5 Hidden Gems in The Smoky Mountains

When we vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains, we challenge ourselves to find new, lesser-known spots. While the pandemic goes on, it's even more important to visit places that are less crowded. So, here are 5 of our favorite hidden gems you should visit during your Smoky Mountains vacation.

1. Mingus Mill:

Dr. John Mingus and Sion Thomas Early built this water-powered grist mill in 1886 for just $600. They finished it in just 3 months. The mill supplied the local community with corn meal for several years until the National Park Service purchased it in 1930.

Today, millers are still on-site from mid-March through mid-November 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST to operate the mill for guests. Cornmeal is available for purchase.

Note: As of July 2020, guests cannot go in the mill itself or purchase cornmeal due to the pandemic, but you can still explore the grounds and talk to the miller from a distance.

Follow the flume all the way to the end, which takes you along a lovely trail where you'll see Mingus Creek. There's a lot of pretty creek side land to explore nearby. In warm months, beautiful butterflies congregate around there. It's a great place for pictures or a small picnic lunch.

If you're up for a bit of hiking, the Mingus Creek Trailhead is located near the parking lot. Of special note is a slave cemetery located up a hill near the trailhead. Look for the plain stones that mark the head and feet of the graves. If you see a coin placed upside down on the stone, it's a means of paying respect to those who are buried here.

2. Masonic Monument:

Located in North Carolina on the edge of the park just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, lies a unique monument dedicated to Freemasons around the world. It was completed in 1938 and is composed of 687 pieces of various kinds of natural materials, including granite, quartz, marble, jade, onyx, and more. The pieces all came from several places in 41 different countries including Antarctica. Many of these are engraved with their dates and locations. The Masons still hold their NC summer assembly there each year.

It's really more fascinating to behold than we first thought it would be. The area leading up to it is pretty and just a short walk from the parking lot. It's peaceful and would be a good place to stop for a picnic lunch or snack.

3. Oconaluftee Visitor Center:

This location is one of the newest visitor centers in the park. Located near Cherokee, NC and the nearby Cherokee Reservation, it serves as one of the Southern gateways into the park. The Mountain Farm Museum is located here, which leads you through a farmstead of preserved buildings from the 19th century. There's a log cabin, a barn, apple house, spring house, blacksmith shop, and more. The great thing about this place is that it's very wide open and easy to keep your distance from other visitors. We actually ate a picnic lunch on a bench just outside the administration building and watched the gentle afternoon rain.

Nearby are wide open fields where you can see herds of wild elk grazing. They've become quite used to visitors and will often venture right into the farmstead close to the trail. Take pictures! But be sure to keep your distance. They are not pets!

Oh, and watch for the elk droppings as you walk.

Note: As of July 2020, visitors are not allowed into the farmstead buildings due to the pandemic, but you can explore all around their exteriors, walk through the open barn, etc.

4. Little Greenbrier School/Walker Sisters Cabin:

Pack a lunch and head out to the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. Then take some time to visit a couple of local landmarks that once belonged to the small, yet thriving community of Little Greenbrier. Find the Metcalf Bottoms Trail close to the parking lot and hike an easy 1.5 miles. You'll come across a well-preserved one-room schoolhouse. John Walker and his son built the Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse in 1882. It operated as the community's only school and a church until 1936.

You can also reach the school by car via a gravel road off Lyons Springs Road and park nearby in the parking lot. During normal operation, you might find a volunteer "school teacher" who will show you what life was like for the school children back then. Children and parents both will love this little trip back in time.

From the schoolhouse, take the Little Brier Gap Trail another mile or so to the Walker Sisters

Cabin. This is the last standing cabin from the Little Greenbrier community. The home belonged to five Walker sisters who never married. They lived here and worked the land until the last sister passed away in 1964.

Unlike most of the homes in the National Park lands, the Walker sisters refused to give up their property, which ultimately drew visitors for many years. The sisters were able to earn a little money from making and selling food and souvenirs until they became too frail to do so anymore.

The Park Service purchased the property and preserved it so we can still enjoy it to this day. It's a very pretty, peaceful location, and the trails leading to it are not busy. You will need to keep an extra eye out for bears because of that, however, but it's worth it for a nice day out.

5. Tail of the Dragon/Foothills Parkway:

If you're a car or motorcycle hobbyist, you've likely heard of this 11-mile stretch of Hwy. 129. It's famous for the 318 sharp, twisty curves that adventurous drivers love to brave. The Foothills Parkway leading up to the Dragon is a nice straight, beautiful drive in itself. You'll pass by some beautiful vistas with the Smoky Mountains on one side and the Tennessee Valley on the other. Once you reach Hwy. 129, it'll be another rather straight drive along Chilhowee Lake until you reach the beginning of the Dragon.

A word of warning - this road is not for the fainthearted. Groups of motorcyclists and car drivers congregate in parking areas to start their race to the end. They don't drive slow. If you're up for it, just keep in mind that you can't putter by and sight-see or you may well get rear-ended. We managed just the first little stretch until we reached the first lookout point.

If you're like us, and traveling with kids who tend to get car sick, head the other way (north) on 129 and stop into eat at Dragon Pitt Inn & BBQ or the 129 Hub. Great food! Take the Foothills Parkway or another smaller road back through the park and back to your comfy condo where you can order pizza and talk about how you survived the Dragon (or part of it).