How many pieces of litter or trash do you pick up in a day? A week? A month? Imagine having organized 15 whole litter cleanup days involving large groups of people in 2021 thus far. That’s what Jerry and Darlene Willis have done. Based in west Knoxville, the pair is
Joe Emert and his friends are on a mission that has no end. Emert is one of the leaders of an effort to identify the final resting places of all military veterans buried in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Using military records, newspaper research, family histories, websites focusing on family
What is it about the humble wall calendar that explains its enduring popularity well into the digital era? I guess in the same way that physical mail now feels more novel than emails, or our printed photos have become more precious than the thousands of files stored on our phones,
Last fall Great Smoky Mountains Association nominated Superintendent Cassius Cash for the Public Lands Alliance’s prestigious Agency Leadership Award. On Monday, May 24, PLA recognized him with this honor at its virtual 2021 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards. “The Smokies provide superintendents with nonstop challenges that play out on a
By Mike Hembree The calendar will claim that summer starts June 20. School children everywhere will claim that is wrong. And there is evidence—however anecdotal—to support their claim. Summer starts the day—no, the very hour—that the school session is over. Summer comes early to the Smokies, too, and that might
There is a second word that comes to mind as easily as the first, and that is the word “surprise.” Capturing images for whatever reason is an ongoing experience of surprise and, fortunately, delight as well. Surprise and delight come in many and varied forms, like the occasion when I
My favorite trillium is the painted trillium. This plant grows from 8 to 12 inches tall and has a white bloom with a red blaze that circles the bloom near the base. April and May are the months in which this plant normally blooms. The painted trillium is not commonly
While the word “harvest” usually brings autumn to mind, spring is the time of year for harvesting sochan. Also known as green-headed coneflower, sochan plays an important role in the cultural heritage of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who gathered food and medicine directly from the land in the
When I started working at Great Smoky Mountains Association in 2017, I figured I would write a book at some point in my tenure. But I never dreamed I would become the author of a children’s book. The impetus for it goes back to my own childhood, which was idyllic.
By Peyton Proffitt Growing up in a gateway community, I spent most of my childhood summers swimming in the rivers of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of my happiest memories are of looking for salamanders with my friends and sketching the specimens in my notebook. For my first Curiousity
How many pieces of litter or trash do you pick up in a day? A week? A month? Imagine having organized 15 whole litter cleanup
Joe Emert and his friends are on a mission that has no end. Emert is one of the leaders of an effort to identify the
What is it about the humble wall calendar that explains its enduring popularity well into the digital era? I guess in the same way that
Last fall Great Smoky Mountains Association nominated Superintendent Cassius Cash for the Public Lands Alliance’s prestigious Agency Leadership Award. On Monday, May 24, PLA recognized
By Mike Hembree The calendar will claim that summer starts June 20. School children everywhere will claim that is wrong. And there is evidence—however anecdotal—to
There is a second word that comes to mind as easily as the first, and that is the word “surprise.” Capturing images for whatever reason
My favorite trillium is the painted trillium. This plant grows from 8 to 12 inches tall and has a white bloom with a red blaze
While the word “harvest” usually brings autumn to mind, spring is the time of year for harvesting sochan. Also known as green-headed coneflower, sochan plays
When I started working at Great Smoky Mountains Association in 2017, I figured I would write a book at some point in my tenure. But
By Peyton Proffitt Growing up in a gateway community, I spent most of my childhood summers swimming in the rivers of Great Smoky Mountains National
The Great Smokies Welcome Center is located on U.S. 321 in Townsend, TN, 2 miles from the west entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Visitors can get information about things to see and do in and around the national park and shop from a wide selection of books, gifts, and other Smokies merchandise. Daily, weekly, and annual parking tags for the national park are also available.
