Author Archives: admin

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
What’s Blooming: Mid-July

 

Think all the good flowers bloom in the spring? Wait till you see the color and beauty that arrives in the summer. Click here or on the photo to see what’s blooming.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
1940 Presidential Motorcade Reenacted

 

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was met with cheering crowds as he traveled through Gatlinburg on his way to officially dedicate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Click here or on the photo to see how Gatlinburg brought this historic moment to life with the help of actor David Keith on July 4th.

Closed captioning [...]

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Why did the Terrapene carolina cross the road?

Ann Froschauer spotted this adventurer on the road and immortalized him with her photography. He’s an Eastern box turtle — the state reptile of both Tennessee and North Carolina. Ann assures me this one is a male. I think she fell for his red eyes. I wish you could’ve seen the [...]

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Hiking in the Clouds

Enjoy these great photos taken by Ann Froschauer during a hike to LeConte Lodge via Alum Cave Trail.
I’m just saying … there’s a good reason they call it the “smokies.”

This critter is a glassy grapeskin snail (Vitrinizontides latissimus), a snail whose shell is made of protein instead of the usual calcium (or so an expert [...]

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
What’s Blooming: Rosebay Rhododendron

 

One of the most common flowering shrubs in the park, the Rosebay Rhododendron can be found at elevations below 5,000 feet. Click here or on the photo to see a sampling of Rosebay blooms around the park.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the [...]

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
What’s Blooming: Grassy Balds

 

Late June and early July bring a spectrum of colors to high elevation grassy balds in the Great Smoky Mountains. Click here or on the photo to view the magnificent phenomenon that is azalea time.

Closed captioning is available for this video by clicking the caption button in the lower right-hand corner of the video controls.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Bear Family in Cades Cove

Dawn Roark, Manager of GSMA’s Cades Cove and Townsend stores, took these photos of a bear family (a mother with 3 cubs) “vacationing” in Cades Cove.

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Symphony in Cades Cove

GSMA’s own Dawn Roark took pictures of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra playing in Cades Cove for the 75th anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Here are Sandy Webb, Fran Reppert, and Larry Barker hard at work!