Best Great Smoky Mountains Day Trips & Things to Do

The stunning mountain range straddling the state lines of North Carolina and Tennessee contains the majestic Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited United States national park attracting between 8-10 million people annually. The Great Smoky Mountains were once home to the Paleo Native Americans in prehistoric times and were discovered by the Europeans in 1800s. They are part of the Appalachian Mountains and named for the fog that surrounds the ranges and resembles smoke. Great Smoky Mountains are a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site and contain many destinations on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.