Townsend Visitor Center

When visiting Townsend, the Townsend Visitor center is a great guide to the city. The center has several books dealing with hiking and hiking trails, buildings, and the history of the area. The visitor center also has several events such as art exhibits, assorted crafts, photography, and woodturning. For more information, click here.

Annual Pumpkin Festival

 

Come discover the beauty of the Smokies this fall during the Annual Pumpkin Festival. Feast your eyes on the gorgeous landscapes that the mountains provide in the fall with many festivities and activities that this festival withholds. The Wears Valley Farmer’s Market presents the Annual Pumpkin Festival, running from September 15 through October 30, which is located in Wears Valley, TN. Nestled in the heart of the Smoky Mountains, the festival offers a wide arrangement of seasonal mums to fresh produce and pumpkin carving. Along with arts and crafts, this festival has a wide assortment of happenings to satisfy any family’s desire. 

 

Capture the essence of fall this year during your trip into the Smokies with the Annual Pumpkin Festival: http://www.wearsvalley-farmersmarket.com/pumpkin-festival.html .

Special People’s Park

Special People’s Park is a handicapped picnicking area set in Townsend.  Here is a place for those confined to a wheelchair or ones with walking disabilities a ramp leading down to the water.  Picnic tables and grills are available with a wonderful view of the Little River. 

For more information, visit:http://www.townsendtennesseecabinrentals.com/services/accessibility/accessible_areas.htm

Apple Valley Farms

 

Apple Valley Farms makes you believe that comfort food is the way to go. Indulge in some thirst quenching apple cider, or warm yourself up with homemade apple pie. There is something for everyone in the quilt shop and country store, sure to please any sort of taste. Make this experience extraordinary with their unique gifts, crafts and assortment of the Smoky Mountain’s great southern cooking– a stray away from the typical tourist location. The next time you are traveling through Townsend and Pigeon Forge, stop into Apple Valley Farms to experience the laid-back family atmosphere.

 

For directions, menus and other information, visit http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/apple_valley_farms_country_stores_and_cafe/

Tuckaleechee Caverns

The “Greatest Site Under the Smokies” has been around for the last 20-30 million years and has been open to the public since 1931. Ever since, it’s been enticing tourists, all over the U.S., to visit the Caverns and embark on this once-in-a-lifetime historical experience. Located in Townsend, Tennessee, the Tuckaleechee Caverns are a must-see for all tourists and locals in the area. To learn more, visit the Tuckaleechee Caverns site at http://www.tuckaleecheecaverns.com

The Tuckaleechee Caverns were a great hiding place for the Cherokee Indians in the 1840s. They used them to hide in order to protect themselves from bad weather and other possible threats. Unfortunately, the Cherokees were forced to move to Oklahoma in a trip known as “The Trail of Tears.” The white man had then discovered these caverns in the 1850s and in 1931 they were open for the public to explore. They’ve been an exciting attraction for tourists all over the US ever since. If you’re interested in learning more about these caverns, visit the website at http://www.tuckaleecheecaverns.com.

Railroad Days

The final festivities of the Townsend Days Celebration are Railroad Days at Little River Railroad Museum. Activities include museum tours, hand car rides, walking tour of old Townsend and Tremont. The walking tours are both under a mile. Check out Railroad Days to learn all about the Little River Railroad and trains of yester year.

Nawger Nob Arts and Crafts Show

Check out the Nawger Nob Arts & Craft Fair in Townsend .  Over eighty crafters will sell wares like woodcarvings, baskets, paintings, pottery, chairs, and many more mountain crafts. The event takes place over the weekend of the 26-28th.  Nawger Nob is located on Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend.

Blue Ribbon County Fair

As part of the Townsend Days Fall Festival, the Blue Ribbon County Fair promises some sure fire family fun. The fair is modeled after the old days of county fairs, before the loud rides and over-priced games. The fair will be held on September 26 and is free for Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center Members and $4.00 to the public. This year there will be a floral design competition, student poster contest, skillet throw, log skidding demonstration, as well as displays and demonstrations, livestock, and rooster crowing. The fair will be held at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center in Townsend.

Fall Heritage Fest and Old Timers Fair

Coming September 25-26, the Townsend Visitors Center will be hosting its 17th annual Fall Heritage Festival and Old Timers Day as part of the Townsend Days Fall Festival. Come on out to Townsend to enjoy bluegrass music, clogging, local arts and crafts, food, and demonstrations of traditional skills like basketry, spinning, beekeeping, and blacksmithing. The festival is free and open to the public. Call 800.525.6834 for more.

History of Tuckaleechee Cove

Townsend is located in the Tuckaleechee Cove, an area with archaeological finds dating to 2000 B.C. The first known inhabitants of the Cove were Native Americans, notably the Cherokee tribe. ”Tuckaleechee” comes from the Cherokee word “Tikwalitsi”, but the original meaning is unknown. The Cherokees fought with other tribes, including the Shawano. By the time the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the 1700s, the Cherokee had abandoned their villages.
In 1900, the Little River Lumber Company was chartered by Colonel W.B. Townsend. The Colonel gave his name to the town that emerged in the vicinity of the lumber mill. Later, the Little Mill Railroad was constructed to link the mill to Walland and Elkmont. By the time the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was founded in the 1930’s, almost two-thirds of the forests in the area had been cut down by the logging company. Pressured by conservationists, Colonel Townsend sold 76,000 acres to be part of the park.