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Offered languages
- English
This tour travels over the crest of the Smokies from Tennessee into North Carolina. Along the way we'll experience one of the most scenic roads in the Southeast along with several panoramic mountain vistas. When we arrive in the Oconaluftee Valley we'll visit historic structures learning about the culture of the native Cherokee and European-descended mountaineers. While exploring this historic valley, we'll keep an eye out for elk. The largest animal in the Smokies, they were reintroduced by the park service in 2001.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
On Banner Road off of Highway 441/321 just north of Gatlinburg.
Itinerary
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1Oconaluftee Visitor Center
The visitor center located at the Cherokee, NC, entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to the Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum. Additionally, its fields are home to dozens of elk, the largest animal found in the Smokies. Guests have time to explore the exhibits and gift shop.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Newfound Gap Road
The most scenic road in the southeast, this 33-mile route snakes through the mountains as it crosses the Newfound Gap at higher than 5,000 feet elevation. We'll make several stops for scenic vistas.
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3Mingus Mill
Built in 1886, this historic grist mill demonstrates how mountaineers ground corn and wheat.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4Mountain Farm Museum
Adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center, the Mountain Farm Museum is a unique collection of farm buildings assembled from locations throughout the national park. Visitors can explore a log farmhouse, barn, apple house, springhouse, and a working blacksmith shop to get a sense of how families may have lived 100 years ago. Most of the structures were built in the late 19th century and were moved here in the 1950s. The Davis House offers a rare chance to view a log house built from chestnut wood before the chestnut blight decimated the American Chestnut in our forests during the 1930s and early 1940s.
1 hour • Admission ticket free -
5Oconaluftee River Trail
We'll be on the look out for elk at several locations around Oconaluftee and the Cherokee, NC, entrance to the park including the Oconaluftee River Trail and other fields and meadows.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please provide your own infant/booster seat if needed
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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