Tremont to host Writing the Appalachians forum October 28

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is pleased to announce Writing the Appalachians, an evening of literary exploration, held Saturday, October 28, at Maryville College’s Clayton Center. The public forum brings Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers together with authors Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, Janet McCue, and Frank X Walker to share

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On Thursday, October 26, the Safe Passage Fund Coalition will host a free film screening at Asheville’s Pléb Urban Winery presenting the short documentaries Cascade Crossroads and Critter Crossings in the Cascades. Members of the Safe Passage group dedicated to improving wildlife-crossing opportunities along I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge hope to draw lessons and inspiration from the films following the progress of similar efforts in Washington’s Cascade Range.

Safe Passage film fest highlights road ecology

One of the great benefits and privileges of exploring Western North Carolina and East Tennessee is the opportunity to see a diverse array of wildlife wherever you go. But whether you live here or are just passing through, chances are you’ll mostly be watching the spectacle from behind a windshield.

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Nancy and Bob Furlow in their park camp host uniforms.

Unsung heroes of the Smokies: Camp hosts Nancy and Bob Furlow

When they drove into Smokemont Campground earlier this year, Nancy and Bob Furlow had never been to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As full-time RVers, the couple, married for over three decades, thought Smokemont would be just another stop on their long-running tour across the country. “We noticed that the

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Photo of hikers in Great Smoky Mountains in the fall.

Fall glamping eco-adventure supports biodiversity nonprofit

As the lush green hues of summer fade, yielding to the crisp crimson colors of autumn, the Great Smoky Mountains undergo a breathtaking transformation. Under the canopy, golden sunlight filters through a kaleidoscope of leaves, casting a warm, ethereal glow on the landscape. Small animals ‘shuffle-crunch-snap’ through the leaf litter,

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summertime on Andrews Bald

Now accepting applications for 2024 Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency

Great Smoky Mountains Association is now accepting applications for its fourth Steve Kemp Writer’s Residency. The annual residency hosted by GSMA is designed to help writers of any medium connect in meaningful ways with Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing space for successful applicants to focus on their craft

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mountain gentian

Wildflowers 101: White snakeroot and mountain gentian

Have you ever heard of “milk sickness”?  What could something like that possibly have to do with wildflowers found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Read on to find out.  The first wildflower we shall examine is white snakeroot. White snakeroot generally grows from one to four feet tall, and its white

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From mid to late September, residents of Western North Carolina and East Tennessee have the opportunity to see hundreds of broad-winged hawks at a time in large groups called ‘kettles’ circling higher and higher into the air currents and moving south along the Blue Ridge Mountains. Provided by Richard Crossly.

Coming soon: The broad-winged hawk migration

As we prepare for the arrival of fall, we can also be on the lookout for a breathtaking wildlife spectacle that is a part of life here in the Southern Appalachian Mountains: the migration of the broad-winged hawk. Small forest-dwelling birds of prey, broad-winged hawks migrate annually to South and

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The North Carolina-based artist Tray Wellington is a rising star of contemporary bluegrass. In 2019, he won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year award, and in both 2022 and 2023 he was a finalist for the association’s New Artist of the Year award. Photo by Rob Laughter, courtesy of the artist.

Blue Ridge artist Tray Wellington builds bridges with bluegrass

Late last month, I was lucky enough to catch a special musical performance in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a fine morning in high summer, and on the back porch of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, North Carolina, a four-piece string band launched into the first swirling

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Photo courtesy of Joye Ardyn Durham

Great Smokies

Welcome Center

Hours of Operation

(subject to change)

Open year round (closed December 25)


January - February

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

March - November

Open Daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
December

Open Daily 9:00 am - 4:30 pm

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.

Physical Address

7929 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway Townsend TN 37882

Contact

865.436.7318 Ext 320