Smoky Mountain getaway

A long weekend in Wears Valley

I'd never given Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains much thought. In my mind, Tennessee = Nashville — a city that sounds like plenty of fun but has never been a bucket list destination for me. But when my girlfriends and I decided to check Dollywood off our friend Rachelle's bucket list, a weekend in the Smokies naturally arose. 

Dollywood is located in Pigeon Forge, but we heard that the best views in the area can be found in Wears Valley in Sevier County. We found a cabin through Home Away (homeaway.com) — a great deal. Our cabin, "Mountain Romance," was part of The Preserve, but we spied plenty of cabin clusters on our scenic drive in. Mountain Romance had a full kitchen, two bedrooms, a lofted game room, living room, dining area, and downstairs den. And don't forget the spacious porch with a table for eating, chairs for lounging, and a hot tub for, well, hot tubbing. And the views: Breathtaking. 

On our first full day in Wears Valley, we set off to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. First we stopped for a picnic lunch of fried chicken (yep), and then it was off to the Scenic Loop. My oh my, the Loop is appropriately named. The drive through the national park was unreal. At one point we spotted a group of horses grazing in tall grasses, when suddenly one broke free of the bunch. It went running at a full gallop across the open green, the Smoky Mountains lending a dramatic backdrop. It's a moment I think we'll never forget.

About halfway through the Scenic Loop, we parked the car and set off on the trail for Abrams Falls. A rather boorish park ranger had told us be sure not to wear flip-flops (we weren't, nor would we ever) and to keep in mind that it's a moderate trail with lots of ups and downs. This unleashed the feminist in each of us, and I'm happy to report that our sneakers served us well and we handled the "ups and downs" just fine, thank you very much. 

 

Eventually we made it to Abrams Falls — a picture-perfect oasis nestled in the rocks and trees. We sat at the waterside for a solid half-hour or more and climbed the rocks nearest the falls for a photo-op or two. Eventually it was back to the car, the Scenic Loop, and home to the Mountain Romance.

When we weren't hiking the Great Smoky Mountain National Park or reveling in the wonders of Dollywood, our group hunkered down in the cabin, enjoying the hot tub and tasty home-cookin'. By the end of the trip, we agreed we'd all love to come back to the Smokies any time — there's still so much to see and do! Looks like I'm adding Wears Valley to my (repeat) bucket list.