knoxville /great smoky mtns area self-guided driving tour Welcome to the Rocky Top Trail. SEE THE DRIVING TOUR MAP ON PAGE 14. Get to know the spirit of Appalachia on the Rocky takinG in the trail Top Trail when you explore the culture, history and beauty of • These 282 miles are full of historic sites, preserved homes this region through its world-class attractions and “best-kept and museums that bring the stories of the Rocky Top secret” spots outside the city limits. Trail to life. Many of them require advance reservations, From serious adventurers to shutterbugs and picnickers, admission or both to experience our history. the natUral attractions provide something for every- • Many historic buildings open their doors to visitors. Many properties remain as they have for over a century: one. You’ll visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park, explore private residences. Please be respectful of the private an underground world, take a wildflower hike and see first- land and homeowners on our tour. hand why this magical landscape draws nature-lovers from • This is a drive that promises an off-the-beaten-path around the globe. Tennessee experience. What we can’t promise is steady cell phone service. Don’t be surprised if you don’t always READY FOR A TENNESSEE ROAD TRIP? We’ve got Bring your appetite for SOUthern CUisine; enjoy a have a signal. you covered on the new, self-guided driving trails of the meal overlooking an apple orchard or a scenic lake, get an old- • The Rocky Top Trail features long, beautiful stretches Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways. On the Tanasi Trail, the Tennessee River provides the backdrop for the fascinating fashioned soda at a classic diner, eat lunch with a side of live of scenic driving. Make sure you fill your tank and stories of railroads, steamboats, Native Americans and music or make a reservation for fine dining, Rocky Top style. use the restroom in the towns along the way. There will settlers. You’ll visit the country’s largest underground lake, always be a “next town” on the route, but it may not be test your whitewater rafting skills, drive the breathtaking Experience East Tennessee’s amazing stories when you within the next few miles. Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway and so much tour stately homes and museums, get a glimpse into early 20th- • While all of the roads on this trail are paved and more. Pick up a self-guided map at the Chattanooga Welcome Center or visit TanasiTrail.com. You’ll find century mountain life, walk through settlers’ forts and stroll maintained, wintertime in the mountains can make travel treacherous. Please be mindful of weather conditions as the directions, stops and stories that make the Tanasi Trail a vibrant historic districts. From the 1700s to the Civil War and one-of-a-kind Tennessee road trip you won’t want to miss. you plan your trip. coal mining, this trail’s legends are complex and fascinating. • Bear Safety: Bears are wild animals that are dangerous From start to finish, You’ll have plenty of opportunities and unpredictable. Never feed bears! Never approach bears to experience and appreciate how history and the arts come or allow them to approach you! Use binoculars, telephoto lens, or a spotting scope to view the animals. ® together as you visit crafts commUnities, artist studios • Don’t forget to visit your favorite online review sites and unique shops along the way. (like tripadvisor.com or yelp.com) and help us blaze a trail Find the best of Tennessee on the Rocky Top: Smoky to these wonderful hidden gems. Peaks to Crafts & Creeks Trail. The colorful stories and interesting facts you’ll find along the Rocky Top Trail Symbol Key: Great NatiOnal Register have been uncovered with OutdOOrs OF HistOric Places the invaluable help of African- county tourism partners American Live Music Picture SPOT heritage Venue and historians in these communities. LOdging state-Owned Civil War histOric site Tennessee Pictured on cover: Hikers in Cades Cove; MOTOrcOach- Main Street Festivals Friendly Craftswoman at Dollywood, Pigeon Forge; Gatlinburg stream. Pictured above: PROgram Dogwood artist, Knoxville; Black bear in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; For complete visitor information Paper contains FOOD & Wine MOTOrcycle (R) Right (L) Left Whitewater rafting; Smoky Mountain Music History Mural, Maryville; Bloomin’ on Tennessee, call 1-800-GO2-TENN 10% recycled ROute Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival, Sevierville. content. or visit tnvacation.com. Find more information at RockyTopTrail.com. 1 and crafts are popular stops for tourists and Quinn and Fritz Weaver. Visitors are Continue on Parkway for 12. Nantahala Outdoor Center’s Great GatlinburG collectors alike. Check out the center’s class welcome in the lobby; stop in and view 2 blocks to pt. 12. Outpost – (L) If you’re planning for outdoor Continue on Parkway schedule and return to hone your skills memorabilia. Open April-Oct. 1138 Parkway adventure on the Rocky Top Trail, this is This popular vacation destination was once a stop along a to light #5 and int. of with the staff and artists in residence. Drive 0.3 mile to light Gatlinburg the place for gear. River Rd. Turn R on #8, turn L on Historic 8. Noah “Bud” Ogle Self- 865-277-8209 Native American hunting trail, used later by white trappers and Designed by the Greystone Heights Rd., Nature Trail. Go 0.6 mile, Guiding Nature Trail hunters who established settlements in what was then known as 4. Ripley’s Aquarium of team responsible park in garage on L to go through int. onto – (R) Take a walking White Oak Flats. It was later named “Gatlinburg” for the post office visit pt. 4. the Smokies – (R) Get Cherokee Orchard Rd. for Bass Pro up close and personal tour of an authentic established in 1856 in Radford Gatlin’s general store. The turn of the 88 River Rd., Gatlinburg Continue approx. 2 miles Shops, this LEED- mountain farmstead century brought jobs and growth attached to the logging industry, 888-240-1358 with a shark and a to pt. 8. certified outfitter and surrounding hard- and Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts (point 3) was established to Need a ride? The giant sea turtle, or Cherokee Orchard Rd. features a large Gatlinburg, 865-436-1200 wood forest. address educational needs and promote the teaching of Appalachian Gatlinburg Mass Transit watch the penguins selection of camping, hiking, fishing and crafts and traditions. The establishment of Great Smoky Mountains Center at pt. 4 is the play at America’s No. canoeing supplies. There’s so much to see trolley hub for rides OFF-TRAIL 9. Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Slow National Park in 1934 brought tourists to the area, turning this 1 aquarium, featuring here that the shop offers guided tours. through town, the a 1.4 million-gallon, down and cruise this 6-mile, one-way driv- sleepy 600-resident village into a resort town. Today, this mountain To go off trail from ing journey through the forest to enjoy the National Park, Crafts world-class saltwater pt. 8, turn R, continue Continue on destination is known for its crafts, Community and historic buildings and scenic beauty of the entertainment and attractions, aquarium filled with more than 10,000 on Cherokee Orchard Rd. Parkway through 13. Sugarlands Visitor Center Dollywood. Ask about an area. This drive offers rushing mountain light #10 and into while its exotic sea creatures. Veer R on Loop Rd. All-Day Trolley Pass. (one-way), go 0.9 mile. streams, glimpses of Great Smoky gorgeous Even if you don’t hike or camp in Great 576 Parkway 5. Martha Jane Huskey Ogle Cabin – (L) Stop Turn R on Roaring Fork old-growth forest, Mountains National Smoky Mountains National Park, drive scenery Gatlinburg Park. Go 1.7 miles on at this historic Rd., begin pt. 9 (one- and a number of well- two miles into the still steals 865-436-0535 way drive). US-441, turn R on 1807 structure on preserved log cabins, park to this stop. the show. the Arrowmont Roaring Fork Rd. Little River Rd. Turn Gatlinburg, 865-436-1200 grist mills and other R into parking lot for Watch the free campus for a historic buildings. pt. 13. 20-minute film for glimpse into the Drive ends 0.6 mile from downtown at light #1A Along the way is 107 Park Headquarters Rd. an overview of this past. This home the trailhead for the Gatlinburg 800-square-mile on US-321 just to R of 865-436-1200 DIRECTIONS belonged to the pt. 14. Turn L on US-321, popular Grotto Falls national park and 1. Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains town’s first permanent settler, a widow return to light #3. Turn S US Hwy 441/ and a “wet weather” American treasure; pick up a park map; 1011 Banner Rd. National Park Welcome Center with seven children who farmed the land L, continue on Parkway waterfall called Place of a Thousand have your questions answered by a ranger; Gatlinburg claimed by her husband before his death. to rejoin main trail at Start your Rocky Drips. Closed in winter. Buses, trailers & purchase books and guides to the park. 865-436-0519 pt. 10. Top journey here, It is the oldest remaining structure in the motor homes not permitted on trail. Behind the center is a short and easy See pts. 2-7 & 10-12 on city. Open June-Oct. nature walk to the smallest waterfall in the foot or by trolley; Park where you’ll find 10. Ole Smoky Distillery – (R) Visit Tennessee’s BACK ON TRAIL Smokies, .