Cades Cove Heritage Tour

With over 500,000 acres of land, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an expansive, gorgeous destination for your next family vacation! In fact, the Smokies are the most visited national park in the country. With free admission and no gates or closing hours, you can feel free to visit any time that works well with your travel plans. As the best tour of the Great Smoky Mountain s, Cades Cove Heritage Tours has the inside scoop on the top locations and attractions in the park as well as tips on how to plan your trip. Read on to learn more! Top Destinations in the Park With so much area to cover, it can be difficult to know where to start planning your family trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. Not to worry! We have some of the top destinations ranked for you, directly from the National Park Service. The top four locations to visit within the park are Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Clingman's Dome, and Roaring Fork. Cades Cove is the most popular destination in the Great Smo...

There are approximately 1,600 black bears that call the Great Smoky Mountains National Park home. Seeing these beautiful creatures is why many families make the trip to the Smoky Mountains . With its great wooded areas and open fields, Cades Cove offers the best chance to see black bears in the Smokies . In this week’s blog, Cades Cove Heritage Tours would like to remind you that these bears are wild animals and give you some safety tips if you encounter a bear. Keep Your Distance The most important thing to remember is to keep a safe distance. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires you to stay at least 50 yards away from bears at all time. If you get closer than 50 yards, you could be fined or even be arrested. Bear attacks are very uncommon, but bears will protect food and cubs, so if you get to close, they could see you as a threat. Do Not Feed Them If you have food, keep it secured and never leave it unattended. Never feed the bears! This can be very dangerous ...

Who would know more about Cades Cove than a retired Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger? Here is an opportunity to go behind the scenes with expert Mike Meldrum. You will not want to miss this amazing tour. In this week’s blog, we will tell you what you can expect in this Cades Cove tour . About Your Guide With nearly 20 years of service in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, retired ranger Mike Meldrum is what you might call an expert on the Smokies. A tour with Mike will take visitors to exclusive locations in the Cove, including the CCC Camp, the World War II Memorial Tree, Cable’s Lodge, Gregory’s Cave, and more. Visitors will also have the chance to hear about Joe Gregory’s thriving business. Back in the day, Joe used to charge visitors 50 cents to explore the cave. Earlier, it was used by Native Americans and Americans alike for various purposes. Aside from reported Civilian Conservation Corps moonshine parties and dances, the cave also hosted a government fallou...

We all get burned out from the daily grind. Take a break, get away and forget about our busy schedules! Family vacations are beneficial not only for your spouse, your children, but also for you! A trip with the fam is great time to spend together and make some memories. When it comes to planning your trip, there are so many choices. A getaway to the beach, the big city, or the scenic Smoky Mountains are all popular options for families to choose from. In today’s blog, Cades Cove Heritage Tours will list the top five reasons you should take a family vacation. 1. Relieve Stress Life is busy! Take some time to get away from it all. Away from work, school, kids’ activities, and the busyness of everyday life. Getting away from the hustle will do you, your spouse and children some good and relieve some stress and allow you some time to simply relax. 2. Bonding Taking time away with your family will create free time to bond with each other. This is a great time to spend as a family...

Whether you are a regular visitor to the Smokies, or you are a first timer, Cades Cove Heritage Tours offers you the opportunity to experience the Smoky Mountains as never before. We offer public and private fully guided tours for individuals and groups of all ages. In this week’s blog, we will answer the questions we are asked frequently about our tours here at Cades Cove Heritage Tours . Why Do You Charge for Your Tours? Aren’t Most Guided Tours in National Parks Free? Most shuttle tours in National Parks are not free. In fact, Cades Cove Heritage Tours is an excellent deal for a guided tour. Most private guided tours can run anywhere from $25 to over $125 per person. Is the Shuttle Going to Be Mandatory for All Visitors? No, Cades Cove Heritage Tours is not part of any plan to make riding mandatory. Cades Cove Heritage Tours is a private non-profit that seeks to provide a superior visitor experience while protecting the natural and cultural resource of Cades Cove. We offe...

June is the Great Outdoors Month and we would like for you to celebrate it with us here at Cades Cove Heritage Tours . Summer is the best time to get out and connect with nature. There are warm temperatures and beautiful sunshine to enjoy this June. Cades Cove is full of all sorts of nature! From breathtaking views, wildflowers, abundant wildlife, and historic buildings. The Smoky Mountains are the ultimate place to celebrate the great outdoors. So, turn off your phone and reconnect with nature. Breathtaking Views Cades Cove is one of the most popular attractions in all the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . A tour through this valley will allow you to see some of the best views in the whole country. The picturesque setting of Cades Cove is simply breathtaking. The natural fog that hangs over the mountain range is from the vapor that is released from the vegetation in the mountains. The vegetation exhales volatile organic compounds, chemicals that have high vapor pressure an...