Recreation and Play
Wednesday is our traditional day off where we will provide a light breakfast and you are free to visit the area for the rest of the day. We can provide suggestions, information, and guidance on activities, but you may want to do a little research in advance. Many groups consider a visit to Gatlinburg, Cades Cove (inside the Park), Knoxville or take a walk in the National Park with a meal somewhere in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge.
Some ideas to consider for your day off:
Hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Spruce Flats Falls – easy trail to a waterfall nearby (25 min. drive to trailhead)
Cades Cove, a cultural area of the Park is a 45 minute drive to the entrance: then an easy 11 – mile ride in car or bike (rentals); places to stop and walk trails or visit historic cabins, churches, barns, gristmill and cemeteries from the first settlement in the Smokies.
(A popular 6-mile roundtrip to a Abrams Falls starts and ends in Cades Cove.)
Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap – highest point in the park (90 min. drive)
(Andrews Bald is a great day hike to a high elevation bald with a wonderful view for lunch starts and ends at Clingmans Dome parking lot)
Sugarlands Visitor Center – interpretation; gift shop; near Gatlinburg (50 min. drive)
Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend, TN
The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, TN is a popular activity at the world’s second largest underground lake in a cave with a public walking tour and a boat ride. It would be about an hour’s drive from our site. There are two options: the 1 hour walking tour and the 3 hour daytime wild tour which includes the public tour, a boat ride and two additional hours to explore the cave. Check their website for cost, scheduling and what to wear/bring.
Visit Cherokee, NC (about a 2 hour drive one way):
