This post details the five best tips for visiting America’s Great Smoky Mountains to make the most of your vacation!
There’s no denying that the Great Smoky Mountains are one of the most beautiful and enchanting places to visit in the United States. When you mention the Smokies to people, they’ll probably think of three things: bears, bluegrass music, and fantastic scenery!
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province.
If you’ve never been to the Great Smoky Mountains in America, it’s probably a destination that has been on your bucket list for a while. You’re likely reading this article today because you want to plan a trip to the Smokies this year – but you’re unsure how to prepare for your adventure.
The following top tips will help you create a memorable itinerary and avoid making any big mistakes that could spoil your fun:
1. Fly Into A Nearby Airport
The closest major airport to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is McGee-Tyson Airport in Alcoa, Tennessee. It is just south of Knoxville and is served by five major commercial airlines: Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, and United.
The second nearest airport to Smoky Mountains is Asheville Regional Airport in Asheville, NC.
If you’re starting your journey from outside the United States, Starpoint Resorts reviews the best travel tips international travelers should take before setting off. One example is paying for a TSA precheck.
2. Rent A Capable Vehicle
While there are public transport options in the cities surrounding the Great Smoky Mountains, none exist in the Smokies themselves. That’s why it’s essential to rent a vehicle capable of traversing the hilly roads in the region.
You could rent a car, for example, and go on a few day trips to various points of the Great Smoky Mountains. Alternatively, you could rent an RV and camp out at more than 1,000 suitable campgrounds within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
3. Plan A Stress-Free Itinerary
Let’s face it: the last thing you want to do is cram in lots of points of interest and activities into your itinerary. It’ll make you feel stressed out, and if you’re traveling with children in tow, it’ll also stress them out. Instead, you need to have a stress-free experience.
It’s better to do one of two things: extend your vacation time and spread out the things you want to do, or do less of them in a short period of time.
4. Give Yourself A Week To Explore the Great Smoky Mountains
If you decide that it’s best to spend as long as possible taking in the sights and sounds of the Great Smoky Mountains, you might ask yourself how long you should stay.
Consider giving yourself a week for your trip to give yourself time to take in the points of interest outside of the mountains. For example, you could plan a day out to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN.
5. Pick The Right Time To Visit
Lastly, determine the best time to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. Hundreds of thousands of tourists from far and wide visit the area each year, but they mostly do so on the weekend. You could think about planning most of your trip there during the week when it’s quieter.
Another idea might be to visit as the weather gets colder as there will be fewer visitors compared with the summer months.
*This is a contributed post, all images owned by jetsetandforget, unsplash.com, pexels.com and pixabay.com