The post The Top Reasons You Should Visit the Smoky Mountains appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.
]]>If you’re in the process of planning a family vacation, and especially one your entire family will enjoy, you might consider the Smoky Mountains. The Smoky Mountains are located in East Tennessee as well as part of North Carolina. The Smoky Mountains are considered a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains.
Along with being called the Smoky Mountains, sometimes they’re called the Great Smokies or just the Smokies.
The following are some things to know, reasons to visit, and tips for what to do when you’re in the Smoky Mountains.
Great Smoky National Park
Great Smoky National Park was established in 1934. It currently has more than eleven million visitors each year, and it’s the most visited national park in the country. The park spans for more than 800 square miles along the border of Tennessee and North Carolina.
Despite how many visitors it attracts each year, you would never realize it.
It’s quiet, deeply forested and the smoky haze is its namesake.
You’ll find not only woodlands but river valleys and fields of wildflowers (depending on the season).
There are opportunities to spot wildlife, including black bears and elk.
There are so many specific places to go within the park that these could fill their own lengthy lists.
For example, there’s Caves Cove and the nearby Abrams Falls hiking trail. There’s the park’s highest point which is Clingmans Dome, and also Laurel Falls, which is an 80-foot waterfall.
Whether you like a trip that’s more relaxing or adventurous, the park will have something you’ll find appealing. There are easy and more advanced hikes, as well as paddling and white water rafting.
Fall Foliage
If you get the opportunity to visit the Smoky Mountains in the fall, take it. The fall is stunning in the Smoky Mountains—it’s among the best you’ll find anywhere in the country.
The leaves start to change in late September to early October, and the peak is usually by the start of November.
The fall is also the perfect time to enjoy some local festivals like the Smoky Mountains Harvest Festival.
The Smoky Mountains Harvest Festival takes place over five weeks, and it includes Oktoberfest and the Gatlinburg Craftsmen’s Fair.
If you want to escape the crowds and enjoy lower prices, don’t go in fall—go in spring instead. The Smoky Mountains spring views are beautiful as well, and in April and May, there are more than 1,500 species of wildflowers in bloom.
The weather is usually in the 70s, so it’s a great time to enjoy the outdoors.
The Arts Community
You may not know it, but there is an eight-mile loop that’s part of historic Gatlinburg that’s a designated Tennessee Heritage Arts & Crafts Trail. It is the largest group of independent artists and artisans in North America, with more than 100 artists studios.
You can watch craftspeople paint, carve, sew and more.
You can also purchase an original piece of art.
Amusement Parks and Entertainment
There is no shortage of things to keep you occupied near the Smoky Mountains. Two of the most well-known attractions are Dollywood and Dollywood Splash Country, but there’s a lot more than that.
For example, there is The Island in Pigeon Forge. The Island is a shopping and entertainment venue with the Margaritaville Island Hotel, the Great Smoky Mountain Ferris Wheel, and lots more family-friendly fun.
There are dinner shows, including the popular Hatfield & McCoy show, and there’s the Titanic Museum.
Also a big hit is the Outdoor Gravity Park in Pigeon Forge. At this fun-filled attraction, you roll down a hill inside a big transparent ball, and it’s called zorbing.
Gatlinburg has its fair share of attractions much like nearby Pigeon Forge. There is Ober Gatlinburg, which is a longstanding amusement park that also has skiing and snow activities in the winter. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies is in Gatlinburg, as is the Gatlinburg Space Needle observation tower.
Recently added was the Gatlinburg Sky Lift Park, where you can take a chairlift ride year-round to get stunning mountain views.
The Mountain Mall is located in Gatlinburg also. It’s an indoor shopping area where you can find themed retailers offering everything from candy to handmade jewelry. The Village Shops are another Gatlinburg shopping destination, and they’re designed to feel like an Old World European shopping venue. Again, the focus is on handcrafted items and southern hospitality and customer service, which are trends you’ll see throughout your time in the Smoky Mountains.
About the Author: Susan is an avid writer, traveler, and overall enthusiast. Follow her on Twitter.
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]]>The post US West in a week. Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.
]]>Yosemite National Park is located ~300 km (190 miles) east of San Francisco and it takes about 4 hours to get there, so it is better get up as early as possible. Actually it applies to any day of this itinerary. Sorry, there is no time to sleep during this week J
The entrance fee to Yosemite NP is $20 per car and includes all occupants of the car. Permit is valid for unlimited entries to the park for 7 days. Because during this week it will be visited at least 4 national parks the best deal is to buy Annual Pass. It cost $80 for all National parks and you can buy it before your trip online.
Yosemite National Park is huge. The area of the park is ~3100 square km (~1200 square miles) with over 1200 kilometers (750 miles) of trail. Yosemite Valley is the best place to go for day visitor. Surrounded by up to 1.5 km (5,000 feet) rocks the valley itself is very flat and it is possible to take some short hikes without proper hiking boots.
Some short hikes to choose:
- Bridalveil Fall – 800 meters (0.5 miles) round-trip, 20 minutes
- Lower Yosemite Fall – 1.6 km (1 mile) loop. 30 minutes
- Cook’s Meadow Loop – 1.6 km (1 mile) loop. 30 minutes
- Mirror Lake/Meadow – 3.2 km (2 miles) round-trip, 1 hour
- Vernal Fall footbridge – 2.6 km ( 1.6 miles) round-trip, 1.5 hours
May is the best month to watch water falls then snow melts in the mountains. You won’t see so much water in August as you can see in above photo.
Next stop is at Sequoia National Park (entry fee is $20 if you didn’t buy Annual Pass). Park is 300 km (190 miles) and 4 hours driving away from Yosemite Valley, but you must to see those giant trees and largest is the General Sherman Tree. The tree is 84 meters (275 feet) height and estimated 2300-2700 years old and is called the largest living thing on the Earth.
The tunnel log located not far from the General Sherman Tree will let you feel even more how big these trees are as you can drive with your car through that tunnel.
It will be later evening by the time you reach this tunnel and the close by Mono Rock is the best place for sunset viewing – with sun going down in the west and moon rising above Great Western Divide in the east .
A view is fantastic and at least during my visit it wasn’t many people there at night so maybe you can enjoy that view only by yourselves.
Sun goes down and it is time to look for overnight stay. Bakersfield is largest town on the way. There are plenty of motels there, so I think it is best place to spend a night before heading to Death Valley tomorrow.
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It is winter in Southern Hemisphere and a lot of people are heading skiing to Snowy Mountains in Australia or Southern Alps in New Zealand. While I was living in Europe or Canada I was used to drive with all season or winter tires and never had a chance to use show chains. But in Australia or New Zealand snow is only high in the mountains so of course you won’t be changing tires for weekend trip to ski resort or if you want just to cross mountain range above snow line like Arthur Pass in New Zealand. Nobody will force you to hire snow chains but for peace of mind I would definitely recommend do so, as you can stuck somewhere on not passable road. Of course snow chains are must to have if you are going skiing in New Zealand. May be you’ll end up without need to use snow chains, but if you never ever used it, you should ask for demonstration how to fit when renting it. It easy to fit it when you know it, but you can damage car heavily if you are not experienced with doing it and will do it wrong. On the snow chains bag usually there are instructions how to use it, but it was unreadable on bag I had. I was lucky as somebody in my car knew how to fit chains, otherwise I would be in big trouble. Don’t do such mistake.
Have a save trip!
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]]>The post Most dangerous species in New Zealand appeared first on Vi Travel Tips.
]]>It made me start thinking what was most dangerous creature I met during time I lived in New Zealand. I love New Zealand’s safe nature – no poison snakes or grizzlies in the woods, there are no deadly animals in New Zealand at all. But there are some not so friendly species and here is mine top 3 :
3. Kea – mountain parrot. It won’t hurt you (at least I didn’t hear any accidents), but need to be careful and not leave any bags unattended in the mountains. Bird can open your bag and take anything from it. In the above picture you can see kea checks my backpack. Also it is better not allow get too close to your car as it likes to rip rubber parts. It is funny to watch some bus drivers running around the bus and trying to keep keas away from it. You definitely will meet these birds in Southern Alps.
2. Mosquitoes. Is anywhere in the world mosquitoes free place? In new Zealand they can be met anywhere.
1. Sandflies – probably most painful species in New Zealand. At least I didn’t see anything worse then it. It is so itchy. Somewhere I read they shouldn’t be active after sun set, but most bites I got then it was starting getting dark. Or may be it was time of day when I wasn’t moving enough? By maori legend the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa created sand fly to make people move and work instead of admire the beauty of Fiordland.
West coast of South Island is the worst. So be prepare for it.
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