The roads were curvy and narrow. We were glad we weren't pulling our RV. All these photos were taken through the windshield of the truck, so there were some reflection issues. There are trees everywhere.
In places, we also saw orange day lillies.
The Arts and Crafts Community consists of 118 artisans working from their shops close to or in their homes in an area called the Glades. There is an 8-mile loop road through an area bounded by Glades Road, Buckhorn Road and State Highway 321. At one stop, we saw this creative waterfall.
This old wagon was in front of one shop.
We also saw this covered bridge.
Next, we drove through Gatlinburg toward the national park. On a Saturday afternoon, that was a big mistake.
If you can find a parking place in Gatlinburg, this trolley would be a good way to move through the city streets.
After finally getting into the park and stopping at the visitor center, we found a road that bypasses downtown Gatlinburg and were able to get back to Pigeon Forge fairly quickly. The traffic there was heavy, but not as bad as in Gatlinburg. Pigeon forge is one long amusement park. It must be heaven to young children.
We hope to return to the park and hike tomorrow. Hopefully, the traffic will be a little lighter on a Tuesday.
We used to visit SMNP frequently since it was only an 8 hour drive from Pensacola. Over the years Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge grew to be horribly crowded places, but it improved when they built the bypass road. In the off-season during the week Gatlinburg was actually a nice little town with some good restaurants. And then once you enter the national park it's a whole different, beautiful world. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteGayle