Wow it has been raining here in Townsend, TN you'd think it was sub tropical or something. We did catch a break in the weather and took a trip, just 7 miles up the road to Cades Cove It is in the Great Smokey Mountains and is one of the most visited destinations in the Smokey's. Before we took the tour I really didn't know what Cades Cove was or is. I now have a very different opinion of life in the 1800's
Cades Cove presumably by one tale I heard was originally named Kate's Cove after an Indian's wife. I'm not real convinced that is true as most other sources can't determine the source of the name and I don't know many Indians named Kate.
The entrance to Cades Cove is made from one end of a meadow if you will 11 miles long and 2 miles wide surrounded by mountains. There are actually 4 ways to get into Cades Cove this made the area more accessible than one would think just by riding through on your tour. What you get in Cades Cove is a look into the past. Originally Indians lived in the cove then in the early 1800's white families started to move in and built homesteads, churches, schools, post office and lots of other structures. At its peak Cades Cove's residence numbered around 900 and basically was basically self-sufficient.
Today's tour is a one-way drive around this 11-mile loop. Mind you I said one way, it is a very narrow road and during the high season I can see this being a real traffic jam. There are several of the residents homesteads preserved around this loop. You can park at each homestead and casually spend time peeking into the past. The cabins are open and you can go inside and touch and feel as long as you want. Parking is a premium at these places and that is what is going to cause most of the traffic jam, waiting for a place to park. If you can get there early in the morning or late in the evening you just might see an extra treat as the deer, bear and other wildlife seek food and water.
Near the halfway point is a working museum and rest area. There is lots of parking here with running water and restrooms available. There are no picnic tables that I saw but if you bring your own eats and drinks there is lots of room for an old fation blanket picnic. Buy something at the visitor's center money goes to a good cause. The best part this peek into the past is free just be prepared to spend a full day patients will be a virtue here.
There are several hikes that begin from this loop my recommendation is do the loop one day and the hikes another. We found that we wanted to pass on the hike the day we went, as it took longer to see the homesteads than we thought.
