A showdown of two popular national parks I had the chance to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, and I couldn’t help but compare it to my home, the Great Smoky Mountains. The two national parks share a lot in common. They’re mountainous, offer great hiking trails and are stunningly beautiful. But, we’re probably kidding ourselves here to think the
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
A Smoky Mountain local talks about one of his favorite area overlooks We were cutting through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, returning home from Bryson City, North Carolina on Newfound Gap Road – aka U.S. Route 441. I was driving so my attention was on the road and I missed some of the natural beauty of the spruce-fir forests. I
A Smoky Mountain local recalls the tale of the tower that was almost canceled The Hatfields and the McCoys. The Jets and the Sharks. The Capulets and the Montagues. The National Park Service and the National Park Association. Queue freeze frame, quizzical look and record scratch. What? That’s right. The organization that was to be the voice of the National Parks
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 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 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
There’s an old springhouse in the Smokies that looks like something straight out of a fairy tale If you’re like me, and you’ve lived in the Smoky Mountains for a considerable amount of time, there’s a chance you’ve heard about The House of Fairies – an unusual moss-covered structure located off the beaten path in the Smoky Mountains. But now