Wears Valley, Tennessee
Wears Valley, also known as Wear Cove, is a beautiful, peaceful, long and relatively narrow valley that sits between the towns of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Townsend TN. Its length runs next to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and also has a little-known entrance to the Park near Metcalf Bottoms, which consists of a picnic area that sits between the Little River and Little River Road. Little River Road runs parallel to the river on its way to Cades Cove loop road, the most visited part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wears Valley has grown commercially over the past few years and now includes a fine selection of restaurants (including one gourmet restaurant), antiques, souvenier and gift shops. Lodging accommodations consist almost exclusively of smoky mountain cabin rentals (though there is one luxury bed and breakfast inn called Gracehill at the Townsend end of the valley) that range from the rustic to the ultimate luxury mountain cabins at The Preserve Resort – Tennessee Cabins. There are no stop lights in Wears Valley. From the last light in Pigeon Forge to the first light on the parkway in Townsend, you get a nice smooth ride, though traffic might slow a bit during the beautiful fall season when Wears Valley comes alive with brilliant color. One of the favorite appeals of Wears Valley is the fact that it lags a little in development behind its sister towns of Pigeon Forge and Townsend. The pace of life and commercial development is more reminiscent of Pigeon Forge TN way back in the 60s and early 70s. So, for those looking...
Kodak, Tennessee
Kodak, TN is located at the I-40 Great Smoky Mountains National Park exit at highway 66. Kodak is not simply the first town along the corridor that leads to Gatlinburg and the park. It provides travelers with lodging, restaurants, information centers and gift and outlet stores. There is also a huge flea market in Kodak that draws thousands of visitors each week. Additionally, Kodak is near Douglas Lake, one of the several large recreation lakes surrounding parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The views of the mountains from this lake are extraordinary. Cabins are available on the...
Fontana Village
Fontana Village is a complete vacation destination located close to the North Carolina side of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Set amid scenic mountains, the impressive Fontana Dam and a plethora of attractions are designed to keep its resort goers busy. Attractions include vintage cabins, antiques, hiking and biking trails, canoes, pontoon boats, mini golf, a recreation hall, dancing and a mountain-sized water slide. The facilities include all you need to fish, ride horses, swim, camp, hike through the backcountry. Fontana is approximately one mile from the Appalachian Trail. It includes lodging facilities and...
Dandridge, Tennessee
The small town of Dandridge, Tennessee, lies at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Lake Douglas. It is perfect for those who wish to sepnd their holiday on the water. Also, if you would like a quiet place to lodge near the park, you may want to check out Dandridge. It has two bed and breakfast inns and a few hotels. Dandridge Area Attractions Bristol Raceway – 80 Miles Christus Gardens – 34 Miles Dollywood Theme Park – 23 Miles Douglas Lake – 1 Miles Knoxville Tn – 30 Miles Music Theatres -15 Miles Ober Gatlinburg – 40 Miles Pigeon Forge Outlet Malls – 22 Miles Ripleys Aquarium Of The Smokies – 34 Miles Smokey Mountain National Park Entrance – 20 Miles Smokies Baseball Stadium – 10...