Highlights: Sugarland’s Visitor Center, Scenic Gatlinburg By-Pass, Old Mill Village, Court House, Dolly Statue & Apple Barn Begin the tour by driving into Gatlinburg to learn about the founding and development of this mountain city. 1^st stop is the Sugarland’s Visitor Center - free admission includes a 20-minute film about the park and extensive natural history exhibits. Short walk along the Sugarland’s self guiding nature trail includes - accessible interpretive exhibits located along the one-half mile paved trail as the trail winds through second growth forest along the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Next stop Pigeon Forge & Old Mill Square. Today, The Old Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the most photographed mills in the country. The area's heritage is preserved through the products produced at the Old mill and a variety of crafts sold in the Old Mill Square. The Pigeon River Pottery has been home to pottery making for over forty years, and the best of time-tested recipes are prepared in the Old Mill Candy Kitchen. The entire Square is a working tribute to the Smokies' pioneer days. Next stop: Sevierville - Founded in 1795 and incorporated in 1901, named for John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee. It is the oldest and largest of Sevier County's four cities and is the eighth oldest town in Tennessee. The 105-year-old Sevier County Courthouse with a clock that strikes every half hour in the time-honored tradition It is also home to the statue of Dolly Parton on the courthouse lawn was sculpted by local artist Jim Gray and unveiled by Miss Parton herself on May 2, 1987, with her parents in attendance. Last stop on our 3 city tour is the Apple Barn Cider Mill & General Store.

Highlights: Scenic photo stops, Cable Mill & Visitor Center, Picnic & Hayride in the Cove

Cades Cove, a 6,800-acre valley near Townsend, Tennessee provides a representative sample of natural and cultural history as well as its recreational opportunities. Cades Cove receives approximately 2 million visitors each year. The story of Cades Cove begins with its very shape and rocks. It is known as a window, meaning that mountains of older rocks surround the valley floor of younger rocks. Evidence suggests that the Appalachian orogeny (or mountain building event) occurred approximately 240 million years ago and that the mountains have been weathering and eroding ever since. This fertile valley supports a wide diversity of plants and animals. The valley floor has approximately 2,400 acres of largely open fields surrounded by forests. Bison, elk, mountain lions, and wolves are among the animals that have been extirpated from the Smokies. Whitetail deer are seen on most early morning or evening visits to Cades Cove. Black bear and wild turkey are less frequently sighted. River otters and barn owls have been reintroduced into the Cove; however, these secretive animals are rarely seen. The Cove also contains a nineteenth century grist mill, historic homes, and churches. The remaining buildings and surrounding landscapes begin to tell the story of Cades Cove's cultural history. An eleven-mile, one-way loop road encircles the valley floor. The forest—at least the 20% that remained uncut within park boundaries—was saved. More than 1,200 land-owners had to leave their land once the park was established. They left behind many farm buildings, mills, schools, and churches. Over 70 of these structures have since been preserved so that Great Smoky Mountains National Park now contains the largest collection of historic log buildings in the East. Some limits apply to this tour.

Highlights: Scenic Photo Stops, Newfound Gap, Rockefeller Memorial, the Appalachian Trail, National Park Visitor Center and free time in Cherokee Our Cherokee Adventure begins in the Great Smoky Mountains; America’s most visited National Park.  Traveling up the Tennessee side of the mountain we will pass the Chimneys and Morton Overlook with panoramic picture stops along the way.  Don’t forget your camera! Then it is on to Newfound Gap, the top of the mountain, where we cross the state line for our descent into North Carolina.  A stop will be made at a National Park Visitor Center.  For an unforgettably enriching experience, we will visit the town of Cherokee and experience the wonders of historical exhibits, plays, music and unique crafts. There is no other travel destination quite like Cherokee, so prepare yourself to open your mind and begin to fathom the complex and often heartbreaking history of the Cherokee people. Your group will learn about the museums and village and the fascinating customs, language, weapons and crafts that in part define the character of these resilient and passionate people. A cultural learning experience at Cherokee will be one that you will carry with you wherever you go.

People have occupied these mountains since prehistoric times, but it was not until the 20th century that human activities began to profoundly affect the natural course of events here. When the first white settlers reached the Great Smoky Mountains in the late 1700s they found themselves in the land of the Cherokee Indians. The tribe, one of the most culturally advanced on the continent, had permanent towns, cultivated croplands, sophisticated political systems, and extensive networks of trails. Most of the Cherokee were forcibly removed in the 1830s to Oklahoma in a tragic episode known as the "trail of Tears. The few who remained are the ancestors of the Cherokees living near the park today. Consider adding a picnic lunch, admission to the Cherokee Heritage Museum or Occonaluftee Indian Village - Call for prices

Highlights: Sugarland’s Visitor Center, Scenic Little River Road, Townsend Tennessee This Scenic drive follows the “Little” River on the way to Townsend – the peaceful side of the Smokies. Hear the stories of the mountain people & lumbermen & CCC’s and railroad companies that forged a living along the Little River. Prior to 1900, this area of the Little River Valley and the surrounding tributary streams was called Tuckaleechee Cove – a name meaning “peaceful valley,” with farming being the livelihood of most families. For about 40 years there was a lot of commercial lumbering ended by the establishment of the National Park. The agricultural pattern of life in the Great Smoky Mountains changed with the arrival of lumbering in the early 1900s. Within 20 years, the largely self-sufficient economy of the people here was almost entirely replaced by dependence on manufactured items, store bought food, and cash. Logging boom towns sprang up overnight at sites that still bear their names: Elkmont, Smokemont, Proctor, Tremont. Loggers were rapidly cutting the great primeval forests that remained on these mountains. Unless the course of events could be quickly changed, there would be little left of the region’s special character and wilderness resources. Intervention came when Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934. Consider adding a picnic lunch & Little River Railroad Museum – Call for prices