Through the lens with Sayali!: The Great Smoky Mountains, Tenessee

My first long drive in the United States! It was a scenic drive in Spring! Smokies is a must visit during Fall, when you can see multi-colored leaves.

Smokies - Scenic beauty

Gatlinburg downtown

We visited Gatlinburg and happened to stay right in the downtown. Didn't have to drive to get to the trails. Also, the area is covered with tourists all-year round except winter. We hiked on two trails and one of them included a waterfall! There are lot of things to do in downtown (Skylift Park, Mountain Coaster etc) but you need a plan to cover most of the stuff in optimal amount of time (also including the wait-time for the rides+traffic). If you are a nature lover, the top priority is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! The park is super clean and serene; has lot of visitor/information centers, stores; the trails are provided with good maps/directions.

Gatlinburg downtown

Stream along one of the Gatlinburg trails

Sugarlands Vistor Center (museum) in Gatlinburg

Rangers at Sugarlands Visitor Center were very helpful in giving optimal directions and provided park maps; the Center had a museum, a bookstore and also offered an informative 20-minute film.

We drove to Cherokee later via Newfound Gap. We hiked to observation tower on the highest peak in the Smokies - Clingmans Dome. Along the paved trail until you reach the top, the scenery is breathtaking!

Information about Clingmans Dome

4th of July fireworks in Knoxvlle, Tenessee

Second time when we visited Smokies was during 4th of July long weekend. Specially went to see the mesmerizing Ruby falls in Chattanooga, Tenessee. In fact, it was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!! :) One of my dear friends gave the awesome suggestion. It's a must visit in off-season to escape holidays rush. The observation tower at Ruby Falls provides an astounding panaromic view. It's an 145-foot tall underground waterfall inside a limestone cavern in Lookout Mountain; has well-planned lit route inside the cave leading up to the waterfall and back. There are guided tours for various activities and the guides are super-amusing and informative.

Panaromic view from Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain

Ruby Falls, Chattanooga, Tenessee

Downtown Chattanooga is also serene town set along the Tenessee river; had awesome eateries. It is popular for trolley-like Incline Railway scaling steep Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls waterfall and Rock City, featuring sweeping views, sandstone formations and gardens. Provided you have a whole day, you might be able to cover these prime sites in Chattanooga. We also covered few trails in Gatlinburg and also happened to see a bear family (mamma + 3 cubs)!

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are most-visited towns in Smokies; both have awesome restaurants with variety of cuisines and well-planned accessible roads.