Cades Cove

Cades Cove is an 11 mile, one-way auto tour that takes you through an area that had been settled from 1821 until the creation of Smoky Mountain National Park in 1936.  

There are several walking tours along the route, many leading to original cabins and buildings of people who had lived in the cove.  It is also an excellent place to see wildlife.   The cove was first settled in 1821.  The flat, fertile land was an attractive area to settle.

At one time, 685 people lived in this area.  There are a handful of original houses, barns and other buildings from homesteads along with four churches with cemeteries along the route.   

Recommendations

• Get there early.  There is less traffic in the morning and animals tend to be more active early in the day and in the evenings.  
• Buy the tour guide book and read it at each of the stops.  It's only 50 cents, it is an easy read and it provides good insight to help you imagine what life must have been like for the people who lived in the cove. 
• Be prepared to wait behind slow traffic if the area is really busy.  If people see a bear and there isn't any place to park, they just park the car in the road and watch the bear.  For this reason, it's good to avoid weekends when traffic is undoubtedly heavier. 
• Take your time and look at the things around you.  There is a lot to see.  We had a book on trees with us and identified several trees just to expand our knowledge.  We saw several varieties of oak, maple, pine and even saw an American Holly tree.  You are much more likely to spot wildlife it you take your time also.  Look for more than just bears and deer.  We were as excited about the wild turkey and the pileated woodpeckers as we were the deer.  

Take a picnic lunch with you.  The Visitor's Center is about halfway through and located near the mill (which still works and is used to make flour sold at there).  Many people stop to eat here.  There are also places to throw your garbage away and bathrooms.

Did you know many of the churches in the cove stopped holding services during the Civil War to do divisions in the congregations on which side should win.  A majority of persons living in the cove supported the North, but there were a number of Confederate sympathizers also.