Take to the outdoors in Sevierville!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located just outside Sevierville Tennessee, is THE most visited park in the nation’s national park system. On an annual basis, over 10 million visitors take in the half-million acre preserve whether it be walking one of the numerous hiking trails, taking a self-guided nature tour, fishing, enjoying the many waterfalls, spring wildflowers, and spotting wildlife.

Several towns including Sevierville TN have grown consistently due to the popularity of the park. Sevierville is known for its wide array lodging opportunities, fine dining and exciting attractions. Lodging accommodations include a number of luxury cabin and chalet rentals that overlook the park.

National park plans originated the 1920s thanks to groups in both Knoxville, TN and Asheville, NC who wanted to protect the area’s natural beauty. At that time lumber companies owned most of the land while the rest consisted mainly of small farms. Congress officially established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. The Rockefeller family donated the final $5 million needed to complete the park, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Park in 1940.

To this day, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park operates 3 visitor centers, preserves 77 historic pioneer structures, and maintains 1,100 campsites (including 100 backcountry campsites), 11 picnic grounds, over 800 miles of trails and 700 miles of pristine streams.

Hiking Trails – With over 800 miles of trails, there’s a trail for everyone from beginner to the expert hiker. Park and trail maps can be bought at any of the three visitor centers in the park. In addition, several excellent outfitters are in surrounding towns and villages that can provide them.

Fly Fishing – Trout fishing in the park requires a valid Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license. Trout fishing is a year-round practice in the Great Smoky Mountains—from a half hour before sunrise and up to a half hour following sunset. Know your fish, especially the brook trout, because there are some restrictions.

Cades Cove – Only minutes from Sevierville, Cades Cove is one of the most beautiful, and scenic areas of the park. The Cove’s pioneer homesteads, mountain vistas, deer, wild turkey and American black bear draw millions to area annually looking for that perfect Smoky Mountain photo. The National Park offers a self-guided tour book at the entrance. An 11-mile loop road that takes a little over one hour to complete in your vehicle, and circles the Cove.

Smoky Mountain Knife Works events

Smoky Mountain Knife Works hosts numerous events throughout the year from appearances by outdoor celebrities to brand rep events.

Mykel Hawke and his wife Ruth England Hawke at Smoky Mountain Knife Works.

For outdoor enthusiasts, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a haven for nature lovers the world over. And over the years, various businesses have set up in the area to address the needs people wanting to get back to nature and explore the vast expanse of the Smokies. One of those businesses, Smoky Mountain Knife Works, has developed quite a following over the years and has become a pre-destination before visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Knife collectors to campers needing that perfect pocket knife flow through the doors on a daily basis to pick out the perfect blade, but it doesn’t stop there. Smoky Mountain Knife Works works hard to get people involved not only in the knife world, but the outdoor world as well with a series of special events held at their Kodak, Tn business each month. To close out 2012, Smoky Mountain Knife Works has three big events planned including:

  1. Rep Weekend (Friday, October 12 at 9 am) – Join Smoky Mountain Knife Works as they welcome a number of national brand name Knife representatives.
  2. Gunny is coming to SMKW! (Saturday, October 20 at 1 pm) – R. Lee Ermey from such renowned films as Full Metal Jacket will be in our retail showroom.
  3. Black Friday event (Friday, November 23 from 10 am to 1 pm) – Details to come.

These three events come on the heels of a year that saw Smoky Mountain Knife Works host such great events as a recent appearance by survival expert Les Stroud, pro Bassmaster fisherman Bill Lowen, Mykel Hawke from the hit television series Man, Woman, Wild and One Man Army on the Discovery Channel, Case Knives, Remington Cutlery, and the Zippo Collector’s Club. If you’re a knife collector, or just a plain outdoorsman, that’s a schedule you can really sink your teeth into. From product knowledge to just general outdoor skills, it’s all there with little left out.

As a company, Smoky Mountain Knife Works is one of the largest retail establishments in the area (more than 80,000 square feet), ranking right up there with Bass Pro and the Nantahala Outdoor Center. And it’s more than just knives, it’s knife accessories and kitchenware, an expansive collection of trophy wildlife, indoor waterfalls, and Native American artifacts.

Smoky Mountain Knife Works also houses the National Knife Museum, located upstairs above the showroom area as you walk through the front doors. The exhibits have been gathered from the knife makers themselves and you will be able to view not only the knives but examples of the original advertising pieces that have become a true part of Americana. The museum covers the progress of the knife from early man using stone tools through the change to steel and beyond.

Fall Events in Sevierville

There’s so much to do in Sevierville, Tn this fall we had to make a list.

Fall in Sevierville, TN is one of the most popular times during the year to visit the area. It’s one of the most picturesque settings around with the leaves changing color in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the crisp, cool air, and the variety of events in Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

So, you’re coming in from out of town for a day or two, or you’ve decided a weekend getaway is more your style. You ask, well, what is there to do? Lots, from the annual Sevier County Fair which runs the first week of September (4-9) to the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival which features all sorts of events and crafting displays depicting autumn in the Smoky Mountains, there’s always something for every age group in the fall.

Below are just some of the main events and occurrences sure to draw people into Sevierville and the Smokies this fall:

Fall Displays Throughout Town, and of course, in the mountains – Each year, numerous downtown Sevierville businesses as well as those along Winfield Dunn and Dolly Parton Parkway create displays featuring various fall scenes including cornstalks, pumpkins, scarecrows, flowers, gourds, and more. You’re also only a short 15-20 minute drive, depending on traffic, from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its gorgeous fall foliage. Have your camera ready if you’re here in October because the reds, oranges, and yellows are unlike anywhere else in the southeast.

Sevier County Fair – Whether it’s the rides, the cotton candy, the tractor pulls, or the Friday night ‘rasslin’ matches, the Sevier County Fair is a unique event that brings about childhood memories and creates new ones every year. Come for the annual “Fairest of the Fair”, check out the prize cattle and dairy entrants, and cheer on the fastest turtle…. It’s something different each night at the Sevier County Fair, this year Labor Day week  September 3-8 at the Sevier County Fairgrounds.

Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival – Some of the country’s best Bluegrass musicians descend upon Kodak, Tn for this three-day long bluegrass festival. This year, the festival runs Sept. 13-15. Some of the major talent scheduled to perform include Jimbo Whaley & The Greenbrier, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Balsam Range, and The Lonesome River Band. This is a festival where many Dumplin Valley Bluegrass lovers spend the weekend camping on site in tents and RVs. Visit dumplinvalleybluegrass.com for more information. Continue reading “Fall Events in Sevierville”