Peaceful Side of the Smokies; Townsend, Cades Cove, Foothills Parkway, Wears Valley, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Townsend, Tennessee is a mountain town roughly halfway between Maryville and Gatlinburg, with Highway 321/Lamar Alexander Parkway running through it. Townsend got its start in the 1920s as a hub for the railroad and lumber industries. It is called the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies”  and is just a mile or so from an entrance…

Etowah; A Gem in the Rough on Starr Mountain

Etowah is a tiny town of less than three square miles. It is located in  the East Tennessee region of Appalachia, where the state lines of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia begin to meet. Tennessee Avenue, also known as Highway 411, is the main street through town. Etowah is about an hour southeast of Knoxville,…