Wildlife

Rainbow Trout

This Useful Graphic Will Help You Identify Fish in Douglas Lake

Local talks about what kind of fish you can find in Douglas Lake in TN Douglas Lake – created when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built the Douglas Dam in less than a year during the height of World War II – has a 43-mile long reservoir fed by the French Broad and its tributaries, the Nolichucky and Pigeon Rivers.

a tag and discarded trash at an overlook in the smoky mountains

9 Things You Shouldn’t Do in the Smoky Mountains, According to a Local

An area Smoky Mountain resident’s plea to park visitors I see them every so often: Someone visiting one of our national parks with little or no common sense. Maybe they’re out west and get too close to a buffalo. Or maybe they’re in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and want a photo op with a family of black bears (I see

black bear in winter months

The Interesting Reason Black Bears Don’t Hibernate in Tennessee

Surprising facts about black bears and their cubs in the winter months It’s commonly thought that all black bears (both male and female) spend the entire winter sleeping in a dark cave, surviving off a bunch of stored-up body fat. So why do we see so many bears actively roaming alongside deer and elk around the Cades Cove Loop in

Eastern Hellbender

Secrets in the Smokies: 5 Little Known Facts and Stories

It should come as no surprise that an ancient mountain range cloaked in a thick forest and shrouded in mist has secrets. Many of those are lost to time. Each year, the mountains reclaim that which was forgotten or abandoned when the park drove away those who’d lived in the mountains. The National Park Service has done a good job of

Albino squirrel

How Rare Is an Albino Squirrel? Here’s What It Means if You See One

Our story begins, as so many great stories do, in a North Florida pecan orchard. It was the 40s. And grown men, presumably, Depression survivors and members of the Greatest Generation, were chasing a pair of white squirrels that recently escaped from a crashed carnival caravan. The history of the White Squirrel Festival A series of events led them to

A firefly rests on a blade of grass

When Do Lightning Bugs Come Out? (With Map)

Lightning bugs are just about everywhere in the United States. However, they are usually much more difficult to detect in some areas. According to the Smithsonian, males flash when they’re in flight to attract females among the Eastern species. However, out West, it’s the females that glow. However, the females glow more faintly and on the ground. What months are

A black bear in the Smoky Mountains

Bears in Gatlinburg: 7 Best Places and Tips To See a Bear

What’s the number 1 question from visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Is that bathroom locked? No, but I like that you’re thinking.  No. The most popular question is: Where is the best place to see a bear in the Smoky Mountains? Honestly, we don’t know. If we did, you’d have bear sighting services lining up in every