A Day in the Gatlinburg Life: A Joyride and Playing Tourist in Cherokee

I actually had a better idea of what I was doing on this day than I let on. Friday, May 16, I had the day off, but staying at home or walking the streets of Gatlinburg taking pictures would have to take a break. I had plans. There’s a good bit I’d like to do beyond my tourist home city every now and then. So, this was a perfect opportunity to get recharged and spend my money on things other than food in this town.

The first thing I needed to take care of was our yearly parking pass for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Since it expired last month, I didn’t want to get ticketed. But, more importantly, I want to support the park, no matter how few or many times we get the chance to visit. The $40 it cost was a no-brainer, so the day began with obtaining a sticker at Sugarlands Visitors Center first thing in the morning.

Before heading over the mountains and into Cherokee, I didn’t have a solid plan on what I was going to do in the park. I knew I wouldn’t be spending all day in the immense beauty of our 500,000+ acres of the park, but I would be doing myself a disservice by just driving straight through. The hike would have to wait another day, but I wanted to take in the park’s aura as much as I could for a few hours.