My Tennessee Mountain Trip
by Rebecca Williams
Back in 2021, we made the five-hour journey to the land of pancakes, fudge, bears and wooden everything, aka the Smoky Mountains.
I have fond memories of the mountains, specifically the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Fancy Gap area of Virginia. As a child most of our vacations were spent there, with the local antique shops and historical sites being entertainment. The smell of clover became a memory trigger of those days, even still. But there’s something different about the commercialized Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge area. Even with all the commercial success of this region and the numerous cabin rentals and condos, there’s still a “small-town feel” but there’s LOTS to do.
But this post isn’t about the major things to do in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge- although while we are on the subject, I feel everyone should go to Dollywood at least once. This is about a small town about 40 minutes from Gatlinburg called Townsend. The goal of our trip was to enjoy Little River and also have access to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg but still have the small-town feel that I cherished growing up. Townsend checked all those boxes.
Our Airbnb rental was a little 3 bedroom, 1 bath home directly on Little River , with a private pedestrian bridge leading easily to several restaurants. There were guineas, a goat and peacocks in the backyard which was a fun experience. There was also a fire pit and and grill.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/43404113?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=285b3b48-12aa-4309-aae5
So let’s talk about things we did.
Tuckaleechee Caverns was high on our list of things to do and it did not disappoint. $20 admission for adults, $9 kids 5-11, kids 4 years old and under free. The formations and flowing water are truly beautiful, and our guide was very knowledgeable. I won’t ruin the story of the caverns for you but it’s very entertaining. This is an over one-hour tour, and I will say, this is somewhat of a strenuous journey, wear hiking shoes, and if you have health issues that would prevent you from walking over one mile and climbing over 80 steps at a time, I would be cautious. There, of course, is no cell service or WiFi in the caverns. With that being said, this was a great experience and I would love to do it again, photography is allowed, I did not bring my camera but did snap some pics on my iPhone.
We also fished on Little River and there was a great Fishing shop in Townsend called Little River Outfitters. I had to purchase the pink flies they had, one called the “Barbie fly” and the other called the “Pink Weenie”… no I didn’t ask the origin of the name. The people at the shop were very friendly and there was a great selection.
Another stop on our trip was to Mountain Brothers General Store, just up the way from Townsend , they had large bears made from hay bales and that’s what got my attention, as well as chainsaw artists working on their masterpieces, but inside the store did not disappoint either. Everything from candy to BBQ sauces, coffees and jewelry, this was a gift shop with quality products. I immediately got excited about the butterfly gummies, which I had to buy as a small homage to Dolly.
Most of our meals came from a restaurant just over the pedestrian bridge at our rental, called The Abbey. What was once a wedding chapel is now a restaurant and pub boasting TripAdvisor’s top ten percent of restaurants in the world for 2020 and 2021. It’s evident why. Everything we got was great, and service was personable and fast. There’s live music some evenings and river view dining as well.
Coffeeeee! If you make the trip to Townsend go check out The Artistic Bean. The vibe here is great, service quick and friendly and most of all, the coffee was great! I’m very picky about coffee and they’ve definitely got it figured out here. You can buy their organic, fair trade coffee online if you aren’t planning a trip soon!
If you love photography like I do you should stop in at Cades Cove Gallery, they offer prints, barnwood frames from local barn wood, as well as guided photography tours. He also blogs so check out the website!
Our little trip to Townsend was a fall getaway to be remembered.
Hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into our itinerary!
-Bec in the South
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