What To Do In Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Explore Cades Cove , a preserved pioneer settlement nestled in a high mountain valley. Drive the 11-mile loop road and scan field and forest for wildlife; visitors often count more than 100 deer, but bear sightings are rare. Park the car and walk through cabins, churches and cemeteries. Or hike to Abrams Falls, hidden deep in the woods. About halfway through the cove, take a break at the visitor center in the Cable Mill area.
Go deep into the earth. Since 1953, visitors to Townsend , Tenn., have descended single file—at first by lantern light, before electricity was installed—into Tuckaleechee Caverns , billed as the greatest sight under the Smokies.
Stand on Clingmans Dome and shout “I'm the king of the world!” Okay, so you're not given to emotional outbursts. More than likely the 360-degree view from the park's highest peak will leave you speechless anyway.
If you can take only one hike, choose the Laurel Falls Trail, off Little River Road between Townsend and Gatlinburg, Tenn. In addition to being easy to negotiate, the trail shows off the beauty and diversity of the Smokies as it takes you through pine-oak and cove hardwoods forests to the tumbling falls.
Take a scenic drive: Newfound Gap Road (US 441), a AAA Scenic Byway and the only highway bisecting the park, rises to 5,048-foot Newfound Gap , which rests atop the Smokies range on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Less lofty and much more intimate is the 5-mile Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail through thick forest at the base of Mount Le Conte, just outside Gatlinburg .
After you've crisscrossed the park by car, keep the motor running and enter the Blue Ridge Parkway , off Newfound Gap Road just south of Oconaluftee Visitor Center, for a drive filled with scenic vistas and points of interest.
View the woods of the Southern Highlands from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad . Trips of varying lengths venture out from Bryson City , N.C.
Enjoy theater under the stars in Cherokee , N.C. The outdoor drama “Unto These Hills” tells the story of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee through a 14-scene nighttime drama featuring authentic dances, songs, costumes and traditions. A visit to Oconaluftee Indian Village and the Museum of the Cherokee People before the show sets the stage for this enriching cultural experience.
Let one of Tennessee' favorite daughters show you how mountain folk have fun. Pigeon Forge is home to Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction ; Dollywood , a theme park with an Appalachian twist; and Dollywood's Splash Country , a water park offering rides, slides, thrills and spills.