I just made the reservations. We'll be there from 14 - 19 May. Anyone got any suggestions on interesting things to do...besides Dollywood (not into theme parks)? I know to visit Cades Cove as my brother lives fairly close. I also heard that there was a nice antique mall close. The wife and girls have already planned the shopping days. zzzz_smiley. Any old grist mills or saw mills close?
Stew
Buy a bag of little green apples on the roadside.
The whole main drag there is entertainment. When we were there, the kids and younger set spent one day at the NASCAR Racetrack. You can get tickets that allow you to drive and race cars on little tracks. They are the size of bumper cars all the way up to 3/4 sized models. I even had fun watching
An evening at the Comedy Barn is well worth the price.
Don't forget to stop in the Smokey Mountain Knife Works
it's in Severville .,There is also a Bass Pro Shop near by.
Just over the mountain toward Cherokee, there is a working water-powered grist mill and a working pioneer era farm. don't miss the grist mill in cades cove. Believe it or not, there's some pretty cool stuff in Dollywood. working whiskey still, working blacksmith shop, a guy who does sand casting in aluminum. I spent half a day in the shop of an elderly gent who custom builds farm wagons and buggies using hand tools. I thought he was a little nuts when he told me to use sweet gum for the wheel hubs, but he knew what he was talking about.
If you like old trains, there was a running full size steam locomotive.
A side trip to the atomic museum in Oak Ridge???
The entire area is a national treasure
Enjoy
It's a few miles up the road, but one of my favorite places is the Museum of the Appalachians near Norris........'bout 15 miles North of Knoxville. If you're ever in that part of the world in October, don't miss their annual "Homecoming". If you like pioneer food, crafts, music, lifestyles, you'll love it. http://www.museumofappalachia.com/
That Museum looks like it will be worth a trip. So does the knife shop. We have a Bass Pro shop about 60 miles away, I've not been interested in visiting. The Comedy Barn was recommended by a co-worker, so it is a good possibility. Tom, are those little green apples crab apples? I was planning to go over to Cherokee to see the Indian reservation, so the grist mill is a must see. Thanks for the tips, keep em coming.
Stew
Nope! not crabapples. The folks in the mountains grow apples in orchards, in pastures and front and back yards. One the size of a tennis ball is a big one. When they begin to ripen, they will set up a stand or pickup on the sideof the road and sell them. I love their freshness and tart taste. They are so hard that you can almost pull your teeth out when you bite into them, but when you do, the juice pours out and down your shirt.
As the summer progress, you can buy fresh pressed cider. That's a hoot too. I used to stay so healthy... and light.. and empty.. :D
If you are a hiker, a trip to the top of Mt LeConte is great. I hiked up from the Cherokee Orchard past Rainbow Falls to the top. I think there is an easier trail, as this one is pretty steep. I believe it passes the Alum Caves. Cherokee Orchard to the top is something like 6.6 miles The summitt is over 6000 ft in elevation, and a wonderful view.