Check Out These Restaurants for a Hearty Weekend Brunch in the Smokies

There is something about being on vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains that seems to make just about everyone wake up hungry. It could be the water, maybe it’s the fresh air, or perhaps it’s all that extra hiking you’ve been putting in. But, if you wake up hungry in the Townsend, TN area on…

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Photographers Love the Smoky Mountains for their Mystical Beauty

With so many national parks to choose from, you might be surprised to find that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most popular with both amateur and professional photographers alike. Make sure you bring your camera, along with plenty of batteries and memory cards when you’re here. There are so many…

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Visiting the Smokies with Your Sweetheart? Snuggle Up for a Carriage Ride through Cades Cove

The leaves are turning all through the Great Smoky Mountains, there is a nip in the air, and the snow has yet to arrive. What could be better than snuggling up with that someone special in your life in a horse-drawn carriage under a warm blanket while you are taken on a guided carriage ride…

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Spectacular Fall Drives in the Smokies

Here in Blount County, we like to encourage “leaf peepers” to savor the amazing local scenery. After all, you can stay right in Townsend and see some of the most beautiful autumn colors. Just choose a country road and enjoy the stunning foliage as you wind your way through woodlands and fields. However, anyone who…

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For a Unique View of the Smokies' Fall Foliage, Saddle Up and See it from Horseback

Are you planning an autumn visit to the Smokies? If so, you’ll love the peacefulness of the season. The summer crowds have departed, and colors of fall are settling into the region. Look up at the peaks and you’ll see the first hints of red, gold and orange, and along with those colors comes a…

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Winter Activities Abound in the Smokies: Here are Our Top 5 Favorites

Are you eager to experience The Smokies in every season? While the springtime is truly glorious and full of beautiful blooming trees, wildlife and lovely weather, the summer is tough to beat with its seemingly endless days of great conditions and nights of twinkling stars. Many would argue that the autumn is the best because…

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Experience the Holiday Season Starts in the Smoky Mountains

We have to agree with the old song, Christmas really is the  most wonderful time of the year. The smell of peppermint, pine, and sugar cookies seems to permeate everything, there are holiday lights and songs cascading throughout the stores, and if you are headed to the Smokies, it is when the area has some…

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Here are 7 Reasons You'll Be Glad You're Visiting the Smokies this Fall

Are you already thinking about the autumn season and all of the fun and beauty it brings? If so, you might also be thinking of a visit to The Smokies. The autumn months are an amazing time of year, with the first colors showing up high in the mountains and slowly moving to the valleys…

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Enjoy Mountain Music on the Pickin' Porch at Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop

There’s more to the Smokies than just industry and the great outdoors. Cultural traditions brought to the Smokies by different waves of immigrants and frontier settlers have taken on lives of their own in the mountain hollows that dot the region, and they continue to provide great entertainment to locals and visitors alike. In particular,…

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Celebrate Fall with Hard Apple Cider: Here's Where to Find It in the Smokies

Autumn is upon us, and that means it’s time to break out everybody’s favorite fall traditions. Whether you’re in the mood for corn mazes, haunted houses, apple picking, or any of the rest of the season’s highlights, if you’d typically enjoy them with a beer or a glass of wine, consider trying a hard apple…

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5 Smoky Mountain Fall Hikes Suitable for the Whole Family

Finding hikes that can give you a great close-up look at Smoky Mountain fall colors and are also accessible to your youngest and oldest family members isn’t always easy, but there are actually quite a few. Here are some of our favorites!

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Plan a Family Picnic in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Kids seem to grow up faster than ever, don’t they? Which is why spending time with them as they grow is even more important, despite the demands (and rewards!) of dance lessons, baseball practice, homework, music classes, and other activities that require serious time commitments. Sometimes you just want to steal your kids away for…

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