The plan to revive a historic site and beloved state park When Hurricane Helene arrived in the Smokies, it unleashed a torrential hell that claimed dozens of mountain lives. Communities were wiped out because some mountain waterways had been rerouted. It was an unprecedented combination of storm and timing. It hit on the heels of what would have been, under normal
Planning your 2026 trip to the Smokies? Here are the dates you need to know The leaves are mostly on the ground. The ones that are left in the tree are dead and barely hanging on. Except when the snow falls, the mountains themselves are varying shades of brown. Here we are, staring the winter doldrums in the face. What
The Shutdown goes on but the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be fully open Friday afternoon, the Sevier County government announced that the park – thanks to efforts of multiple government agencies – will fully reopen on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 4. The affected parts of the park – including the Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove, the Cades
Dollywood’s Biggest Secret Has Just Been Revealed It’s Christmas in September, but Dollywood guests and theme park aficionados around the world will have to wait until 2026 to open the present. That’s when NightFlight Expedition – Dollywood’s longer rumored, teased and hinted at new attraction will open for the world to experience. For quite some time now, we’ve known something
Repairs are now complete on US 441, aka Newfound Gap Road. The National Park Service (NPS) has fully reopened US 441/Newfound Gap Road as of September 12, 2025. This is over 18 days ahead of schedule. Single-lane closures may still be in place for several more days until all final work is completed. The project has been a big success,
Celebrating the legacy of expert tracker Dwight McCarter “It’s the first few thousand miles, after that a man gets limber with his feet!” – Sgt. Buster Kilrain, “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shara. It’s impossible to figure how many mountain miles Dwight McCarter walked in his 80 years. He was raised in the mountains by a family steeped in the
Dolly Parton to announce details behind Hidden Hollow Aviation After months of speculation, guessing games, and flat-out rumor mongering, the answers are nigh. On Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. one of the more impressively kept theme park secrets in recent memory will finally be revealed. Not only that, but Dolly Parton is the one who’ll do the revealing. Last
Speaking with the AP, Parton reveals her thoughts on faith in wake of husband’s death In early March, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died after what was apparently an extended illness. The death triggered an outpouring support for Parton who asked for understanding as she mourned the husband who’d spent their life together firmly outside of
View a data-driven map with 7 fall tips from a local They say the beauty of fall in Tennessee is due to the diversity of trees in the forest. Local flora – depending on what part of the state you’re visiting – may include oak trees, hickories, maples, American beech and hobblebush – just to name a few. But where
A look inside these magical glamping tipis and wagons The road to Smoky Hollow – a “glampground” located in Sevierville, TN – was a long one. More than five years ago, Rebecca Turner and her husband sold their Central Florida home and packed up with their kids to live life on the road full-time in an RV. “We would not