Tiny Treasures in Townsend, TN 

Written by: Emily Huffstetler 

Townsend is all about slowing down. Look closer, and you’ll find the small stops many visitors miss, from a bakestand under a great oak tree to a neighborhood book box and faerie villages along the River Walk. Some are tucked along roadsides, others are hidden in plain sight, but all are worth the hunt.

Bakestand on Schoolhouse Gap Road 

A small bakestand opened this spring at 909 Schoolhouse Gap Road. It offers a rotating selection of fresh baked goods, including cookies and baguettes.

Hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to dusk. Follow the Bakestand on Schoolhouse Facebook group for updates on what’s in stock. 

Little Free Library on Tiger Drive 

Outside the Townsend Municipal Building at 133 Tiger Drive, a Little Free Library gives visitors and neighbors a place to swap books. Take a book, leave a book. The library is sponsored by the Blount County Friends of the Library and listed as Charter #57896. 

Chicken Feet Fleet Farm Egg Stand 

Chicken Feet Fleet Farm is a veteran-owned small family farm in Townsend specializing in free-range eggs and produce. At 1027 Dry Valley Road, the farm keeps a self-serve roadside stand stocked with fresh eggs on weekends and select weekdays. 

The selection depends on the day and season, but if the “open” sign is up, eggs are available. Sometimes, they also offer homemade bread, butter and jelly, announced on their Facebook page. 

Townsend River Walk & Arboretum 

The Townsend River Walk & Arboretum is full of small discoveries. Along the walk, find faerie villages, painted stones, wood spirits, a hand-carved bear, the Townsend Express train, nature play areas, tree markers and other small details that reward a slower pace. 

Families can also use the Adventure Lab app to follow “Welcome to the Townsend Riverwalk and Arboretum,” a self-guided hunt along the trail. 

Geocaching Around Townsend 

Townsend has other treasures you can only find with the Geocaching app. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt that uses your phone’s GPS to guide you to hidden caches nearby. 

Several Townsend caches are free to access with a basic Geocaching account, including Capt’n Dave’s Flying Pig near the Little River, Choo Choo Stop at the Little River Railroad & Lumber Company Museum, An Apple a Day at Apple Valley Mountain Village and Our Smoky Mountain Heritage at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. 

A traditional geocache usually contains a small container and a logbook. When you find it, sign the log and return the cache exactly where you found it. Some caches include small trade items; the idea is to take something and leave something of equal or greater value. 

Additional caches in the area may require a paid Geocaching Premium membership. 

The next time you’re in Townsend, leave a little room in the day for the places you didn’t plan to find.

Born and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, with roots tracing back to Cades Cove, Emily Huffstetler is a proud Maryville College graduate and storyteller of the Greater Smokies region. She holds a Master of Science in Conservation Education from Mississippi State University.