Welcome to Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains
 
Regional Map Adjacent to the Cades Cove and Little River region of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the quiet village of Townsend, Tennessee. Known as "The Peaceful Side of the Smokies", the Townsend area with its abundance of accommodations, craft shops, seasonal festivals, and abundant outdoor activities, provides an ideal vacation getaway or retirement home site. It is a perfect destination for visits to Cades Cove and the Smokies.
Townsend, itself, is a great place to visit - or to retire - with many recreational and sight-seeing opportunities as well as being adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This enchanting community has an interesting history, and some fascinating local attractions. And it is a part of historic and scenic Blount County, Tennessee - with a myriad of opportunities, all kinds of medical, educational, and shopping services, an excellent school system, plus easy proximity to Knoxville, and the University of Tennessee - in addition to the shops and shows of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the more commercially developed areas of the Smokies.

Four Seasons of Fun

The moderate climate of this region provides the basis of four very different but very beautiful seasons.
SPRING Considered by some to be the most exciting time of the year. Springtime offers the opportunity to experience the Townsend region at its finest. Wildflowers such as Mountain Phlox. Dwarf Irises, Trilliums and Pink Lady Slippers form a blanket of color on the hillsides. Toward the end of the season, the Dogwoods, Redbuds, and Azaleas are in bloom. A walk through the woods reveals young wood ducks, turkeys, ruffed grouse, rabbits, and if you are lucky, a glimpse of bear cubs playing on the hillside. The climate is cool and comfortable with the average daily temperature being 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
SUMMER The most popular season in the Townsend region is Summertime. The climate is comfortable with temperatures usually around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. July is the warmest month of the year. An abundance of wildlife can be seen in the Townsend region at this time including rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, creek otters, red foxes, and turkeys. The best time to see deer is early in the morning or at dusk. Occasionally, you will see a bear, however they are a nocturnal animal. Over 100 species of birds reside in the Townsend region including red-tailed hawks, yellow finches, red-headed woodpeckers, indigo buntings, and a variety of owls.
AUTUMN When Autumn arrives, the Townsend region is transformed into a glorious display of brilliant color. The colorful mountains are truly a spectacle to behold. A walk through the woods is especially enjoyable at this time as the average daily temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. In Autumn, the woods abound with wildlife as all the animals are preparing for the winter. Fall flowers are in full bloom and the air is clear and dry.
WINTER Winters are very mild in the Townsend region. Very often, snow falls only in the higher elevations. A cumulative of approximately 12 inches of snow falls annually, however, this usually comes in amounts of less than 4 inches at one time. The coldest weather occurs during the month of January. The average temperature at this time of year is 52 degrees Fahrenheit. A breathtaking sight is the mountains covered with snow. Whether trail hiking in the crisp air, skiing at Ober Gatlinburg, or curled up next to a warm fire, winter in the Townsend region is truly an enjoyable experience.

Cades Cove Cades Cove

Take a drive through Cades Cove. This 2000 acre open air museum depicts the lifestyles of our early mountain settlers. Located approximately 8 miles from Townsend in the National Park. Cades Cove is an 11 mile loop road. It is an open air museum which depicts the lifestyle of an early mountain community and its people. Many old homesteads and churches are visible from your car. There are plenty of pull-offs and hiking trails. Bicycles may be rented at the Bike Shop. The loop road is closed to autos from sunrise until 10 a.m. - during this time it is bicycles only.

Townsend History

Prior to 1900, this area of the Little River Valley and the surrounding tributary streams was called Tuckaleechee Cove - a name meaning "peaceful valley" given to the region by the Cherokees who lived here prior to the first white settlers arrival in the late 1700s. And, for more than a century after these first settlements, it remained a "peaceful valley," with subsistence farming along the valleys being the primary livelihood of the inhabitants. Then for a relatively brief period of less than 40 years it was a beehive of commercial lumbering activity. But since the establishment of the great Smoky Mountains National Park in the 1930s, the area has re-emerged as "The Peaceful Side of the Smokies."

In 1900, Wilson B. Townsend and a group of fellow Pennsylvanians formed the Little River Lumber Company, initially intended to supply tanbark for a tannery located at Walland. They bought nearly 80,000 acres of land, much of which now comprises the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And, in order to log the rugged terrain and move the logs to the mill, they established the Little River Railroad. The headquarters for both the railroad and the lumber company were located in the village which was named Townsend. From here, rails were run deep into the mountains - with workers, equipment, and tools hauled in and logs hauled out by the power of the Shay locomotives, small, powerful, cog driven steam engines which had been developed specifically for working on steep slopes such as these.

Even during this period of intense commercial activity, the scenic mountain country became a popular attraction once the railroads had opened relatively easy access to it. Some of the logging camps, notably Elkmont, began to evolve into tourist hotels. As logging activities began to wane and the railroad tracks removed, the rail beds provided the beginnings of roadways and trails into the Smokies. A prime example is the scenic Little River Road now running from Townsend all the way along the wilds of the Little River to the Sugarlands visitors center. This was originally the rail bed of the Little River Railroad.

In the mid 1930s, most of the forest land originally acquired by W.B. Townsend was sold to the state of Tennessee which turned it over to the National Park Service to form a major part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Because of its proximity to Cades Cove and the easy access to the scenic Little River portion of the park, Townsend became a major portal for visitors to the national park. The other main park portals such as Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Cherokee have seen the development of entertainment and "tourist" centers, many totally unrelated to the natural beauty of the Smoky Mountains, which draw crowds of tourists - and the corresponding traffic jams. Unlike these more commercialized portals, the Townsend area has remained primarily an uncluttered, pleasant, scenic destination for those who want to enjoy the natural beauty of the Smokies without undue artificial distractions.

Deer Little River

Little River Little River

Little River, one of our nation's purest watersheds, offers some of the South's finest trout fishing. The scenic route 73 Little River Road follows the river from Townsend to the Sugarland Visitors Center. With picnic areas, hiking trails, scenic overlooks, and photo vistas everywhere, this is one of the gems of the Smokies.

Tuckaleechee Caverns

Wonderful series of underground rooms and tunnels; ceilings as high as 150 feet and some rooms are 400 feet long with stalagmites and stalactites growing from ceilings and floors. Waterfalls, streams and constant natural temperature of 58 degrees.


Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum

Original trains and memorabilia from the days when Townsend was a logging community. Located on Hwy. 321 in the middle of Townsend.

The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company, Inc. was organized to preserve the history and artifacts from the former Little River Railroad and the Little River Lumber Company which carried out intense logging activities and opened up access to the area over a period of nearly 40 years beginning in 1900. Although this important part of the history of this area is preserved at the museum in Townsend, there is little other visible evidence left today in the Smokies of the operations of these companies.

Laurel Valley Golf Course

An 18 Hole course on some of the finest turf. Designed by Ed Ault with Penncross Bent Greens Vamont Bermuda Fairways. Panoramic mountain views.

Blount County Schools and Services

Blount County operates twelve elementary schools, one middle school, and two comprehensive secondary schools. One of the elementary schools is located in Townsend - and the middle school is located a few miles away at Walland. A short distance from them is Heritage High School. The City of Maryville has its own school system.

"The Mission Statement of the Blount County Schools is stated to be:
"The primary mission of Blount County Schools, in partnership with its communities, is to graduate 21st century citizens who will be value-oriented, career-directed, competent in communications and problem-solving, skillful in creative and critical thinking, and knowledgeable of technology and interdependence in a global and multicultural society."

Within a short distance of Townsend nearly any type of service is available. The Blount Memorial Hospital at Maryville is a large modern facility. In addition to the Mary Tipton Library located in Townsend, the services of the Blount County Library are available in Maryville. Maryville College is a distinguished liberal arts college - and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville is also within easy driving distance from Townsend. The Blount Partnership encompasses a County Chamber of Commerce, the Blount County Industrial Development Board, and the Smoky Mountain Visitors Bureau, which operates an extensive Tourist Information Center in Townsend. Townsend also has its own local Chamber of Commerce.

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Townsend View Realty
125 Townsend Park Road
Townsend, TN 37882

877-448-8822
E.mail: tvr@townsendviewrealty.com