Tour Cades Cove in a mini bus with Heritage Tours

Want to enjoy the scenery in Cades Cove one of the most beautiful places east of the Mississippi and sit back in comfort while someone else does the driving?

Well now you can do this while getting an informative and historically accurate tour of the historic buildings in Cades Cove, the natural beauty of the mountains and the bounty of wildlife that inhabits the valley.

Because Cades Cove is so beautiful year round, million of visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains national park find themselves here.

While may prefer to bike the 11 mile Cades Cove Loop or even hike it, thousands and thousands of cars drive on this narrow 1 way road which can lead real congestion in peak seasons. Add in a bear jam or deer jam and driver can become very frustrated.

Now in an effort to elevate traffic congestion in Cades Cove and to educate the public on the fantastic history and preservation the natural resources of the Great Smoky Mountains national park, the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center in Townsend now offer bus tours of Cades Cove.

This tour has only a few stops in Cades Cove and depending on the crowds on the road and the people in the tour, stops may be added or taken off the schedule.

Count on driving around the whole loop with a break at the Cades Cove Visitor Center in the back of the loop where there are accessible rest facilities, down a short drive on Forge Creek Road and generally a stop at the Dan Lawson Place by Hyatt Lane.

The Cades Cove guided tour takes around 3-1/2 hours and the bus holds 19 people in real comfort. Oversize windows allow you to see the beautiful views and wildlife without obstructions, a LCD TV playing and introduction video to the Great Smoky Mountains national park, climate control, comfortable seating and ramp for easy access set the stage for a fantastic tour of the Smokies.

While you can go along on the scheduled tours, you can also arrange a group tour of Cades Cove. To take the tour you need to go to the historic cabin in front the Smoky Mountains Heritage Center on 321 at 123 Cromwell Drive in Townsend.

Members of the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center get a discount and visitors to the museum can get a discounted combo ticket. The Heritage Museum is actually a fantastic way to start your historical and cultural tour of the Great Smoky Mountains.

You must call (865) 448-8838 ahead of time to make a reservation for the tour right now but this may change. You can also visit the Cades Cove Heritage Tour web site.

The Cades Cove Heritage tour is a non profit organization with no affiliation with the Great Smoky Mountains national park service.

Now that you saw how primitive log cabins used to be in the Great Smoky Mountains on this tour, you want to come back home to a start of the art, super comfortable and roomy cabin rental for your Smokies vacation. American Mountain Rentals has more than 150 to choose from!