An amazing and unforgettable experience - perhaps the crowning jewel of our entire trip. Olivia was…read morea knowledgeable and personable guide. I loved hearing about how the cave was discovered by little kids - brothers - who spent their childhoods playing in it, and how they later grew up to save enough money to buy it outright and keep it in the family thereafter (and it's still privately owned by the family to this day!) At the start, we were a bit concerned about the amount of walking - and in particular, the steps. Our youngest is at the age where he wants to be independent, but he needs extra time to manage stairs (and some of those passages were narrow and steep enough to where we didn't feel comfortable carrying him) but we needn't have worried. Our large group had some adults who needed extra time with stairs, as well as people who took full advantage of our pace to snap more photos (and I've been on another cave tour where we were rushed through and unable to take many photos at all); nobody seemed to mind. I was also worried about not bringing a sweater, as the cave is 58 degrees year round, but it's a little bit of a workout which keeps you warm. If you have any health issues like a heart condition or anything affecting the function of your lungs it might be too intense (I'm just fat, and it was mildly strenuous: just when your heart starts to pound and you're breath is coming in faster you've reached your next destination and you return to resting state - this happens a couple times.) The cave is like being on another planet. We snapped some amazing photos. When it was time to return to the world above, my kids were sad that it was over.

If you're heading to Townsend. Tuckaleechee Caverns is a must-do…read more This place is absolutely worth the visit. Pricing is reasonable, and the experience is unforgettable. We had Kash as our tour guide and he was fantastic, energetic, kind, and amazing with kids. He kept everyone engaged, answered every question, and clearly knows the caverns inside and out. Even in a large group, you could still hear him clearly throughout the walk. The tour runs about 1.5 hours and covers over a mile underground. Be ready for stairs, lots of them (around 87 steep steps on the way out), and this is not wheelchair or stroller accessible. The cave floor is wet, so good shoes are a must. You'll also duck in a few spots, but not constantly. The views are unreal: a waterfall, a stream, stalactites, stalagmites, and massive natural columns you get to see up close while learning the history behind them. It stays cool inside, but you'll warm up from all the walking. It's well organized even when multiple groups are passing each other, and everything flows smoothly. The gift shop is also a win: well stocked, fair prices, and they accept cards. Bottom line: if you love nature, caves, geology, or just want a unique family experience, this is 100% worth your time.

This is a neat/small not-for-profit museum that gives the history of railroad and lumber industry…read morein Townsend, TN. There's a lot of photos and info, old machinery and equipment in two small buildings. Great way to spend 30 mins on a hot day. Very interesting too!

Very historical and a must to remember and learn the history of the railroad…read more Thank you for keeping the history alive and sharing with all.

11 mile, one way drive with jaw dropping scenery and some old homes and churches along the way. We…read moresaw some horses and deer, but unfortunately no bears. We arrived around 6am on a Saturday, and while there were other cars around, we had no problem finding parking and there were no traffic jams. We finished up around 9am. The visitor center and mill are located about halfway through the drive. It opens at 9am though, so if you get an early start like we did, it probably won't be open. Definitely get the map for $1.25 so you know what you're looking at. On Wednesdays, they close the loop to cars and it's only accessible to pedestrians and bikes.

The drive for us proved to be fruitful as we saw 5 bears on our first day in the national park. We…read moresaw 2 baby bear cubs in the trees, we walked on a trail and saw them. Subsequently, we drove towards the Cades Cove visitor center and saw 3 juvenile cubs crossing the road and eating grass next to the cars. Absolutely amazing. Only traffic we encountered was when everyone was stopping to see the 3 juvenile cubs by the side of the road. Other than that, we finished the loop quickly...maybe because we went late in the afternoon between 3-4pm. Lots of wild turkeys along the pastures too. Maybe saw 11-12 of them that afternoon on 6/6/2026. Also saw some deer hiding among the trees. Definitely go here to spot wildlife!!

This is a fun place to visit for an hour or two, or even to stop for information, maps, and to…read morepuruse the small gift shop. They do have a small museum here that costs a small amount that you can walk through (it's indoors and a part is outside). We did not visit the museum as we planned a hike instead, but did enjoy looking at some of the books in the gift shop. Cute building! Service was welcoming and friendly. Staff knew a lot about the local area. Cute rocking chairs out front of the building!

We were in the area visiting Cades Cove and stopped by here later in the afternoon. It was almost…read morecompletely cleared out around 3:30. We really enjoyed the outdoor buildings and information as well as the indoor artifacts that dated back to the original Native American settlers of the land. This was affordable and informational. A great first stop for anyone headed to Cades Cove. Plan to spend about an hour or two here depending on how throughly you want to see everything.

Beautiful short hike that is around 2 miles total roundtrip in Townsend near the Smoky Mountains…read more A lot of uphill climbing, but worth it for the waterfall. When we were here this trail was still quite crowded and parking was limited/hard to find so be mindful of that. Otherwise, it's a beautiful site to see.

Looking for short, less populated, but still fabulous waterfall hike while visiting Gatlinburg or…read morethe Great Smoky Mountains? This is it!!! SPRUCE FLATS FALLS is a very short hike that begins at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute @ Tremont. The waterfall trail begins at the exact same point as the Lumber Ridge Trailhead, but the Lumber Ridge Trail goes left while the Spruce Flats trail goes right. The trail is easy to follow for the most part due to the Institute providing additional signs along the way to help guide you. Various hiking websites have differing difficult ratings as well as differing distances to the falls. My personal hiking experience would rate this as mildly moderate and the distance, according to our tracking systems was around .8 miles to the falls for a grand total of about 1.6 miles round trip. ~ MILDLY MODERATE HIKE The distance is easy, and while there are some steep uphill and downhill sections, my heartrate was never elevated to the point of heavy breathing. Experienced hikers would likely rate this trail on the harder side of an easy scale, primarily because of the difficulty of the terrain. It is heavily laced with exposed tree roots and/or embedded with jagged stones making it important to watch your step and balance. ~ OUR EXPERIENCE Our primary reason for visiting the Smokies was to hike Mount LeConte, which we successfully did the day prior to hiking here to Spruce Flats Falls. LeConte is a beast of a hike with an elevation gain of just under 2,900 feet over 5.5 miles. Comparatively, Spruce Flats Falls trail was a delight, but our legs were still extremely sore from our LeConte hike! The pain made our this hike less joyful, but each painful step was well rewarded with a gorgeous waterfall. Our group included myself, an experienced hiker, a grandmother (64), two single moms (29 & 31), their two kids: Adorable 3 year old Jojo and 10 year old Zeke + my yelp daughter Jess (30). My wife was still sore from the LeConte hike and opted to stay back in Gatlinburg. *** LET ME JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY HOW INCREDIBLE MOTHERS ARE!!! Little 3-year-old Jojo's mom carried her probably more then 1/3rd of the hike, particularly over some of the tougher terrains and didn't break a friggin' sweat!!! I carried her tiny 30 pound body up one of the steeper parts of the trail for about 5 minutes and thought I was gonna die! Jojo's 64 year old grandmother who does not hike at all handled the trail like a champion, even leading the way on occasion. Truthfully I was worried by some of the hiking reports for this trail saying it may be difficult for children, seniors and inexperienced hikers, but our group had all of those and it was not a problem. PLUS it had been raining most of the morning (wetting the trail) and continued with a light dewy drizzle most of our hike. ~ FINAL THOUGHTS Yep, my group included three generations of women on a rainy, misty Saturday and we all had a great time! The falls are beautiful! One of the more beautiful ones I've seen in the area, but hard to see in full from the base. This is definitely a waterfall where the pictures are best if you have a drone that can capture it's full grandeur. My difficulty scale: 0 = no effort required 1-3 = easy 4-6 = moderate 7-9 = difficult 10 = extremely difficult WATERFALL ATTRACTIVENESS: 8 out of 10 OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 4 out of 10 (mostly because of terrain) OUR TRACKING DISTANCE: 1.6 miles round trip from parking area across from the Institute @ Tremont. 2020 / 68

I never met a waterfall that I didn't like. We did a driving tour along Little River in Great Smoky…read moreMountains National Park to see if we could spot some wildlife. The Sinks is a lovely waterfall along the river. There is a small parking lot with about a dozen spaces where we found parking. An observation area is a short walk from parking. A sign describes the area and that the falls were manmade. During the late 1800's the river was used to transport logs/timber to the nearby town of Elkmont. After a storm, flood waters caused a jam in the river. Dynamite was used to restore water flow. The blast resulted in a twist in the river and creation of the waterfall. A set of stone steps leads up a hill, offering lovey views of the falls. There are dozens of waterfalls in the Park. Sinks is one of the few that is drivable, which is great for people that cannot hike. I picked up a Waterfalls map at the visitor center that I found interesting and informative. Parking passes are required to park in the lot. There are no amenities at the falls. Plan 15-30 minutes for a stop and photos.

We found a prime parking spot at The Sinks and looked at the area from above the bridge. People…read morewere cliff jumping from the cliffs using ropes, and just free jumping into the water below. Saw the waterfall, but we did not venture into the water. Very small parking lot, but worth a quick stop if you can find a spot to park the car.

Extremely disappointed with the service and ended up not riding at this stables. We went to Davy…read moreCrockett in Townsend instead. First off upon arrival on Monday we were going to simply do a walk up and reserve a ride for the coming up Thursday. As we were walking up to the office, a silver haired lady that we crossed paths with in the parking lot asked us if we had a reservation. I stated 'no' and that we were coming to book one for this Thursday. She apparently did not listen to my response because she proceeded to tell us to go inside and sign the release forms on the kiosk and pointed at my son and said he could not sign himself and must wear a helmet. I did not say anything in return as I could see she was heading out to a wagon ride to help them and was clearly not paying attention so we proceeded inside where another family was signing in. Same woman comes in the office and said "Who's next?" The family at the kiosk signing releases were there first but didn't speak up so I said they are here to ride we can wait. She responded very rudely with basically the same thing back to me. She then told the teenage girl from that family to go over and pick out a helmet from the wall. The young lady walked over to the wall but looked very nervous and then looked back for further assistance. A few moments later the snarky-rude woman said to the girl she must pick out a helmet before going on the ride. The young lady looked about ready to cry. Her family was still checking in and paying so they didn't notice her getting upset. I stepped over and offered to help her find a helmet and explained how they are sized and the fit she needed. Once we found her a helmet she thanked me and looked so relieved. At that point I realized the lack of customer support we were dealing with from staff. Let me stop here to add that I do this for a living; 35 years of horse riding, 26 years as a trial guide and 20 years as a cattle rancher. My husband was silently standing by witnessing/judging . Fast forward to making a reservation (again she didn't listen and was trying to book for the wrong day) and then we stepped outside. We witnessed a young petite girl about to take a ride out that vaguely gave a set of instructions. It's like she was a robot talking to air instead of a guide talking to customers. Upon witnessing a few more unsafe and concern-able things I decided to go back in the office and ask a few more questions. The snarky-rude woman also seemed to be on auto pilot with answers. Never once made eye contact with me and quite frankly I'm sure never even listened to my actual questions. She too responded Luka an AI robot with things like we only walk on our trails, we only offer a one hour and we don't do private rides. Lady you were so far off base! We know how the industry works and how insurance regulates you. We were NOT asking for exceptions. My final straw was her pointing at my son and telling him he couldn't wear his knife on the trial ride. Really? You won't look at me and talk but you can point that out. He is a teenager that has a leather belt with a leather sheath and a knife secured inside that he wears EVERYDAY. Again we are cattle ranchers. He is homeschooled and he totally knows when it's not acceptable to have the knife. I was done then... Absolutely not. I did not say anything and we walked out. I will not be returning and will not be recommending this location EVER.

We always have to have a cone while driving around the cove. While it's most always very busy, the…read morestaff is kind and quick. Lots of souvenirs to choose from as well.

We almost missed this tiny 25' falls on our Little River tour because the falls are tucked back off…read morethe road a bit. There is a parking pulloff area on the east bound side of the road so you can stop and enjoy the river, trees and falls. There are no information plaques to help identify the falls. I was glad to have my Waterfall map from the Park Service to help me identify the falls. We were the only people stopped at the falls, so it was like our own private spot. Meigs Falls is one of three falls in the Park that visitors can drive to without hiking. The drive is lovely with thick dense forest and the meandering river. Parking permits are required for parking anywhere in the Park and cannot be bought at this site. There are no restrooms or other amenities at the site. Just good old Mother Nature.

Meigs Falls is not a waterfall you can easily access, but you CAN easily view it from the pull-off…read morewhen traveling Little River Gorge Road. The 30 foot waterfall is tucked away in the woods approximately 325 feet from the road, which is just slightly longer than a football field. If you're wondering, I use the measurement feature on Google Maps for the best possible accuracy. As far as I can tell, there is no real way to access the waterfall unless you somehow wade through Little River which is easily 30+ feet wide and probably waist deep on high flow days. Once across you would then have to brave the rocky ledges of Meigs Creek from its exit into Little River back toward the falls. YES, from a distance it appears to be an attractive waterfall, but I'm not sure it's worth that kind of effort unless you are a waterfall fanatic hellbent on a close up! NOTE: This area is very active with Black Bears. We literally saw a bear get hit by a passing car just a few miles away near Laurel Falls parking as we drove towards Meigs Falls. So if you do decide to do some Lewis & Clark-type exploring, just know walking these unpopulated areas might give you a different sort of encounter! ~ FINAL THOUGHTS I've included the GPS coordinates in the address or you can use Google Maps to navigate to the Lr Pullout Parking @ Mp 7.838. Other nearby points of interest include: The Sinks (a gorgeous roadside cascade/waterfall) Cades Cove (featuring Abram Falls) Spruce Flats Falls @ Tremont Honey Cove Falls @ Tremont and ultra-popular Laurel Falls 2020 / 72

Don't miss out on a great adventure. You will love this…read moreBi-plane tour. Marc is the pilot and owner. Take the 30 minute tour. You will not be disappointed. GREAT RIDE AND NARRATION.

My husband and I were celebrating our 10 year anniversary and saw the brochure. Riding in a biplane…read morehas ALWAYS been a dream of mine. I've seen other tours offered in various places and couldn't justify the cost for the time in the air. The prices here were very reasonable and it was an experience I'll never forget! The feeling is indescribable and the views were phenomenal. The pilot is was so nice and did a great job pointing out things below. I even got a tattoo to commemorate my bucket list item and trip afterwards. 10/10 definitely recommend and can't wait to do it again some day.