ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY
The Great Smoky Mountain region between Knoxville, TN
and Asheville, NC includes the most-visited
National Park and much more.
Running roughly between Asheville in North Carolina and Knoxville in Tennessee the “Smokies” region has become a very popular destination for RVers. Thanks to a wide variety of camping options (both in the national park proper and elsewhere), lots of camper services (including a Camping World SuperCenter in Knoxville), and an array of activities and special events to suit everyone, there’s never been a better time to visit the region. Plus, the park will be celebrating it’s 75th anniversary in 2009!
Originally published in RV View
The options can include: outdoor activities (from hiking to rafting); shopping (outlets and one-of-a-kind shops); culture (lots of theaters and museums); dining (when not cooking “in”); fun family activities; lots of annual events and festivals, and just good old-fashioned mountain driving (whether in a camper or tow vehicle).
North Carolina
Asheville serves as the hub of western North Carolina and is certainly deserving of a visit of several days (or as a Smokies base camp). The can’t-miss stop for this very popular destination has to be Biltmore Estate. From the opulent Biltmore House to the most-visited winery in the nation and stunning gardens, Biltmore Estate easily provides a half-day or more of upscale enjoyment.
Other Asheville highlights include: the bustling downtown and its beautiful Art Deco architecture; the River Arts District; the North Carolina Arboretum; a thriving dining scene; bustling “tailgate” farmers markets; and unique mountain-style shopping (including the renovated Grove Arcade Public Market).
Asheville is also a convenient place for getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway (with several entrances just minutes from downtown). Stretching almost 470 miles from Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this classic drive is very RV-friendly. The newly-opened Blue Ridge Parkway Destination Center is already another Asheville-area landmark and the nearby Folk Arts Center remains a mountain Mecca for both shopping and regional culture.
While I-40 speeds travelers to Tennessee and the northern side of the national park, there’s much more of western North Carolina to explore on the southern side of the park.
Possibilities in this neck of the woods include: quaint mountain towns like Sylva, Dillsboro, Bryson City, Waynesville, Cherokee, Maggie Valley, Cashiers, and several others; lots of picturesque waterfalls; many mountain lakes (great boating and fishing); the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (which offers an array of runs and stops in several towns); the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville, and so much more.
Cherokee is typical of the small town attractions in this area. Highlights of a visit can include the outdoor drama, “Unto These Hills,” the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual (a year-round market for talented Eastern Band artists), the Oconaluftee Indian Village (representing Cherokee life around 1750), Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel, and the collection of large fiberglass bears painted by Cherokee artists and placed throughout downtown.
Tennessee
Back up on the north side of the park in eastern Tennessee, several popular “gateway” towns await exploration. The most famous trio just outside the park proper is Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. All three welcome RVers with open arms and lots to see and do.
Located just off I-40, Sevierville provides lots of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The classic Apple Barn & Cider Mill is a can’t miss for RVers in search of country cooking in the restaurant and everything “apple” in the huge shop. The new Cirque de Chine show is sure to be a big hit. Plus, there’s even a scenic campground overlooking Smokies Park (home of, appropriately enough, the Tennessee Smokies Minor League Baseball team).
Next, Pigeon Forge is a long-time favorite for shopping, theaters, attractions, and much more. Of course, the 130-acre family adventure park Dollywood helped put Pigeon Forge on the map and still remains a very popular spot (thanks to additions like 2007’s Mystery Mine Coaster and The Cascades in Splash Country water park). World-class entertainment like that found at Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede, Country Tonite, and many other theaters, along with varied shopping and dining at popular spots like the Old Mill complex, have led to Pigeon Forge being pigeonholed as a popular stop for lots of RVers.
Located right at the entrance of the park proper, Gatlinburg remains a great place to stay and play. The options here include: Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies; the Sky Lift; the Aerial Tramway; an excellent trolley system (great for RVers to “park and ride”); and the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, an eight-mile loop that is billed as the largest group of independent artisans on the continent.
Other east Tennessee options within spitting distance of the park include the towns of Townsend and Cosby, as well as a number of nearby natural attractions. Townsend is hard to top for visiting RVers, thanks to an array of attractions that includes The Little River Railroad Museum, Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop, Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Tuckaleechee Caverns, gardens and much more at the Lily Barn, and environmental education programs at Tremont. Down in the park, Cades Cove is an “open-air museum” that shows visitors what life (and nature) was like during the 19th and early-20th centuries.
Nearby Cosby is known for convenience to the park, river rafting from mild to wild, horseback riding, Briarwood Safari Ranch, and several excellent campgrounds (true for this entire region). For a bit of the wild west in eastern Tennessee, cowboys and cowgirls can head to the French Broad River Dude Ranch.
Finally, like Asheville in the east, Knoxville often serves as eastern Tennessee’s Smokies base camp. Highlights in Knoxville have to include: Historic Old City and Historic Market Square; World’s Fair Park (the city was the host in 1982); recently reopened Sunsphere (a Knoxville skyline icon since the World’s Fair); East Tennessee History Center; Volunteer Landing on the Tennessee River; 150-acre Ijams Nature Center; University of Tennessee Gardens and the rest of UT’s huge campus; the sprawling Knoxville Zoo; and the very popular Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
For more information, visit VisitNC.com and TNvacation.com.