![](Map%20Townsend.jpg)
Overview
Townsend, Tennessee is a plush little valley community in
the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. As the old saying
goes, "always a bridesmaid, never a bride", Townsend has avoided
much of the fanfare heaped upon tourist traps like Pigeon Forge
and Gatlinburg. For the people of Townsend and most of the
people that make it their destination, this is a good thing, a
very good thing.
If you desire
massive crowds, bumper to bumper traffic, and commercialism run
amuck, this is not your place. Sure, it's easy to get to those
places easily and quickly from Townsend. A short scenic drive
through Wears Valley takes you to Pigeon Forge's excessive
arcades, go-cart tracks, bungee jumping, miniature golf, t-shirt
shops, and Dollywood. A
slightly longer drive through the National Park will lead you to
Gatlinburg and its crowded but festive main street. On second
thought, if you like those things, maybe Townsend is for you.
It's convenient to the attractions, but boasts quiet and
peaceful evenings when it's time to withdraw and decompress.
In Townsend, there
are several places to stay including a handful of motels ranging
greatly in cost. If you like to camp, this is a great place.
There are several campgrounds located in Townsend with many
sites on or near the Trout stocked Little River. We like to stay
at Townsend/Great
Smokies KOA. It's located on Little River and has full
hookups and lots of amenities and activities for kids and
grown-ups alike.
There is quite a lot
to do in Townsend while visiting. There is tubing on Little
River, horseback riding, kayaking and canoeing, fishing, biking,
hiking, and much more. However, be aware that the term
"seasonal" has real meaning here. We were surprised that Go
Carts were not available because it was "past season", in early
October, one of the busiest times of the year. Honestly, that is
one of Townsend's best features. A mostly
non-commercial-thinking community doing things at their own
pace.
It's good in
Townsend. I'll just sit here by the river and wave at the
passing tourists en route to streets more crowded than Time
Square. Then I'll turn my gaze to the bobber to answer the
all-important question, do farm raised Trout really like corn
nibblets?
PS- In all fairness,
we visit all those terrible commercial places I just critically
mentioned. We actually love go carts, Dollywood, and walking
down the crowded streets of Gatlinburg, But honestly, everyone
is much happier and harmonious in simpler surroundings. I guess
we can be eclectic.
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Other
Destinations:
Up Amicalola Falls State Park Beaches of South Walton. Berry College Big Kahunas Biltmore House Blairsville, Georgia Callaway Gardens Cataloochee Ski Area Cave Spring Cedar Creek Park Charlestown State Park Chattahoochee Bend State Park Chattanooga Zoo Chehaw Park Cherry Hill Park Chester Frost Park Chieftains Museum Choccolocco Mountain Off Road Park Cloudland Canyon Cloudmont Ski and Golf Consolidated Gold Mine Cohutta Wilderness Cumberland Island Dauset Trails Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort Desoto State Park Doll Mountain Campground Dollywood Dunnaway Gap Enota Mountain Retreat Etowah Indian Mounds Fall Creek Falls State Park Florala State Park Franklin D Roosevelt State Park Fort Mountain State Park Georgia Mountain Fairground Georgia Veterans State Park Gold n Gem Grubbin' Helen Georgia Hillcrest Orchards James H Floyd State park James Island Park Jellystone Park- Cave City, KY John Tanner Park Lake Allatoona Lake Sidney Lanier Lake Winnepesaukah Little River Canyon Center Live Oak Landing Lula Lake Land Trust Mammoth Cave National Park McIntosh Reserve McKinney Campground Moto Mountain Powersports New Echota - Cherokee Capitol Noccalula Falls Park details and pictures Old Stone Fort Archaeology State Park Pine Moutain RV Red Top Mountain State Park Ridge Ferry Park Rocky Mountain Recreation Area Rock Town - Pigeon Mountain Rome GA Salt Springs Recreation Area Silver Springs Stone Mountain Park Tanglewood Farm Tannehill State Park Tellus Science Museum The Southern Museum Topsail Hill Preserve Townsend KOA Townsend Tennessee Twinbrook Resort Up The Creek RV Camp - Park Details - Pictures US Space and Rocket Center - Details and Pictures Vogel State Park Wild Animal Safari World of Coke Zoo Atlanta - Details and Pictures
|
Features |
Rating (1-10) |
Description |
|
Official
Website |
9 |
Not too fancy, serves its
purpose. |
Campground -
Reserve |
8 |
There are several campgrounds,
motels, cabins, and lodges, in Townsend. We camp at the
Townsend
Great Smokies KOA. |
Tubing, canoeing, kayaking |
9 |
The Little River flows through
Townsend's valley. There are several tube rental places with
very reasonable prices. |
Hiking |
10 |
Townsend is at the edge of the
great Smoky Mountains National Park. 'nuf said. |
Biking |
10 |
Townsend
has a bike path that extends from the
Townsend/Great Smoky Mountains KOA all the way through
Townsend and on out the other end. As far as Mountain biking
goes, Townsend is located at the edge of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, so I would assume there is plenty
of mountain biking available. |
Visitor Center |
* |
We have not visited the Townsend
Visitor Center |
Geocaching |
* |
Geocaching is available, but we didn't have a chance. |
Rockhounding |
8 |
We have looked for rocks around the
KOA campground and river, but have found mostly sandstone and
granite. There are commercial gem-grubbin' mines in Pigeon
Forge and Gatlinburg, even Dollywood. If you want to find
some really nice garnet, quartz, amethyst, rubies and
sapphires, buy an enriched bag of ore and have fun. |
Local Attractions |
10 |
Maryville, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center,
Elkmont
Campground and Ghost Town,
Tuckaleechee
Caverns, horseback riding, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge,
Dollywood,
Cherokee, and the list goes on... |
*Note: We rate
only the amenities we have personally reviewed.
No financial consideration or favor has been received for
listing in PB&J Adventures' website. We are in no way
affiliated with this facility or any other facility we
review. Any paid advertising seen on this site was arranged
after the destination was reviewed. You can trust the
reviews to be unbiased. |
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