Your Guide To The Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains is the biggest tourist draw in the southern United States. The Great Smoky Mountains are a part of the Appalachian Mountains which run from the central part of Alabama all the way up to Canada. And if you've never been to the Great Smoky Mountains you should plan a trip there soon.

The Great Smoky Mountains is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. If you drive west out Cherokee North Carolina on Highway 441 that goes across the mountain to Tennessee you'll see some of the most majestic mountain views in the world. The Great Smoky Mountains lays in North Carolina and Tennessee and cities and towns around the Great Smoky Mountains Park contain all kinds of wonderful tourist attractions.

Cherokee North Carolina has the Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama, The Cherokee Indian Museum, Harra's Cherokee Casino, and much much more and you'll find The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in near by Dillsboro and Bryson City. If you like trains you'll want to be sure to take a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

If you like to shop you'll want to be sure to check out Uncle Bill's Flea Market on Highway 441 South going out of Cherokee North Carolina. And you'll find all kinds of interesting shops with all kinds of souvenirs, shirts, and more located in downtown Cherokee North Carolina. There are a couple of small zoo's located in Cherokee and if you drive up Big Cove road around 5 P.M. in the summer or around 4 P.M. in the winter you'll see elk feeding in the fields along Big Cove Road. On the Cherokee Indian Reservation you can pay $7 during the trout season and fish the stocked trout streams and ponds. The trout are usually easy to catch and are oh so delicious when cooked.

There are plenty of hotels and motels in the Cherokee area and on Big Cove Road you'll find a K.O.A. Campground that has a lot to offer especially in the summer months. Three trout ponds operated by the Cherokee Indian Fishing program are in front of the K.O.A. Campground out on Big Cove Road. Up near the end of Big Cove Road is a facility where you can pay by the pound to catch trout and it's really fun. They will clean and pack your fish to take with you.

And if you have children with you be sure to check out Santa's Land Amusement Park on Highway 19 in Cherokee. Ask any local and they can tell you exactly how to get to Santas Land.

Once you leave Cherokee North Carolina and go over the mountain on Highway 441 your going to find yourself in Tennessee. Almost as soon as you drive out of the Great Smoky Mountains your going to find yourself in Gatlinburg Tennessee with more to do than you will ever be able to.

Gatlinburg is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains. And once you sift through a lot of the tourist traps you'll find some real gems like the Ripleys Aquarium Of The Smokies. The Ripleys Aquarium is one of the must see locations in Gatlinburg. The aquarium is just simply amazing with its walk through shark tank and the fish tube for the kids to hide in. The fish tube goes up into a large fish tank and it feels like your inside the aquarium with the fish.

One of the best ways to enjoy Gatlinburg is to get a room in the downtown area of Gatlinburg and then you and your family can go for a walk through the downtown area and see all that Gatlinburg has to offer. Ripleys has several attractions in the downtown area and you'll find all kinds of other attractions also. There are plenty of wonderful places to eat all around you and you'll find many stores to shop in.

In downtown Gatlinburg you'll find more to do than you could do in a hundred vacations to the area and Pigeon Forge Tennessee is just down the road with all kinds of amusement parks, goofy golf, dinner theaters, water parks, Dollywood Amusement Park and much more. So you see you really are in a vacation wonderland area when you're in Gatlinburg.

When your ready for dinner in Gatlinburg go to your motel or hotel lobby and ask the clerk where to go for dinner. You will find everything from places with white table cloths to huge all you can eat buffets and everything in between.

I love to visit Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and I see something new every time I go. And it doesn't hurt that all around you is some of the most beautiful mountain scenery that you will ever see. What I would suggest is spending three days in Cherokee North Carolina and then drive across the mountain into Tennessee and spend four days seeing Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. That way you can have a fun week and you'll have time to see many wonderful things that you and your family will remember for a lifetime. I also suggest buying a picnic meal in Cherokee and stop at Clingmans Dome on top of the mountain and have a picnic. While your up at Clingmans Dome you'll soon discover that you're in the most beautiful place in the world.

Have you ever been to the Great Smoky Mountains? If so why not tell us all about in the comments section below.