John Gullion

1 month ago | thesmokies.com | John Gullion

If you think about it, it’s a bit strange to grow up with the most visited national park in the country in your backyard. Last year, 12.2 million people visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I could be there in 45 minutes, 30 if I get good traffic. As a kid, I went to high school with the granddaughter of the last person to live in Cades Cove – maybe even the park itself, Kermit Caughron, aka the Bee Man.

1 month ago | thesmokies.com | John Gullion

I was an adult man, young but fully adult, before I found out there were parts of the United States without lightning bugs. I suppose I’d just never really thought about it. Lightning bugs were just a part of summer. I remember being a youngster with a mason jar with air holes poked in the lid, running around at dusk and catching as many as possible. I also remember kids smushing them. They used the phosphorescence to make a briefly glowing ring around their fingers.

1 month ago | thesmokies.com | John Gullion

In the Smoky Mountains, history sells. Countless attractions try to grab visitors’ attention by overplaying their connections to history. They may borrow the history of someone or something local or create a theme around a historic figure or place that has nothing to do with the modern-day attraction. But the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge has an ironclad historical link dating back to 1830. Its roots go back to the founding of Pigeon Forge.

1 month ago | thesmokies.com | John Gullion

If we start a discussion of the best scenic overlooks near Gatlinburg TN, we should begin with a caveat. You don’t have to leave Gatlinburg at all for great mountain views. To illustrate, there are several great views located just a short walk from downtown Gatlinburg. Anakeesta offers majestic views of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as Gatlinburg.

2 months ago | thesmokies.com | John Gullion

The best views in the Smokies remain free. You can drive up to Kuwohi – formerly Clingmans Dome – and soak in the natural wonder that made our ancestors see the mountains as something worth preserving. A drive along Newfound Gap Road offers several scenic overlooks with views that make you revel in the splendor of the natural world. But you know what every single one of them lacks? A mountain coaster powered by gravity and a place where you can get a good hamburger steak and a beer.