Smoky Mountain Guide

September 13, 2019

Along Little River Road

Laurel Falls The moderate 2.6 mile trail to Laurel Falls is one of the Park’s most traveled. The trail divides the waterfall in two. At the top, Laurel Branch bursts from a grove of rhododendron, or “laurel” as it was called by early settlers, and falls nearly 50 feet to collect in […]
September 13, 2019

Inside the National Park

70 miles of the trail pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Within the Park’s borders, the trail crosses from Davenport Gap near Big Creek on the east to Fontana Dam, N.C. on the southwest, reaching a halfway point at Newfound Gap. It passes near or over several of the highest peaks […]
August 27, 2019

Top 5 Things To Do in Wears Valley

Just 15 minutes from Pigeon Forge going south is a community known for its quieter status and “less is more” approach to showcasing the Smoky Mountains. This community is Wears Valley (and one like it in Townsend further down that same road) and while it offers much less in the way of […]
August 27, 2019

GSM Heritage Center

It’s not just Cades Cove that functions as a great testament to the history and culture of Tennessee Appalachia, the Heritage Museum of Townsend is also a must-see for anyone with even a passing interest in the Smoky Mountains. Larger and more in depth in the subject of the area than even […]
August 27, 2019

Cades Cove in Townsend

One of the last, great, true treasures of Appalachian history held sacred in the Tennessee Smokies is Cades Cove; a sanctuary of mountain culture if ever there was one. Cades Cove is a valley inside the GSMNP that was once known as “Kate’s Cove”. The area was once a hunting ground for […]
August 27, 2019

Guest Post: Driving Through Wears Valley

The following blog post was sent to us by a couple that recently visited Wears Valley for a rainy afternoon and took a drive through part of the new Foothills Parkway addition that connects Wears Valley to Townsend through the new extension. They wanted to tell us about their visit and showcase […]
August 27, 2019

Video Tour of Dollywood’s Christmas Festival

To say that Dollywood throws one heck of a Christmas spectacular is underselling it – from November on to the end of December (and sometimes even to the first few days of January), Dollywood transforms their park into a veritable Winter Wonderland with snowy displays, Santa and toy decorations, wandering carolers, and, […]
August 27, 2019

How To Spend New Years in The Smokies

The end of the year only comes once a year and we like to punctuate the change and transition by ending the previous cycle and beginning a new one – with a BANG! Or rather a series of BANGs across a couple areas at least once the world’s most popular midnight hour […]