The Walker Sisters Place and the women who lived within, surviving off of the land, selling trinkets to tourists In the Great Smoky Mountains, history is often found in the hollers, in the lingering crannies found in the shadow of giant mountain ridges. It’s in these historic places that the great passage of time, which in our everyday lives is
A Smoky Mountain local shares his favorite things to do in Wears Valley, Tennessee Growing up, I mostly treated Wears Valley as a negative space. It was a scenic drive at best, connecting the entrance as the quiet side of the Smokies near my home, with Pigeon Forge and Dollywood. It was a place you drove through to get to other
The 11-mile Tail of the Dragon features 318 curves along the side of a mountain When we moved to Blount County, Tennessee and I discovered we had a road known as The Dragon, my interest was piqued. What I found was that The Tail of The Dragon – a section of U.S. 129 – more than lives up to its name.
What to expect when you take a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad There’s so much to do and see in the Great Smoky Mountains. But I recommend that you go just a little further past the state line of Tennessee. You’ll find that the neighboring state also has a lot to offer – especially for train enthusiasts, like
A first-hand experience visiting Oconaluftee Islands Park in Cherokee When visiting the Smokies, my family loves to stop and stretch our legs at Oconaluftee Islands Park. It’s a small park in downtown Cherokee, North Carolina. If you’re heading into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from the North Carolina side, chances are you’ll drive right past it, but I always
A Smoky Mountain local of 35 years shares his favorite nighttime activities for downtown Gatlinburg I think there’s just something about Gatlinburg at night. There’s a bit of a chill in the mountain air. It’s the excitement of the bright lights along the strip – which seem all the more luminescent against the dark backdrop of the mountains. There’s the slight mystical
A local reveals his all-time favorite picnic spots in the Smoky Mountains Though the pirate ships and dinner theatres are alluring, the outlet shopping appealing, the go-cart racing entertaining, the draw of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the park itself. And one of the best ways to enjoy the Smoky Mountains region is with
The hidden tunnel at Kuwohi is becoming a tourist attraction in its own right Nearly everyone who has visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is familiar with Kuwohi, formerly Clingmans Dome, and its famous observation tower, located along the state line of Tennessee and North Carolina. Completed in 1959, the tower is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains.
This hidden moss covered bridge in the Smoky Mountains looks like something out of a fairy tale The Great Smoky Mountains are rich in history and full of hidden gems. Through the sands of time, these lost landmarks become something of whimsical fantasies. An old spring house becomes a fairy house. A trail connection becomes a hidden, abandoned tunnel. And
An insider’s guide on what not to do when visiting Gatlinburg, the surrounding area As someone who lives near the Smokies and frequents the main strip every chance I get, I can tell you from first-hand experience that there are several ways to approach a visit to Gatlinburg. Or really any vacation for that matter. But no matter how you