Plan your holiday the right way!

Cabin reservations are filling up fast this time of year!

Holidays are special times when the entire family gathers together to enjoy the spirit of the season in The Smokies. With so many options and amenities, private vacation rental accommodations offer you and your family a Thanksgiving getaway to remember. Also, consider giving someone special an additional surprise gift. Great Cabins in the Smokies can provide beautiful flower arrangements or a fresh fruit and cheese basket ready and waiting in your cabin for your arrival. We want your vacation to the Smokies to be an everlasting memory.

Visit our website today to plan your celebration destination.

http://greatcabinsinthesmokies.com/

Splashes of Color in The Smokies!

By the beginning of October, trees in the Smoky Mountains high country that are now showing bright fall colors are the yellows of American beech and yellow birch and different shades of reds on mountain ash, pin cherry and mountain maple. In the lower elevations, a few early color changing species such as sourwood and sumac are showing bright reds now, but are scattered. Some dogwoods and maples are beginning to turn different colors in some areas as well. Fall wildflowers such as goldenrod and asters are colorful throughout the park and some blueberry and blackberry shrubs are also changing color.

The majority of the deciduous forest at 4,000 feet elevation and below is still predominantly green, but now with splashes of color dotting the slopes. A succession of warm, sunny days and cool crisp, but not freezing nights will bring about the most spectacular color display. At this part of the autumn season, some areas of the Smoky Mountains are showing more reds throughout the landscape than in other years.

As the leaf color increases, so does the number of autumn leaf peekers. While scenic drives are a good way to see fall colors in the Smoky Mountains, taking to the trails is a wonderful way to enjoy the splendors of autumn. The Appalachian Trail, accessed at Clingmans Dome or Newfound Gap, would be an excellent hiking experience during this time of year.

Fall Foliage in the Smoky Mountains!

Autumn in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a special time when a glorious leaf season of several weeks is enjoyed by visitors as fall colors travel down the mountainsides from the highest elevations to the foothills. Fall colors in the Smoky Mountains are magnificent and varied because of the amazing diversity of trees. Some 100 species of native trees live in the Smokies, the vast majority of which are deciduous. The timing of fall color change depends upon so many variables that the exact dates of "peak" season are impossible to predict in advance. In the Smoky Mountains, autumn color displays above 4,000 feet start as early as mid-September with the turning of yellow birch, American beech, mountain maple, hobblebush, and pin cherry, clearly visible from such vantage points as Clingmans Dome Road.

By the later stages of September, the right ingredients are beginning to emerge, the time when cooler temperatures and sunny days mix with some rainfall to bring on a spectacular autumn color display in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The timing of color change and leaf fall is primarily sparked by the calendar; that is, the increasing length of night. As days grow shorter and nights grow longer and cooler, chemical processes in the leaf begin to paint the landscape with nature’s autumn palette in the Smoky Mountains.

September’s suggested hikes for seeing the Smoky Mountains in autumn: Albright Grove and Sugarland Mountain Trail as well as high elevation hikes to Andrews Bald or Mt. LeConte would be time well spent.

Good places to see fall colors in the Smoky Mountains include Newfound Gap Road from Alum Cave Trailhead to Kephart Prong Trailhead, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway East & West, and Heintooga Ridge Road to Balsam Mountain Campground. Suggested hikes include Rich Mountain Loop, Chestnut Top Trail, Smokemont Loop, Kanati Fork, and Sutton Ridge Overlook (Lower Mt. Cammerer Trail). Watch www.gatlinburg.com for weekly fall colors updates beginning in mid-September.

Wears Valley Oktoberfest 2010!

The Wears Valley Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Oktoberfest 2010. This event will be highlighted by the Stihl Timbersports American Title Event Competition, a chainsaw carving contest, several local country and bluegrass bands, and much more!

Visitors can enjoy 3 days of local crafts displayed by over 100 local vendors, live music & singing everywhere, a lumberjack competition with over 70 competitors, local food vendors, story telling, as well as a petting zoo with activities for children. The award winning National Logging competition will be an exciting event not to be missed!

Friday, October 22, 2010 through Sunday, October 24, 2010 is where 15,000 spectators gather to join in the family friendly entertainment and festival fun!

Free admission, parking with donation. Located 6 miles from Pigeon Forge on State Road 321.

For more information, please call Carolyn Street 865-428-4917 or e-mail calle831@comcast.net