The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is celebrating its 88th birthday, and there are a few ways you can help this national treasure out.

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Great Smoky Mountain National Park's Birthday

For the better part of a century, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park has been entertaining guests with its beautiful mountain views, and stunning sights to see.

On June 15th, the Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park shared that the park is officially 88:

Happy Birthday Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Today marks 88 years that the park has been in service to the public as an official national park. We celebrate this beautiful place and everyone who supports preserving and protecting it for future generations to come. Give a gift at friendsofthesmokies.org/donate.

 

Stunning Sights and So Much To Do

The Gatlinburg area is so much fun because there's so much to do! Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are just a short drive from one another and there is a TON you can do there.  Plus it's not too far of a drive to go for a long weekend, it's about 6 hours from the Tri-State. Gatlinburg has become one of my husband and I's favorite places to visit. You can go for a long weekend or a whole week and never run out of things to do.

Here's my husband and I after hiking the Chimney Tops in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  This hike was fun but challenging! Not to mention it rained on us most of the way up, but we had a lot of fun.

I love that you can have the best of both worlds, you can enjoy touristy attractions along the main strip, or you can escape into nature in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  My husband and I would load up a cooler with lunch meat, granola bars, and stuff to make sandwiches, and head out into the national park for a day of hiking trails, and sightseeing. We'd come back to the car and make lunch, then head back out on more trails. There's so much to do, and stunning sights to see as you drive around the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and did you know there's a ghost town there too?!