Smoky Mountain Travel Blog

Bear cubs emerging in Cades Cove. Waterfalls at peak spring volume. Dollywood's season opener. Car shows in Pigeon Forge. St. Patrick's Week in Gatlinburg. Here are 7 great things to do in the Smokies in March.

From Abrams Creek at 876 feet to Kuwohi at 6,643 feet — complete elevation guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park peaks, trails, and gateway cities including Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.

Harrah's Cherokee Casino is 36 miles from Gatlinburg — a 50-minute drive through the national park. Ruth's Chris, Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, UltraStar, and more. Complete visitor guide.

Annual family photos, game nights, baking together, souvenir collections, nature crafts, movie nights, and the same trail every year — 7 family traditions that start in a Smoky Mountain cabin and last a lifetime.

The Tail of the Dragon's 318 curves, Foothills Parkway ridge views, Newfound Gap Road to 5,048 feet, Little River Road along the stream, and Cades Cove Loop — the top 5 motorcycle rides in the Smoky Mountains.

Don't feed wildlife, don't hike unprepared, don't forget the $5 parking tag, avoid peak hours at Cades Cove and Laurel Falls, never climb waterfall rocks — 7 mistakes to avoid in the Smoky Mountains National Park.

In-cabin movie theaters, private indoor pools, two-person jetted tubs, spa bathrooms, hot tubs, fire pits, game rooms, and wet bars — 8 cabin luxuries that consistently surprise first-time guests who expected charming but simple.

848 miles of trails, 10 campgrounds, 11 picnic areas, Cades Cove loop, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, Newfound Gap Road, Laurel Falls, Alum Cave — a complete planning guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the $5 parking tag explained.

Secluded cabin on a dead-end road, hot tub at midnight, Greenbrier Restaurant reservation, a picnic on the Little River, Kuwohi at sunrise, Ole Smoky tastings, and a fireplace morning with no plan — 9 tips for getting a Smoky Mountains romantic trip right.

From "y'all" to "might could" — a guide to the Southern and Appalachian expressions you'll hear in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the Smoky Mountain communities.

On November 28, 2016, wildfire swept into Gatlinburg killing 14 people and destroying 2,400+ structures. What happened, how the legal case unfolded, and how the community rebuilt.

The Cades Cove loop preserves the most complete collection of 19th-century Appalachian homesteads in the eastern US. Here are the 6 landmarks worth stopping for — with hours, parking, and loop road tips.

GSMNP parking tags cost $5/day, $15/week, $40/annual. Must be printed — phone images not accepted. Here are all the in-person purchase locations near Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Cherokee.

Swimming holes at Greenbrier and Townsend Wye, Grotto Falls, Laurel Falls, Cades Cove, and the hidden House of the Fairies — the best summer spots in the Smoky Mountains with parking tips.

Four easy-to-moderate hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for first-timers — the Gatlinburg Trail (dog-friendly), Elkmont ghost town, Cove Hardwood forest loop, and Grotto Falls walk-behind waterfall.

All six top rafting outfitters on the Pigeon River near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge — Upper Pigeon Class 3-4 whitewater, Lower Pigeon family floats, and tubing. Verified addresses and details.

Wildlife watching, stargazing, campfire cooking, ghost stories, and fireside games — five reasons a Smoky Mountain cabin with a fire pit makes the whole trip better.

From fire pit s'mores to wildlife watching to Dollywood — nine things families can do together in a Pigeon Forge cabin, inside and out.

Black bears with cubs, scarlet tanagers in full spring color, turkey gobblers on display, salamanders in the creek, and synchronous fireflies after dark — what spring wildlife looks like from a Smoky Mountain cabin.

SkyBridge at 140 feet, Anakeesta's all-glass gondola and dueling ziplines, whitewater on snowmelt-fed rivers, waterfall hikes through wildflower season — eight outdoor adventures that make Gatlinburg the right spring destination.