The entire time we were in western North Carolina and Tennessee, we could look up and see the Great Smoky Mountains. Because the park is so vast with magnificent vistas, we thought we would tell you about the park and our experiences in and around the park in this single article.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Always nearby during our ten days in and around Pigeon Forge and Knoxville, Great Smoky Mountain National Park was an ever-present draw, summoning us to see what it had to offer. We spent time either exploring the park or simply going through it to travel between Tennessee and North Carolina. Though only 32 miles, travel time through the park can be 90 minutes or more due to tourist traffic in summer.
Newfound Gap is a nexus point for traversing the park. This mountain pass at the state line, between North Carolina and Tennessee, stands just over 5000 ft in elevation. It also happens to be a stop along the Appalachian Trail, which extends almost 2,200 miles between Georgia and Maine. While you can see far into Tennessee, the best view is the blue-hued, hazy one south into North Carolina, where the Smoky moniker becomes evident. The Smoky Mountains were named Shaconage by the indigenous Cherokee people, which means place of blue smoke. The pass can close in winter due to snow, so check out conditions ahead of time if you plan a winter visit.
Rutting Season
Visiting in early October happened to put us in the park during elk rutting season. We got to see a few elk in all of their majesty from fairly close up as they looked to hook up.
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
One day, we decided to check out Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum since it is only a 2-hour drive from Knoxville. I was intrigued to see there was a railroad museum nearby. Now, I’ve been to a number of railroad museums, so there had to be something extra to pique my interest. In this case, it was an opportunity to see a train engine turntable in action. Sign me up!
We booked a tour including a 15+ minute ride in vintage passenger cars pulled by a steam engine. In the middle of the tour, we stopped at a railroad yard for the engine to decouple and get turned around on the turntable so it could pull us back to our origin. The turntable dates to 1916. The original design was so well balanced it could be operated manually by 4 men. Today, a 60hp electric motor does the work.
Chattanooga and The Choo Choo
The next stop that day was at the old railway station in Chattanooga to check out the famous Choo Choo. Apparently, the first Chattanooga Choo Choo train came from Cincinnati on March 5, 1880. It took another 60 years for Glenn Miller to immortalize it in song.
Sadly, the days of the Choo Choo are long gone. I found the station and Chattanooga in general to be disappointing. Perhaps there is more there than I saw, but I don’t see a special effort to return in my future.
Norris Dam State Park
One day, we happened to find ourselves close to Norris Dam, built in 1936 for electrifying the region under the Tennessee Valley Authority. It was the first dam constructed as a result of the Depression Era legislation to put people to work providing infrastructure to the country. The dam itself is fairly small, but there is a nice, small museum onsite recounting the history of the TVA. Worth a brief stop if you are in the area.
Appalachian History Museum
One spot we did find quite interesting was the Appalachian History Museum. The museum is located along a country road between Pigeon Forge and Knoxville. Situated on a fairly large farm and spread out among many buildings, the museum has a ton of artifacts collected from inhabitants of the region. Some of the outbuildings are set up as demonstrations of various farming functions. They have even relocated famous cabins from the likes of Daniel Boone and Mark Twain’s Family.
I found the whole collection to be fascinating. It was a great view into a place and time with a rich history of which I was pretty unfamiliar. There were at least two large barns with a wide variety of crowded displays of tools and crafts. The complex really was a hidden gem IMHO. We only spent a few hours here because it was a rainy day and much of it is outside. If the weather had been nice, I’m sure we would have stayed longer.
Which train ride appeals to you?
