Tennessee has a few bizarre laws on the books which range from rollerblading at the state Capital to owning pet raccoons I’ve covered Tennessee politicians for more than 20 years. As a result, I know that they are much better at putting new laws on the books than they are at removing old ones. For instance, for years both atheists
A few tips and tricks on what not to do when you see wildlife in the Smoky Mountains Warmer weather has returned to the mountains and with it, wildlife in the Smokies is more active. As someone who has lived near the mountains for more than 30 years, I’ve seen my fair share of people who have surprisingly little awareness
Each year, thousands of people compete for the chance to attend this limited-capacity light show in the Smoky Mountains The hardest ticket to obtain in the Smokies isn’t to Dollywood’s new drone show. It’s not dinner theater on the strip. Certainly, it’s not the lumberjack competition. It’s a ticket to a light show that only happens for a few weeks
Wildlife spotting is part of the fun when visiting the Smoky Mountains, but you’ll need to keep your distance from these dangerous animals As someone who has run around the mountains of East Tennessee for over three decades, I know dangers lurk in the mountains. No, I’m not talking about Bigfeet or feral people or witches or haints. Mother Nature
Calling all arachnophobes – 3 new species of spiders have been found in the Great Smoky Mountains Last year, a pair of scientists announced they’d identified 10 new species of spiders, three of them residing in the Smokies. Some are surprised when they announce a new species in the park. However, as someone who has lived around the mountains for
A record-breaking billions to trillions of cicadas are set to emerge this spring The cicadas are coming. How many cicadas? As someone who has spent way too much of his life worrying about cicadas, I can say officially, it’s a buttload. In Spring of 2024, a pair of specific cicada broods will be hatching at the same time for the
Visitors may notice sparser fish populations as of late, it turns out, the fish are just cold like we are As an East Tennessean with three decades worth of history in the park, I’ve learned that mountains don’t hibernate. Sure, the trees have lost their leaves, and the animals are less active. And fish, have all but seemingly disappeared in
Get a good look – these animals will likely never be seen again in the mountains of East Tennessee As someone who has lived in the Smoky Mountains for nearly 35 years, I often think about the mountains’ history. What was it like when red wolves roamed the hills? Or what would it have been like to see a flock
And why the white squirrel you spotted is probably not albino It may not be a surprise, but a true albino squirrel is significantly rarer than the white squirrel, according to squirrelgazer.com, which reports that 20-30% of the white squirrels in North America are albino. Most reports state that only about 1 in 100,000 squirrels are albino. So how can
Tennessee local lists favorite little-known facts about the Smokies I always say that it’s no surprise an ancient mountain range cloaked in a thick forest and shrouded in mist has secrets. Each year, the mountains reclaim that which was forgotten or abandoned when the park drove away those who’d lived in the mountains. Of course, the National Park Service has