got a terrible sunburn there once. Delicious food from multiple vendors.

Super fun local festival. Great family fun, lots of good and booths to shop from! Looking forward…read moreto it next year again.

This was my very first time coming out for the festival. It does remind me of going to Marietta…read moreSquare where there are vendors and local owned businesses. The location was cool but could be on the dangerous side due to the train still running. Not many places to park and the places you can park they were charging $10. If you plan on eating any food from the trucks make sure your prepared to spend some money. There were three different stages with many local schools performing and also dance schools. Unfortunately it rained all Sunday so we did not get to catch any of the performances.

THE KID IN ME The…read morekid in me loves a big festival in a small town. Kennesaw is the perfect backdrop for this annual festival that features a parade, musical performances, food and arts and crafts. I was determined to get to the festival regardless of the weather. As always, we arrive early, just after 8:30 so that we can get the lay of the land and take it all in. Parking was great, very close, well-staffed with attendants and only cost $5. Can't beat it! The parade usually precedes the beginning of the festivities. I did not get to see the beginning of the parade because I was distracted by one of the jewelry vendors and was too busy purchasing items. We did however get there before all was done. Every parade is unique, but audience participation is essential if you really want to have a good time. This parade is not as open as others. The streets are very narrow, so gates are used to contain the crowds. They don't throw candy from floats because they don't have them. They actually walk along the route and politely put the candy into the hands of the kids. If you yell out "Hey! I want candy too , they will give you some. If you yell out to the square dancers to "do-si-do", they will comply. The Steampunk group was one of my favorite as the fashion is just so cool and their sign read something like: Steampunk gun club and sewing circle, (interesting combination). That Harrison High School Band was the bomb! They sound so professional! After the parade, we continued to check out the various vendors. Some of my favorite vendors are the jewelry vendors that travel around with their wares. Stones to Wear is my favorite as I love sterling silver and big bold pieces. Phil and Sharon are like family and we always stop by and visit with them. The Panjo guy was unique. He took kitchen pans, (cake, brownie, heart-shaped etc) and made banjos out of them. He actually did a demonstration which was very cool. If you like dulcimer music, then you would appreciate this. I want to give a special shout-out to Superior Plumbing who provided superior toilet facilities complete with sinks and running water. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! If you decide to go, be careful as the ground is very wet and muddy. I wore sport sandals that can be easily cleaned and are quick to dry. If you don't want to eat typical carny food, eat before you go or eat afterwards because the only healthy vendor we saw was the Smoothie vendor. We wanted something more substantial so we just ate after we left. We had a great day and it was made even more special because of the train that frequently runs right through the festival! Love it!

This festival was a blast! If you love Bluegrass you must…read moreattend this next year. The festival runs from a Friday to sunday. Friday evening you check in at the main stage tent. For 5.00 you get a bidding paddle for live and silent auction. All the food you can eat, this year provided by Bourbon Street. Shimp, cornbread, deserts. Fab! All the wine you can drink. Yes you read that correctly! Plus you can purchase your Bear on the square tshirt! Bid on wonderful items! Listen to live music. I got to meet Ugly Cousin! Definitely go to the festival on Sunday. This is when the gospel music is until around 1pm Then, this year headlining the event was Becky Buller. Amazing song writer, singer and fiddle player. I got to meet her also and she signed all my stuff! Food, food, and more food. Everything you want. I got a gyro. It was awesome. A bit pricy but it's a festival. Basically if you enjoy Bluegrass go to this festival. You will get to meet some amazing artist that are very willing to speak with you and appreciate that you are a fan. Definitely going back next year.

WHERE IS THAT BEAR?…read more This is the twentieth year for the "Bear on the Square" Festival and I thought that it would be interesting because of the emphasis on Appalachian music and culture. We love all genres of music and enjoy being able to hear something different and speak with the various artists. Storytelling, workshops and demonstrations were also featured. This festival is a huge favorite of the locals and the highlight on a Sunday morning is the gospel jam which is held in a tent overflowing with attendees. This jam should have been held in the local park because of its size and the interest that it generates. During the Gold Rush Festival, the Sunday service is held in the park and it is wonderful and accessible to all. As a rule, we always attend the festivals on opening day (Saturday), because it has a fuller and more varied schedule. On this day, many of the acts were not scheduled to perform until later in the day around 1pm but since we were there at 9 am, we would love to have seen musical acts performing at that hour. The cool aspect of this festival was being able to talk to artists such as the resident weaver who were working this very sophisticated weaving machine that was making cotton wash cloths. She had been weaving since the age of seven and had definitely discovered her passion. I also enjoyed talking to the dulcimer artist who carefully constructed custom dulcimers one or two at a time. The craftsmanship was impeccable and it usually takes a minimum of three months to create one from beginning to end. You get to totally customize your own design and whatever you want, he will make an effort to execute it. There were plenty of vendors who were showcasing personal wares such as jewelry, pottery, leather, wood products, instruments, clothing, food items and more. This was just a beautiful day to walk around, explore and mingle with vendors and visitors. It was also a great way to cap off the weekend after spending all of Saturday working in the yard. Next year we will be sure to arrive on Saturday so that we can take advantage of the full schedule.

The festival always has plenty of vendors and their tents setup to keep people busy. Cars are…read morebeautiful and interesting to view at leisure. The foods are always delicious.

Great car show, good vendors with some food options. It's an area tradition. Our first time and was…read morevery impressed they had an electric scooter rental which makes the day "do-able" if you have endurance or walking issues. My fav Vendor was "The Zoo: Groovy Yard Art" from Mineral Bluff, GA around the Blue Ridge area. Bought a sweet little cat us sculpture for the front years traditional green with blue flowers and definitely will be f going to their 7 acre property to check out the rest of the selections. They had all your seasons covered along with some pretty interesting and unusual pieces. I want to add a couple large cactus to our new collection A surprising lack of actual moonshine, which I guess with liquor laws, children of all ages etc. understandable. Just thought maybe they'd play up the name. The dog got to try some

This is one of the best festivals around!! There's so much homemade stuff by some talented people!…read more Make plans to see this festival every time they have one! April and Oct are huge

BRASLETON ANTIQUES AND ARTISAN FESTIVAL!…read more The Antiques Festival is a semi-annual affair that is in its 13th year. It is a free festival that takes place in downtown Brasleton with approximately 150 vendors participating . Parking is free and convenient if you arrive early. The festival starts on Friday afternoon and continues through Sunday evening, (Oct 21st-23rd). You will find a variety of items here including vintage, repurposed, farmhouse, handmade, home décor, pottery, furniture, collectibles, art and so much more. If you are looking for something very specific or just wanting to browse for things you don't need, this is a great opportunity to do so. This festival is perfectly timed for those looking for holiday décor or fall accents. In addition to the vendors, there were food trucks and a play area for kids. We arrived 30 minutes before the event started and were able to purchase items during this time. I love being able to get first pick because the bracelet that I purchased was one of a kind. My husband also purchased a unique item. During this time, we were able to spend time talking with vendors, taking photos and learning more about the products. Attending these festivals is a great way to support small businesses and Yelping helps to shine the light on some businesses that would otherwise go unnoticed. I could not photograph all of the items of interest because some of the items cannot be photographed due to a fear of being "hi-jacked" which I certainly understand. One such vendor had unique sculpted items that were absolutely beautiful but since she only presents once or twice per year, her items are not often seen. She is very low-profile and her items should definitely be put on display for all to see. Although there were several food trucks, no one was serving breakfast which was a missed opportunity. Also if you wanted to get something to eat, there was no designated dining area for those who prefer to sit and dine. I also missed having a bit of music while I shopped. Never the less, I had a nice time and was just glad to get out and enjoy the weather, vendors and fellow shoppers on such a beautiful day!