A Visit to Cades Cove

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A Visit to Cades Cove

Having lived in the Blount County area all my life, I have taken many weekend trips with my family and friends to Cades Cove, a beautiful place situated in The Great Smokey Mountains. Here you can drive the eleven-mile trail (visiting the homes of people who once resided in Cades Cove), picnic in the park, and camp out for the weekend. Cades Cove contains a lot of history as well as beautiful sites.

Located near the Townsend entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, the cove is a great place to come and relax for a weekend. From ETSU, the trip is only a 2-1/2 hour drive. That may seem long, but it is well worth the drive, just to escape the hectic college life. Cades Cove is such a beautiful place to visit because of its landscape. There are many open fields with trees and wildflowers, and many deer roam around the open pastures. There are also many log cabins where people use to live in the Cades Cove area. Many visitors come to the cove just because of the history that lies in the park.

It is best to start the 11-mile trail at the beginning of the loop. Here it is higher and drier than at the swampy end, and you may see cows grazing high above the cove. The first home you see is the John Oliver Place, a two-story, hewn-log home built in the 1850’s. Near to this cabin, is The Primitive Baptist Church. It was organized in 1827, and buried in its cemetery is Russell Gregory. He was memorialized in the naming of Gregory’s Bald. Roughly 2 miles down from this church is the Methodist Church. Built in 1902 by John D.McCampbell, it has two front doors. One was for the women and children and the other was for the men. Right next to the church is a cemetery where many of the church families ...

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...o go hiking in the summer to bring along bottles of water so you do not get dehydrated. Fall is slightly cooler and a splendid time to take pictures because the leaves are changing colors. The winter is probably not the best time to go due to the cold weather. The roads also become pretty slick. Making sure your car is capable of driving in bad weather is a good safety precaution.

Cades Cove is a beautiful and peaceful place to visit. Enjoying picnics in the park, visiting homes of the people who once lived there, and camping out under the stars is a good way to relax and for college students to take their minds off school. For people who want to eat out or sleep somewhere other than the campground, Townsend offers restaurants and hotels. Being an inexpensive weekend trip, it is great place to go and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday college life.

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