April to May and September to October. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
Spring and early fall get the most votes: mild weather, wildflowers in April and May, fall color in October. Summer is hot and busiest in the Smokies.
5 of the 6 travel guides we read name these months.
Average high and low in Nashville
JanuaryChecking fares…Coldest stretch in Nashville, with fewer crowds.Snow possible at higher elevations in the Smokies; crowds very low.Gatlinburg Winter Magic Lights stay on through January.
FebruaryChecking fares…Quiet Smokies trails with occasional late-season snow.Dine Nashville is in February.Fewer crowds at restaurants and museums in Nashville.
MarchChecking fares…Early wildflowers and unpredictable weather in the Smokies.A slight cold snap may return unexpectedly.Music City Irish Fest builds to St. Patrick's Day.
Best timeAprilChecking fares…Peak wildflower season in the Smokies, with spring break crowds.Highest river levels of the year.Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is in April.
Best timeMayChecking fares…Nashville average high 79F and low 57F.Synchronous firefly lottery and rhododendron blooms in the Smokies.Sunny and warm, but storms are possible.Synchronous fireflies at Elkmont
JuneChecking fares…CMA Fest brings country fans to Nashville.Gatlinburg peak season starts June 15.Thunderstorms, hail and strong winds are possible.CMA Fest
JulyChecking fares…Busiest month in the Smokies and peak heat.Gatlinburg holds July 4th parade and fireworks.Black bear mating season.Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th
AugustChecking fares…Tomato Art Fest takes place in August.Rainfall and midday heat ease off.July and August are the hottest months in Tennessee.
Best timeSeptemberChecking fares…Early high-elevation color; elk rut begins in the Smokies.Nashville is pleasant, with highs averaging 82F.Americana Music Festival and Conference.National Quartet Convention
Best timeOctoberChecking fares…Considered a second peak season in Gatlinburg for fall leaves.Lower elevations peak in the last two weeks of October.Fall colors most likely in October in Nashville.
NovemberChecking fares…First week of November is often a great time to visit the Smokies.Chili Cookoff and the Winter Magic Lights switch-on in early November.Late foliage at lower elevations.A Country Christmas at Gaylord Opryland
DecemberChecking fares…Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade in early December.Holiday lights in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.Lowest temperatures in Nashville in December and January.Weather: Nashville averages (1991 to 2020 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Festivals and seasons through the year
Cancún
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Kauai
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Hanoi
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Osaka
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Capitol Reef National Park