National Park
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of Mother Nature’s most exquisite masterpieces! Just ask the 10-14 million annual visitors that come and fall in love with the Great Smoky Mountains. In fact, it is the most visited national park by far. The park consists of over 500,000 lush acres of land brimming with a wide array of wildlife, plants and trees. There are over 65 types of mammals that live in the park which include deer, elk, wolves, bears, coyote, bobcats, chipmunks, woodchucks, red and gray foxes and boar to name a few. If you consider yourself somewhat of a “bird watcher” you will be pleased to know that more than 240 species of bird soar across the Great Smoky Mountain skies.
If slimier and scalier things peak your interest you have definitely found the right place. The park is home to an assortment of frogs, toads, snakes, fish and salamander. This includes over 30 different species of salamander (more than any other single place in the world), 20 species of snakes and 50 species of fish! This extensive variety of fish swims freely among the more than 2,000 miles of rivers, creeks and streams in the Smokies. Did I forget to mention that there are over 1,600 species of flowering plants and 4,000 non-flowering plants which include over 100 native trees? So dust of your hiking boots, pack up your gear and come explore the Smokies via the 800 miles of trails- adventure awaits!
A great place to witness this splendid display of nature and wildlife in harmony is Cades Cove . The nearby towns of Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Wears Valley and Sevierville, have all reaped the benefits from the large amount of annual tourists. The booming tourist industry has spawned all kinds of attractions and shows in the neighboring towns. They have also had to build everything from rental cabins and cabin resorts to luxurious hotels and condos to support the expanding lodging industry. Most of the lodging takes full advantage of the scenic beauty with views of the national park’s mountain ranges and of course, no tourist town would be complete without an ample mixture of shops, stores and outlets to meet all of your shopping needs. With one of the most diverse medleys of nature, wildlife and entertainment in a single place, your memories of the Smoky Mountains are sure to last a lifetime!
