Oconaluftee Over the Top Tour: Scenic Smokies Exploration
5.0
1 Rating
Gatlinburg
Embark on the Oconaluftee Over the Top Tour and explore the scenic beauty of the Smokies. Discover panoramic mountain vistas, learn about Cherokee culture, and spot majestic elk in the historic Oconaluftee Valley.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Oconaluftee Visitor Center - The visitor center located at the Cherokee, NC, entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home to the Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum. Additionally, its fields are home to dozens of elk, the largest animal found in the Smokies. Guests have time to explore the exhibits and gift shop.
- Newfound Gap Road - The most scenic road in the southeast, this 33-mile route snakes through the mountains as it crosses the Newfound Gap at higher than 5,000 feet elevation. We’ll make several stops for scenic vistas.
- Mingus Mill - Built in 1886, this historic grist mill demonstrates how mountaineers ground corn and wheat.
- Mountain Farm Museum - Adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor’s Center, the Mountain Farm Museum is a unique collection of farm buildings assembled from locations throughout the national park. Visitors can explore a log farmhouse, barn, apple house, springhouse, and a working blacksmith shop to get a sense of how families may have lived 100 years ago. Most of the structures were built in the late 19th century and were moved here in the 1950s. The Davis House offers a rare chance to view a log house built from chestnut wood before the chestnut blight decimated the American Chestnut in our forests during the 1930s and early 1940s.
- Oconaluftee River Trail - We’ll be on the look out for elk at several locations around Oconaluftee and the Cherokee, NC, entrance to the park including the Oconaluftee River Trail and other fields and meadows.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Snacks
What's Not Included
- Car seats- please provide your own car seat for children that are too small for a regular seat belt
Additional Information
This journey takes us over the top of the Smoky Mountains, traversing from Tennessee to North Carolina. On this journey, we’ll explore one of the Southeast’s most picturesque routes, along with numerous breathtaking mountain landscapes. Upon reaching the Oconaluftee Valley, we’ll tour historical buildings and learn about the heritage of the indigenous Cherokees and the European-descended mountain dwellers. As we navigate the historical valley, we’ll be on the lookout for elk, the Smokies’ largest species which, interestingly, were reintroduced by the park authorities in 2001.
- Please provide your own infant/booster seat if needed
Location
Gatlinburg Welcome Center
Banner Road
On Banner Road off of Highway 441/321 just north of Gatlinburg.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(1 Rating)
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1 star
Sharonf161
Feb 22, 2024
Take this tour! - This was one of the best tours we’ve taken on vacations. Roomy van with large windows that provide excellent viewing and comfortable, easy access seats. Snacks and drinks were provided free of charge. There is a general itinerary that you can follow, but our Guide took the time to talk to us and find out our interests. He modified our route to suite our ideas. It’s a 5 hour tour and the time just flew by.
Philip was our guide. He loves the mountains, the Park, the Cherokee and just life in general and it shows. He’s a great story teller and a willing photographer so everyone’s in the pictures. I think he specializes in “unique” ideas for photos. We loved the ones he took for us.
This tour will be the highlight of your trip to Great Smoky Mountain National park! Take it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
