Blogs from Great Smoky Mountains Parkway, Tennessee, United States, North America - page 3

Word of wisdom - cured bacon that does not need to be refrigerated is super salty, not just scary! We have planned our breakfasts at home so that we can relax in the mornings. Our first morning in TN, we made crepes and Jay’s road trap bacon in addition to a food store bacon because quite frankly we had no faith in the bacon Jay bought from Abbott Farms stand in South Carolina. Let’s just say we are keeping an eye out for some collard greens to cook and add this cured bacon to because it was so salty there pretty much isn’t anything else to make with it! Our frist day in TN we planned on touring the 8 mile loop of the Arts and Crafts Community. http://www.gatlinburgcrafts.com/ A neat concept where you find a ... read more

My church small group was supposed to go camping together, but between uncoordinated schedules and deciding on a cabin over a tent, we ended up not making plans to go- but I still wanted to camp! So I asked Aaron and Stefani to go with me, and Aaron got his friend Chris to go (yes- Chris is single, insanely attractive, and has the prettiest blue eyes... but a match-up is not gonna happen, so let's stay focused!). Monday night we all headed out to Elkmont and camped for two nights. The weather was PERFECT, it was so green, and we were right by the river. We cooked hot dogs on sticks, smores, played four square and trac ball, walked around the mountains, and had a good time being outside. There were also crazy amounts of butterflies ... read more

We all slept very well last night and broke camp this morning uneventfully. We went the wrong way upon leaving the park, but just called it a sightseeing detour and went on our way. We went through Soddy-Daisy, Dayton, and Athens, towns I hadn't been through in many years. They've grown a bit. We got on the Foothills Parkway and headed toward Townsend. We intended to go south from Wear Valley to our campground in the Great Smoky Mountains Natl Park, but never saw the road and ended up in Pigeon Forge with all its tourist traps and traffic. We later talked with a park ranger and he told us that there isn't a sign for the road we wanted. Oh well. We set up camp in Elkmont Campground, a beautiful place in the park with ... read more

It is not my opinion alone, 12,000,000 visitors each year confirm the opinion, that the Great Smoky Mountain area is one of the most beautiful regions in the eastern US. The blue haze that is ever-present is a result of the abundant plant life exhaling, thus giving the aura of smoke. Not to worry, just enjoy! Outdoors your thing? You'll find yourself fulfilled in the Smokies. This place is an outdoor lovers dream. Explore waterfalls, hike, raft, kayak, camp, photograph wildlife and so much more. Family vacation? Couldn't be a better place! In the Smokes, even teenage kids drop the word "boring" from their vocab. There are so many attractions in the Sevierville-Pigeon Forge-Gatlinburg area that can keep you active for a lifetime...and beckon your return. Hundreds of websites tout the beauty, benefits and excitement of ... read more

The smoky mountains are absolutely gorgeous and of course with it being Autumn all the leaves have started to change colour and are falling off the trees. I took some pics but they just didn't do the scenery justice so check out the video attached. I spent a day hiking through the National Park which was fantastic and free. I couldn't believe they didn't have park entrance fees. I saw Elk in their natural environment. They were just standing in the river in the late afternoon sun. I visited an old farming village which showed how they farmed corn in the olden days and I visited cherokee an indian village, which wasn't much of a village it was mostly tourist shops. I wandered the Pigeon forge parkway and visited mountain valley winery I tried every wine ... read more