Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair — Attraction in Gatlinburg

Horrible experience. Came in from Midwest and was looking forward all weekend to the experience with my family. Had an irrational vendor who approached me as I took a short video of his beautiful artwork. Was considering purchasing some pieces but the person I was purchasing for was not with us. So I was going to send to them to see which ones they would want. He informed me that we were not allowed to take pics or video. I did not know as we were not told when we paid money at the counter to attend. We saw no signs and I told the irrate vendor I did not know and he proceeded to ask me why I would even do that and I explained that I was doing it because his work is beautiful. I had also noticed other people that took pics and videos. He continued to escalate the situation loudly and in a more aggressive manner which made us very uncomfortable so we walked away and I deleted the video. The vendor could have been kind but chose to be otherwise. We went to the front to explain the situation as to what happened and how very sorry we were. KELLY told my sister that there are signs posted everywhere, which there is not. ONLY 1 (one) sign posted in an obscure place, which we saw as we left. She was very unprofessional in how she handled it. Will never come back. You should tell people as they pay that this is not allowed so that buyers and supporters of the crafts are not run off due to lack of information and communication...

Worth going if you're in the area, but maybe not for a special trip. We heard that it was a multi-day event and planned around that hype. Although there are some wonderful displays in woodwork, quilts, and glass blowing, not all booths are of that caliber. We did two complete walkthroughs and found 2 hours plenty of time allotted. The live music was a nice addition.

Edit to respond: Oh it was still a worthwhile fair to be sure, but I don't think you need more than a couple of hours to see everything. We expected more than one floor of vendors based the multi-day suggestions. And although we saw many skilled craftsman, a small amount of booths were seemingly selling mass produced earrings/souvenir items that were easily skippable. I asked one for more information on a product and they didn't know/had to look up manufacturer information. Still worth going and talking to/buying from some knowledgeable craftsman. We just wouldn't plan a Gatlinburg trip around the fair...

This is based on the summer Craftsmen's Fair:

There is lots of stuff to see at the Craftsmen's Fair. People from all across the country come to share their talents with the visitors. There is a small entry fee ($10), but that fee also lets you return to the fair at any time during its tenure.

As far as the items at the fair, this obviously depends on who shows up, but I saw everything from food to paintings to glass blowing to jewelry. There really was quite a lot to see (and lots of free food samples). There was also some live music there, as well.

I'd say it's worth a visit if you're in the area and are looking to pick up some...