Five stars for the train ride and the beautiful views! Three stars for the food. We had excellent…read moreservice in our car and we loved the views along the route once the train gets outside town, there are so many beautiful vistas. We loved that there was a souvenir cup of ice water, and coffee other beverages were available. We didn't try any of the cocktails, and the food was mediocre at best. The stop at NOC is interesting. If it was a longer stop, we could've just eaten there, but it was pretty crowded and we didn't want to risk missing the train going back. All in all a fun day outing.

I thought this would be a fun way to see some of the land around the Great Smoky Mountains NP, and…read moreit was. I bought tickets that included a lunch and unlimited sodas in one of the covered carriages. This was lucky as it rained, but we were dry inside. However, our train car was freezing, and they did not see the need to make things more comfortable.. I highly recommend a jacket, even if it is warm outside as many people in our train car were incredibly cold. For our meals, we chose one chicken and one beef meal. It is a four hour train ride so it was nice to have something to eat, but if I were to go again, I would see if there is an option to sit in a train car where you could bring your own food. I recommend taking a pass on their meals. The guide was attentive to filling our drinks and would tell interesting stories as we traveled. We stopped midway for about 30-40 minutes at a spot on the river where the kayakers can practice, then we hopped back on the train and returned to the start. It was a very pleasant day.

What a gorgeous day to be out with Captain Mark on his pontoon boat. Entertaining and informative…read more Lovely scenery and a relaxing afternoon. Not the biggest waterfalls in the area, by far, but this excursion was well worth it!

Great time with Captain Mark. Our while family enjoyed his great personality and Knowledge of the…read moreareas. Easily 5 of 5 starts. Highly recommend.

We were a bit late picking up our two bikes, but the folks at Wolf were kind and patient. Both…read morebikes ran great (Honda and BMW) with no problems. I would advise not to take the 650 Honda with knobby tires on the dragon but it was great on trails. Nice hassle free way to ride in NC - go for it!

Great to be able to rent a motorcycle near the Tail and other rides in the area. I would offer…read morethough---get your ducks in a row before you get down to the area (ie, know where you're going with decent directions) because cell service is pretty week, and pulling up a map on Google or Apple is not possible on the Tail and nearby areas. My son and I just "kept going" down 129 and did eventually the site for the bike pickup, but it is just a small building on the south side of the road. The rental process was straigtht forward and his bike (Honda Rebel) worked out just fine. Drop off with leaving the key in the mailbox at the door---easier than a car rental.

Had an amazing experience with our guide James. He picked us up at 7:15, and we went right to the…read moremouth of the Nantahala. Then to a few other areas of the lake. We caught several fish, and most importantly, my kids each caught a fish and I didn't have to worry about untangling their lines or helping them put some bait on a hook. I could sit back, relax, and enjoy. When it comes to fishing, it doesn't get any better than that. Will 100% call them for another trip next time I'm up at my cabin.

Kyle of Fontana Guides was easy to work with especially when we needed to change days due to…read moreweather. Went on a 4 hour drift fishing trip with my 17 yo son who had never fly fished before. Our guide, Brandan, was easy going, helpful and a real joy to have leading us on the water. Caught a number of trout including an 18" rainbow that my son reeled in! Epic day!

DEEP CREEK TUBE RENTAL operates out of the general store for Smoky Mountain Campground. It is the…read morelast tube rental opportunity on the right side of Deep Creek Road before it enters into the park. This became our first adventure of a week long vacation as we stopped here during the drive to our destination. We checked with several of the nearby tube rental businesses and decided on this one not only because of their location, but also because they did not charge us to use the life vests required for anyone under 13 years old. Other places either charged an additional fee or wanted a deposit. The staff was friendly and I even had a little sports banter with the owner, who had a God-awful Alabama hat on... Go GA Bulldogs!!! LOL But where they earned 5-stars was because of their honest dealings . We visited two days after heavy rain had swollen the river. While the overall volume was significantly down, it was still fairly swift. This caused a few traumatic moments as three adults had to fish three kids (6,7,8) out of the creek in fast moving current once they reached the take-out point near the bridge. This of course was not the rental companies fault, BUT it would have been useful to know the best places to exit the water. Some sort of map or signage along the creek would have been extremely helpful. Exiting the creek was so difficult by the bridge that safety for the youngest became an alarming issue and two rafts (and a pair of shoes) were lost in the battle between holding on to the kids or holding on to the rafts. At checkout the owners charged us about $55 per raft, but told us they would refund the money IF the rafts were found by the end of the day. They were indeed found and the owners not only texted us the same day, but had the money in our account before weeks end. I TRULY appreciate the honesty because we would have been none the wiser! [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Aside from the difficulty exiting the creek, they also had a wipeout on a bottleneck rapid further upstream that really traumatized the youngest of our group. I didn't think the poor kid would ever go in water again, but luckily a few hugs and a slice of pizza brought him back from a dark place. So for families with kids single digit in age, I'd recommend putting your rafts in at Tom's Creek Falls when volume is up (and not the one near Indian Creek) which avoids the more challenging area for tubers. In retrospect I would have dropped my crew at the trailhead and driven back to the General Store and waited to help them exit there. It would have given them a longer ride in the river. Still, it did make for a lively story during the remainder of our vacation! It's amazing how little boys go from scared and crying in the moment to superhero's who called on their Aquaman powers when retelling the tale days later! LOL PS - The tube rentals are ALL DAY until closing (7pm). Cost was $8/tube with a dollar off coupon for checking-in on yelp. BE SAFE and enjoy! 2022 / 93

I booked an afternoon trip for the East Fork of the French Broad River which is 30 minutes from…read morewhere I'm staying in Saphire, NC. My guide sends me instructions the night before to meet him 1:45 minutes away in the Nantahala Gorge. I now have to coordinate a different location because the East Fork is too far for him. So we settle on the Tuckaseegee River in Webster. The morning of the trip, he texts me and says his truck broke down and has to cancel the trip. I called Gordon who tells me he thinks he has another guide who can take me, and he'll call me one way or the other within 30-45 minutes. An hour later, I still don't hear from him but reach the guide who says he can meet a bit later. Gordon finally calls and gives me excuses as to why he didn't call me. But due to all the drama caused between coordinating with his guide the day before and the day of the trip, I was no longer in a happy frame of mind. So Gordon cancelled the trip. Birthday trip ruined. Don't use this company. It's too much hassle coordinating a trip. And Gordon has no idea how to handle a bad situation.

My wife and I were excited to reserve Gordon for a 4 hour wading guided fly fishing tour…read more Unfortunately, we were sourced another guide who was nice enough, but was unable to put us on fish. Staying in Highlands, Gordon was transparent that we might be required to drive ~45 min to the fishing location, which we agreed too. I was not contacted by our new guide until 5pm the day before the trip. We spoke briefly, and he mentioned we should commute to Cherokee to fish. We agreed to the hour and a half drive. Our guide was convinced an early start was not necessary. After arriving at the fishing spot, we noticed there were fishermen already there, and walked about a mile and a half from the vehicle down stream to a different location. After getting in the water, and after a couple nibbles, my wife finally landed a couple (2) trout within the first hour and a half. Moments later, we were abruptly disrupted by a river attendant throwing net after net full of trout over a 3 story bank into the rock bed below. Half the fish hit the water hard, the other half hit the rocks....Clearly stocking the river and cruelly traumatizing and killing fish, our guide went on to comment that this specific fishing spot he would not eat the fish out of, as the trout are farm raised. This was a major turn off for my wife and I, needless to say. We did not catch a fish the rest of the trip. 2 fish across 4 hours is unacceptable. Our guide was a great guy, and certainly helped us with some technique and tying the flys, but I will never return to this specific spot to fish, let alone pay any guide to bring me there. I called Gordon and explained the situation. He was unfazed and did not offer any remedy.

We stop here whenever we have time to or from Gatlinburg. It has clean restrooms and friendly…read morestaff. It's by the river, and time permitting, you can sit in one of their rockers and relax. They have rockers inside too, with coffee for visitors. If you need maps or information, they have plenty to share. Today (7/23/23) Charisse showed me their trophy for winning best haunted house last year. It's is a heavy spirit, handmade by a Cherokee resident. His bobbing head and earrings make him come to life. If Stephen King sees him, he might write a story about him! I told Charisse he needs a good Native American name.

This is just a small campground tucked away in a holler back in the mountains. Off of US 129 south…read moreof Robbinsville, North Carolina. Booked this trip here on a spur of the moment decision and I am so glad we did. This is one of the most favorite places to go camping now, just a short little ways off of 74 easy access to Robbinsville, tail the dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Cades Cove, the great Smoky Mountain national Park. Quiet peaceful the sights are really far apart. Love it. My favorite place.

It seems fairly new. Lots of construction work being done to expand it. Lots of debris laying…read morearound in piles and when it rains it's like there's no drainage. We were next to the water and had a nice spot where people before us left food laying around. Way overpriced for what you get. But like they say, it's a good base camp. You just have to drive somewhere if you expect to do anything.