Cades Cove Heritage Tour

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 ...

We know the Smoky Mountains as foggy towering mountains with a thick forest. Did you know that before the Great Smoky Mountain National Park existed that most of the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains were barren? Here at Cades Cove Heritage Tours , we love the rich history of the mountains and we love to tell the stories. In this week’s blog, we would like to talk about the history of the logging industry in the Smoky Mountains. Early Logging Endeavors The first logging operations in the Smoky Mountains began in the 1880s. The most well-known early loggers were the English Lumber Company on Little River, the Taylor and Crate on the Hazel Creek, and Alexander Arthur on the Pigeon River. These operations couldn’t reach the high forest ranges, so they focused on the low-lying areas along waterways. They used splash dams or booms to float logs down the rivers to get to the mills. The dangers of working on waterways were flooding, and all three companies failed after their opera...

The Smoky Mountains are well known for amazing fall foliage, black bears, and moonshine! Moonshine? Yes, moonshine is a huge historic part of life in the Smokies. You will find all kinds of distilleries, large and small surrounding the Smokies, but it wasn’t too long ago that these mountains were crawling with bootleggers running corn whiskey stills. In this week’s blog, Cades Cove Heritage Tours will tell you all about the history of Moonshine in the Great Smoky Mountains . How It All Started When Irish and Scottish immigrants settled in the Smoky Mountains in the 1700s, they brought along their tradition of whiskey making. The Irish and Scottish typically used grains and barley to make their traditional whiskey, but the plentiful amount of corn would soon become the product of choice. The Whiskey Rebellion On January 27th, 1791 the House approved legislation to impose an excise tax on whiskey. The Distilled Spirits Tax was implemented to pay down national debt that had acc...

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...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has over 11 million visitors per year, making it the most visited national park in the country. Out of those 11 million, over 2 million visitors a year visit Cades Cove . Cades Cove is the most popular attraction in all the park. There are many reasons for that, and Cades Cove Heritage Tours would like to tell you about a few of those in this week’s blog. Black Bears What does every visitor to the Smokies want to catch a glimpse of? Black bears of course! Cades Cove is one of the best places in all the park to see a bear. Why is that? The cove is home to mass amounts of food sources for black bears, like acorns, blackberry, blueberry, and huckleberry bushes. Cades Cove has acres of open fields and meadows which give you a chance to see a bear on the move, and these open areas allow you to see into the wooded areas. History The first settlers came to Cades Cove in the 1820s. They started building homes and by 1850 there were as many as ...

It sure is hard to imagine that summer’s end is coming soon. Where did the time go? The autumn season will soon be upon us, so it is time to plan your fall getaway to the Smokies ! No matter the season, the Smoky Mountains are beautiful but there is something about the fall that sure is special. In this week’s blog, Cades Cove Heritage Tours will cover a few reasons why the Smoky Mountains are the place to be this fall. Cool Temperatures Summertime sure does bring the crowds to the Smokies, but with summer comes the temps. Visiting in the fall is a great time to take advantage of the cooler weather. You will be able to get out and enjoy a hike or bike ride through the mountains without worrying about the heat. The temperatures start to dip in late September and by November you may need a jacket. Fall Colors Fall is a beautiful season! Along with the cooler temperatures in late September and early October, the foliage starts to turn some amazing colors. The mountains will sta...

The Smoky Mountains are full of amazing wildlife! People from all over the country come to Cades Cove to catch a glimpse of these animals. Here at Cades Cove Heritage Tours , the black bear is the most popular and people are always asking questions about them. In this week’s blog, we will tell you all you need to know about the Smoky Mountain black bear . All About Black Bears Black bears are the most common bear in North America. Typically, black bears live in forests, but can also be found in mountains and swampy areas. They are excellent tree climbers. Despite being called black, black bears can also be blueish, brown, and cinnamon-colored in other parts of the country. The black bears in the Smokey Mountains are all black in color and will range from 100 pounds to 600 pounds. The bears can be up to six feet long and stand up to three feet tall from the ground to shoulder. Black bears tend to be solitary animals and like to roam large areas. Most of their diet consists of ...