GATLINBURG, TN — Gatlinburg Smoky Mountain Spring, It’s a Spring Thing! is introducing a new headline event, Gatlinburg Wine, Dine and Art Crawl on Friday, April 11. It’s the perfect pairing for the Gatlinburg Wine Fest on Saturday, April 12. Wine and art aficionados will experience a weekend of touring Gatlinburg art galleries, and tasting the finest of Gatlinburg’s culinary fare and Tennessee wines.

Wine and art lovers will enjoy exploring the historic Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community on a private tour of participating galleries during the Wine, Dine and Art Crawl on Friday, April 11, 5:00-9:00PM. Guests will meet the artists while sampling Tennessee wines and enjoying hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants. The evening will wind down with dinner at one of Gatlinburg’s unique dining establishments: Crystelle Creek, Hogg’s Pub and Grub and The Three Jimmy’s. The tours begin and end at each restaurant and require a reservation.

The culinary celebration will continue on Saturday, April 12, 1:00-6:00pm, for the second annual Gatlinburg Smoky Mountain Wine Fest at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. Sanctioned by the Tennessee Wineries Association, the highly successful wine festival will feature nearly a dozen wineries from across Tennessee providing samples of their labels along with small dish fare from the best restaurants in the Smoky Mountains. Wine talks and food pairing demonstrations will be presented by the best sommeliers in Tennessee and top chefs in Gatlinburg through out the festival.

Guests at Smoky Mountain Wine Fest will have the opportunity to sample wine from all over the state of Tennessee. Vintners include: Amber Falls Winery, Beans Creek Winery, Blue Slip Winery, Century Farms Winery, Del Monaco Winery, Grinder’s Switch Winery, Reedy Creek Vineyards & Cellars, Sumner Crest Winery, Sugarland Cellars and Tennessee Valley Winery.

Individual tickets for the Wine, Dine and Art Crawl are $60, Wine Fest $20 and a combo ticket for both events $75. Participants must be at least 21-years-old. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Gatlinburg Hospitality Association Scholarship Fund and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts.

To purchase tickets and register for the event on line go to: gatlinburg.eventbrite.com. For more information on other events during Gatlinburg Smoky Mountain Spring: It’s a Spring Thing, visit www.gatlinburg.com/events or call (800) 588-1817.