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
The GSMNP warns visitors about disturbing this mostly unseen residents’ habitat Before we moved to the mountains of East Tennessee, I spent a significant time knocking around the woods of rural Southern Indiana. It was the ‘80s and I was given freedom to roam that would be considered shocking these days. I certainly wouldn’t give my own kids that sort
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
Top five tips for getting the most bang for your buck in the Smokies Vacations are expensive. We’re not breaking new ground here by saying it. Just about any getaway to a popular vacation destination is going to put a sizeable hole in your wallet. What can you do about it? Some people will tell you go in the off-season;
A pair of tragic animal encounters has been reported in Tennessee. Should you be concerned about your next vacation? Two incidents in the news recently have served as sobering reminders about observing recommended practices and exercising due care in the mountains of Tennessee. One incident involved a black bear that had to be shot and killed after invading a man’s
We’ve spent 30 years blundering our way around the mountains of East Tennessee, and now you can learn from our mistakes We spend a lot of our time on this Earth being reminded that mistakes – and learning from them – are part of the human experience. In fact, the great Canadian Philosopher Alanis Morrisette once told us: “You live, you
Try these can’t miss options when traveling to the “other” side of the Smokies I spend some time kicking around analogies for the East Tennessee – Western North Carolina tourism relationship. I noodled around the idea of a “Beaches” reference, the Bette Midler vehicle famous chiefly for launching the “Wind Beneath my Wings.” But I don’t think the idea that
Ways to beat the heat on your Smoky Mountain vacation East Tennessee was in the midst of one of the coolest springs and summers in recent memory until late June when someone kicked the thermostat up a couple of notches. We went from mild to wild in seemingly record time. It’s important to remember that when the temperature rises in
Tips from a local on the best way to enjoy the peaceful side of the Smokies A graduate of Heritage High School, I grew up a 20-minute drive from Townsend. Even then, known as the peaceful side of the Smokies. Except for me, it wasn’t terribly quiet. When I got my driver’s license and the freedom that came with it,
From the mountains to the attractions, how to have a great vacation with the littles Mountain coasters, ziplines, moonshine distilleries – so many of the new, hot attractions in the Smokies aren’t what you’d call toddler friendly. And while the Smokies are extremely family friendly, a lot of the things you can do are better built for kids five and