Cades Cove Tour

Crown Jewel of the Smokies

• Scenic Drive: Enjoy Wears Valley, Townsend and Cades Cove Loop Road from an iconic, heated Pink Jeep®
• Pioneer Life: Hear tales of self-sufficient, pioneer residents who tamed the wild and established rich communities
• Historic Structures: See the first Cades Cove churches and early settlers’ cabins; learn about cantilever barns 
• Cades Cove Cable Mill: Explore a water-powered grist mill that worked with nature instead of against it
• Guided and Narrated: Learn about the family clans who settled the Smokies (and still live here!)
• Flora and Fauna: Experience the Smoky Mountains' diverse ecosystems and Cades Cove wildlife
• Epic Views: A picturesque backdrop of a lush valley sheltered beneath mountain peaks
  
  

Tour Details

The idyllic valley of Cades Cove is the most visited area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, this verdant valley is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and encircled by the 11-mile, one way Cades Cove Scenic Loop Road.

You'll depart our Pigeon Forge office in a custom, heated Pink Jeep®  Wrangler  and travel through Wears Valley to Townsend, known as the Peaceful Side of the Smokies. Upon entering the picturesque valley of Cades Cove, passengers will step back in time amidst a backdrop of lush, rolling meadows and carefully restored 18th- and 19th-century structures.

There is no better place than Cades Cove to spot Smoky Mountain wildlife such as black bears, white-tailed deer, coyotes and wild turkey. They are frequently seen crossing the valley’s open expanses and are a large reason why Cades Cove is one of the most popular areas in the park.

As you follow the gently winding Cades Cove Loop, your local adventure guide will delve into the area's long, rich history. Cades Cove boasts the largest variety of historic buildings in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The tour will stop at several early structures, such as the Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church, the Methodist Church or the Missionary Baptist Church.

The Primitive Baptist Church was the first to be established in the cove and was a vital part of life for the community. So strong were its roots, members continued to meet there until the 1960s—over 130 years after its construction! The Methodist Church was built in 115 days for $115 in 1902. Many of the Cove’s early settlers are buried in its cemetery.

Halfway through the Loop, you'll stop at the Cades Cove Visitor Center and historic Cable Mill area. The Visitor Center features exhibits showcasing Southern-mountain lifestyle, a gift shop, bookstore and restrooms. The Cades Cove Historical Grist Mill, built in 1867 by John P. Cable, sits on its original site. Several other historic buildings have been relocated here from elsewhere in the park.

The water-powered grist mill and sawmill made Cable’s farm a focal point of the community. Lumber sawed at the Cable Mill built the first frame houses in the cove, while its grist mill ground grains into flour and meal. Cove residents would gather round “waiting their turn” and pass along stories of the day. The mill’s overshot water wheel still makes its slow and steady turn, its original grinding stones in use 150 years after first being laid.

A final tour stop will be at a cabin homestead tucked into the serene edges of the cove. Possibilities include the Henry Whitehead Place, the Tipton Place or Carter Shields Cabin. You’ll learn about early construction methods, the ingenuity of cantilever barns, and the ways of daily life.

The families of Cades Cove had to provide nearly all the food to support themselves and their livestock. Corn was the lifeblood of the community; its products were eaten morning, noon and night. Corn even gave rise to moonshine and colorful tales of outlaw distilleries!

Know Before You Go

• Children under 2 are not permitted on this tour.
• No 4x4 trails; tour is ideal for guests who are elderly or expectant mothers.
• Tour includes walking on rocky, uneven terrain.
• Guests with limited mobility may choose to stay in the vehicle at stops.
• Black bears can often be seen along the Loop but sightings are not guaranteed.
  
  

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