A guide to some of the best cascading water in the Smokies and beyond One of the blessings of living in or near the mountains is access to beautiful waterfalls. To be clear, you don’t necessarily need mountains to have a great waterfall. However, rapid changes in elevation do increase the frequency and availability of the natural wonder of falling
Plants to be wary of on your next trip to the Smokies When thinking about poisonous plants of the Smokies, I started to feel a little haughty. “Who in the world goes through the mountains just eating random plants?” Then, a torrent of memories from my youth flooded back. All of them revolving around my love of all things sour.
In the 1930s, official plans were drawn up to turn the Cove into a reservoir Driving along the edges of East Tennessee’s lakes, there are signs that things are not always as they have been. Decaying grain silos rise inexplicably from the water and ancient roads and trails lead down to lakebeds without turning. In the days before the Tennessee Valley Authority,
A local’s take on the best hiking Trails near Gatlinburg Planning can be both an art and a science in the popular vacation destination of Gatlinburg, TN. There’s plenty to do, of course. But if you’re going to do everything you want, then you need a plan. You’ll need schematics. Or you can pick representative activities; such as a hike one day,
Local lists favorite spooky abandoned attractions, homesteads in the Smokies As a local, I’ve seen a lot of businesses come and go. I’ve also stumbled across a few forgotten places in the mountains. Sometimes I find them above the streams and along the old roads. They are forgotten places that generations of people used to live and work and call
They may be fun to learn, but these forbidden places in the Smoky Mountains are off-limits for visitors I’ve been told over my 30 or so years living around the mountains of places I shouldn’t go. There are places that for a variety of reasons aren’t safe or aren’t welcoming. But in the Smokies, few places are forbidden or off limits.
Surprising facts about the Smoky Mountain black bear A couple of years ago – in the early spring when the black bear yearlings are moving to establish their own territories – we had a bear in our neighborhood. More accurately, a bear was spotted in our neighborhood. There are enough tracts of trees and forest around that there are probably
Record-holding attractions in the Smokies and beyond When it comes to attracting attention in the Smokies, you’ve got to try … hard. Any angle or idea. In other words, any possible thing you can trumpet that will attract the public’s attention – and folding money – is what is necessary to succeed. It’s not enough to provide a mountain coaster. It
It turns out, not everyone was thrilled when the land became government property When touring Cades Cove today, we see one of nature’s true holy places. The verdant valley with its fields and streams, is surrounded by the high mountains. It’s a place of wonder and we rejoice that our forebearers nearly 100 years ago sought to preserve for us.
An area Smoky Mountain resident asks visitors to use common sense Cades Cove is the crown jewel of the Smokies. It is a confluence point of natural beauty, mountain history and conservation. However, there are many days I’d rather go to the dentist than risk a trip around the Cove. It’s not the Cove itself mind you. I consider it a sacred, almost