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Packed full of attractions, putt putt golf, arcades and old-time photo shops, visitors might get overwhelmed at the choices. Here’s our top recommendations.

Students in the 4th grade can get a free annual entry pass for their family to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas, including national parks.

The park is a fantastic place to spend a romantic weekend, celebrate Valentine’s Day or an anniversary, or to just spend time together.

Stay close to popular area attractions but secluded enough for those who long for peace and quiet relaxation. Accommodate 4-28 guests.

Love to take photos in national parks? Whether it’s a landscape, a wildlife pic, or a Milky Way shot, send it our way. You could win a Tamron camera lens!

When you can tear yourself away from the scenery on this quieter side of the national park, hit these local attractions including museums, breweries, and rafting.

Great Smoky is always free but parks that usually charge an entrance fee will be free on several days during the year. Check our list of dates.

This map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park shows outlying gateways from Knoxville, Tenn. in the north to Waynesville, N.C. in the south.

Download the official national park map to see the major park roads, rivers, park visitor centers, and the Appalachian Trail which bisects the park.

Each year we ask national park travelers to enter their best photos in our annual photo contest. Here are some of the best shots in Great Smoky.

Have a hot meal up on the mountain thanks to llamas that make the hike up to the lodge kitchen three times per week. Read about their reward at the top.

LeConte Lodge is the only lodging in the park and is accessible only by hiking a 5-mile trail. A reservation lottery happens in fall.

This 5.5-mile scenic road is just inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlingburg, TN. Enjoy leaf-peeping, trails and a waterfall along the way.

The national park and parts of North Carolina are on one of the natural migration routes. Learn more about the annual monarch-tagging event.

The park’s largest animal, elk can weigh 700 pounds and reach 5 feet at the shoulder.

This popular valley is known for its abundant wildlife, idyllic scenery, and preserved historic buildings dating back to the late 1800s. Take an auto-tour.

This member of the dog family is highly adaptable, surviving in many different habitats across the country. Here, coyotes are most active at night.

For about two weeks each year, Elkmont in Great Smoky becomes the site of the most magnificent synchronized firefly gathering in the world.

The majority of visitors enter through the Sugarlands entrance on the park’s north side by driving through Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

There are many types of animals in the Great Smoky Mountains, but dense forests can make them difficult to spot. Here’s a guide to better your chances.

If you want to feel like you are on top of the world, here are four fantastic views including a tower, a gap, and a sunrise-sunset hike.

Feel the mist on your face on one of these top trips to the park’s impressive cascades. Some are seen right from the road. Others require a hike.

It’s our nation’s busiest park, so here are tips on how to see the best of Great Smoky in just two days. Make the most of your time by visiting some of our favorite spots in both the Tenn. and N.C. sides of the park.

Hot tubs fed by mineral springs and the Appalachian Trail take center stage in this town 45 minutes from the Catalooche area of the national park.

If you venture out on the closed road to Clingmans Dome in winter, you may run into volunteers on cross-country skis, ready to assist visitors in trouble.

Snow just makes it more of an adventure. See our list of to top things to do in winter in the park and nearby – one of which is just a fun way to get around

Skip the entrance fee for this national park - it's free to enter! Campsites, lodging, and some tours still have a fee.

Stay walking distance to Gatlinburg's many attractions and just a short drive to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Convenient airports include McGee-Tyson, Asheville Regional Greenville-Spartanburg International, and Charlotte Douglas International. See maps.

Drive or hike to the higher elevations for sweeping views over the park’s 100-plus tree species painting the hills in bright oranges, yellows, and reds.

Stay in a Gatlinburg timeshare for an unforgettable vacation in the Smokies. Here are the some of the best resorts offering timeshare accommodations.

Go on an unforgettable hiking vacation. Wildland Trekking has a tour that fits nearly anyone who loves to hike in world-renowned, breathtaking landscapes

Year-round residential environmental education center in the Smokies which offers summer camps, school programs, family camps, and naturalist workshops.

Drive up to a classic diner experience right outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, Tenn. Locals say it’s the best burger in the county.

Here are some great photos found taken by visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding areas.

Before this was a national park, there were thriving communities here. See photos of the mountain people who made their homes on the land.

Packed with engaging trivia, historical photos and maps, former ranger quotes, and 40 original hand-illustrated poster designs and paintings.

At the main south entrance, tour the Mountain Farm Museum, pioneer buildings, stroll along the Oconaluftee River, and up the road see a historic gristmill.

Stay cool in summer at these water hot spots including swimming holes under waterfalls, boating in a fingered lake, and floating down creeks.

Whether you are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountains or simply want to stay connected to the national park, our newsletters are a great source of information and are filled with inspiring stories.

The weather you’ll find up on the high peaks can be very different from what’s going on in the lower valleys. Always be prepared with warm layers.

There are four main visitor centers in the park: Cades Cove, Clingmans Dome, Oconaluftee, and Sugarlands.

Great Smoky is in the eastern part of the United States on the Tennessee-North Carolina border. Gatlinburg, TN is the most popular gateway town.

Stay in a cabin on the “peaceful side of the Smokies” in Townsend, Tenn., and surrounding towns in Blount County. Here are three of our favorites.

Visit historic sites, the beach, and carefree towns before exploring America's most visited national park from its North Carolina entrance.

Full of souvenir shops, restaurants, and attractions, the bustling towns can be a sensory overload or a rollicking good time, depending on your perspective.

Joseph S. Hall recorded Smoky Mountain stories and songs in the 1930s. Purchase the music CD of 34 original recordings from the Great Smoky Mountains Association.

Wildfires burning in and near the national park, closed the park on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016 and caused residents in fire-impacted areas to flee from their homes.

On this forested drive you'll see historic cabins and mills sprouting up under the canopy of trees, and possibly Lucy, a ghost looking for a ride.

The general rule is to stay 50 yards away from bears. Never feed wild animals because it may cause them to lose their fear of humans. Watch this video