Looking to get away for while and leave the world behind? Looking to get away for a while and wrap yourself up in it? Either way, the Great Smokey Mountains work nicely, specifically the Gatlinburg area.
This reporter just returned from a fabulous family reunion, the headquarters of which was a “cabin” on the side of a mountain. From the sumptuous cabin’s three-story glass wall overlooking the gentle, sensuous folds of Great Smokey Mountains National Park you can see all the way from the beginning, to the end, of your years. The air is rain washed, cool and delicious. On its currents float eagles, hawks and owls. Down below, beneath a covering of pine velvet, roam black bears and other assorted critters. Which leads us to our first tip: watch yourself out there.
Don’t go hiking off prescribed trails, and even then don’t pack a picnic lunch. Bears have a very, very good sense of smell. If you’re back at the cabin, make sure your garbage can has a bear-proof locking mechanism.
Should you be approached by a bear, don’t run. If it comes too close, throw rocks and make noise to try to scare it off. The animal may look cuddly, but it’s no overgrown Teddy.
Tip two concerns Gatlinburg itself. The place is an admixture of legitimate adventure and typically-touristy haunts. It’s a town where kitsch and culture co-habit. The former manifests itself in an assortment of souvenir shops, arcades, and outlandish attractions designed to part you with your money. The latter – such as Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies or nearby Cades Cove are well worth the trip. The aquarium is a gem and Cades Cove gives you a glimpse of the Great Smokey Mountains the way they were meant to be experienced. Historic buildings provide the context, and extraordinary nature treks take you where you’ve never been before.
The Gatlinburg area is readily accessible by air via Knoxville’s McGee-Tyson Airport. It’s about an hour to and hour-and-a-half’s drive – depending on the traffic you’ll encounter in jam-packed, and touristy, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.
(Image: Eoin McNamee)
