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…
Waynesville, North Carolina’s Cataloochee Valley has become a prime spot for elk viewing since 2011, after an experimental program reintroduced elk to this part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The program was led by the National Park Service, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and a few other partners. Twenty-five radio collared elk were brought in…
Desert Botanical Gardens, without question, is my favourite place near Phoenix, Arizona. The gardens span 140 acres in the Sonoran Desert with 55 acres currently under cultivation. More than 25,000 documented/monitored species are available to view in over 50,000 plant displays, representing 100 plant groups and over 4,200 individual taxa that make up its living collection. …
Fernweh 