Smokies Area

Plan a trip to the Smoky Mountains! Here’s what you need to know about the area.

With Mountain Shadows Resort and Rentals and Gatlinburg as your home base you are also close to other Smoky Mountain places worthy of consideration for day or partial day trip

The Smoky Mountains area is ideally located in the northern tier of southeastern United States and a reasonably easy day drive from most regions of the Eastern and Central time zones. Home to America’s most visited, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the entire region has become a destination for millions of visitors who want to enjoy mountain hospitality in a tremendously scenic setting with seasonably moderate temperatures.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s premier mountain resort community, grew from a quiet mountain village, with the advent of the national park, to it present status as the major gateway to the Park’s over nine million annual visitors. Naturally a few motels, vacation rentals, eateries and gift shops were going to spring up! You could easily spend your entire stay in Gatlinburg with all there is to see and do. And Park Headquarters is a short drive from the city limits.

Just a few miles north on US Highway 441 is Pigeon Forge, once a farmland community, nestled in the foothills of these majestic mountains. The central portion of the city, with level ground along the Little Pigeon River, also began to grow to meet the needs of visitors heading for the Great Smokies. It is now home to Dollywood as well as a variety of music shows and attractions.

Continuing north is Sevierville, the area’s county seat. For many years the city served the various communities of the county with services that saved them a trip to Knoxville, the nearest major city. Recent years has seen it blossom into an area where visitors can not only receive some services you’d expect in a larger city, but where other attractions may be of interest.

South across the mountain on U.S. 441 in Cherokee, NC you’ll find information on Cherokee heritage as well as the home of Harrah’s Casino. Other possible day trips to consider may be Asheville, NC, home of the Biltmore Estate or a venture out through scenic Wear’s Valley with a return route through the Park’s west entrance and Cades Cove.

There’s actually so much to do in our area you’ll want to return again and again, perhaps experiencing the variety of seasons to see the wildflowers of spring or autumn’s glorious hues, slide down a snowy winter slope or catch summer’s firefly exhibition. In every season, stay with us at Mountain Shadows Resort and Rentals, the ideal starting point for all there is to see and do in the Smokies.