In Aug. we are planning a trip from OK to Tenn. we would like to stop in Nashville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area smokey mountains etc. We have never been. We will leave on the 17 Aug afternoon and make it to OK border. Was wondering if there are certain sites or towns along the way we should spend more time in. We have to be home on the 3rd of Sept. Any suggestions would be helpful. We will be traveling just the two of us and first time with our schnauzer. Any RV parks would be helpful also. Thanks Deb
Randy - Retired KC135 pilot, currently C17 Instructor
Deb - Indep. Beauty Consultant
2003 33TS 5th Forest River,Cardinal,Trail Air Supension, Air ride pin box.
2002 2500 3/4 ton Chevy,Duramax,Banks Exhaust, K & N filter, short bed.
Would recommend Tom Sawyer's CG just off I40, west Memphis. If you call ahead, ask for one of the pull-thru sites that face the river - great view of Mississippi River, a lot of barge traffic to watch. (they give you free use of washers/dryers, too!)
Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area is very touristy. Cherokee NC not as busy. Townsend is the "quiet side" of the Smokies. If you like to bicycle the Park Service closes Cades Cove to cars a couple mornings a week to give walkers and bicycle access to that area of the park.
COE has a very nice CG on Percy Priest Lake right in East Nashville area but doesn't have sewer (has dump). Easy off I 40 and close by but is very secluded, wooded CG that is close to the Hermitage, home/farm of Andrew Jackson. The CG is difficult to get in on weekends but usually can during the week.
GSMNP is a big area in both NC and TN. You want to see Cades Cove and the Elk herd. There is plenty of info at visitors' centers both in Gatlinburg and GSMNP. Lots and lots of hiking trails. If you stay in Gatlinburg or Pidgeon Forge make sure the CG is served by the trolley so you don't have to drive in the touristy areas outside of GSMNP. Have fun!
Wow Thanks for all the suggestions. This is great and gives me a place to start my planning. We have tried to stay at Tom Sawyer the last couple of years but it has been flooded each time. So we will try this year again. Thanks again. Deb
If you decide to camp in Pidgeon Forge or Gatlinburg, there are a number of campgrounds. Pidgeon Forge has a lot of shopping and rides and traffic. Gatlinburg is bumper to bumper traffic like most tourist destinations. We prefer to camp in Townsend---a lot quieter and a lot less traffic. Wears Valley Rd leads some 10M over to Pidgeon Forge. It is only like 2M into GSMNP. You can then drive to Cades Cove or turn left and drive over to the Visitor Center in the Park, which is only a short (lM or less)from Gatlinburg. Hwy 441 also leads over the mtn to Cherokee, N.C. If you camp in Pidgeon Forge, there is a bypass road that goes above Gatlinburg to near the park entrance. There is also a trolley that runs from Pidgeon Forge to Gatlinburg, which saves driving & trying to find somewhere to park. Good luck on your trip.
Joy wrote: Would recommend Tom Sawyer's CG just off I40, west Memphis. If you call ahead, ask for one of the pull-thru sites that face the river - great view of Mississippi River, a lot of barge traffic to watch. (they give you free use of washers/dryers, too!)
X2 for Tom Sawyer's Campground. Also, Loretta Lynn's campground in Hurricane Mills, just off I-40 west of Nashville is a nice place. Enjoy!!
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