Beat The Summer Heat With A Vacation In The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Outside the Smokies, record-breaking heat has gripped the US from sea to shining sea, and there is more than a month to go before cooler temperatures will prevail. Even on the hottest days where 100 degree plus temperatures just will not go away, you can still find cool relief and beat the heat in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Just think, there are places in the Smokies are accessible to everyone where you won't ever see temperatures above the 70's, and there are thousands of miles of cool streams and swimming holes within minutes from any vacation cabin rental in the Smoky Mountains.

Don't feel like going for a short drive to cool down? Just sit on the deck with a cool glass of ice tea and look out over the mountains, woods or river right by your cabin. Some of these cabins have swimming pool access too!

What could beat being under the shade of trees on a hiking trail or picnic grounds in the Great Smoky Mountains national park just minutes away or holding a fishing rod in your hand along or in a cool mountain stream? Maybe taking a long lazy tubing trip down the river is the cool mountain fed streams and rivers in the Pigeon Forge - Gatlinburg area, or even a guided white water rafting trip in exciting rapids!

Maybe the water and all that nature is just not your thing to beat the heat and you prefer to walk around a world-class top rated theme park like Dollywood and fell the rush of cool wind on your face on some of the exciting rides or the brand new zip lines in the Dollywood Theme Park. Don't forget the cool drinks, air conditioned restaurants and delicious ice cream all around the park...and yes, there are tamer rides for visitors of all ages all around Dollywood.

As if the Dollywood theme park was not great enough, from August 19th until September 5th, Dollywood is throwing its annual Barbeque and Bluegrass festival, a free concert series featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music such as Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, not to mention the what many call the country's tastiest barbeque. Would you believe they serve three-pound slices cut from a whopping 25-pound apple pie?

Better still, to beat the summer heat, purchase Discount Splash and Play Discount Tickets and you can enjoy both the Dollywood Theme Park AND Dollywood Splash Country - one of the most fun, exciting, clean and safe water parks around the world, and it is right here in the Smokies!

Better hurry up as besides a few blackout dates, Dollywood Splash Country is now open from 10 am to 6 pm until September 5th for the 2011 season. No one sells Dollywood and Splash Country tickets cheaper than American Mountain Rentals, not even Dollywood!

Everything in the Great Smoky Mountains is so green and lush as it is actually a temperate rain forest. There are such an abundance of beautiful plants and animals, some of which are extremely rare and endangered, that the United Nations designated the park as an International Biosphere. For a unique vacation, you can even help maintain some of the 850 miles of hiking trails this August. After clearing brush or moving logs, nothing will be more relaxing than a soak in hot tub under the stars back at your cabins.

One of the most popular large animals in the Great Smoky Mountains is our beloved black bear. In the national park alone, there are and estimated 1,700 black bear and the best places to see them are in Cades Cove and on Cherokee Orchard Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail just outside downtown Gatlinburg.

Black bears in the Smokies are a remarkable sight and often during late summer you will see momma bear called a sow with 2 or more cubs. It is important to keep your at least 50 yards from them...it's the law and it is for your and the bears safety. It is also important to not feed them or let them have access to garbage.

There are now 150 elk residing in and around the Great Smoky Mountains national park. During August the bulls antlers will start to lose their velvet covering as their hormone levels rise and by September their mating ritual called "the rut" is in full swing. During the rut, the large bulls make loud calls to one another called bugles. When 2 large bulls meet up they fight mostly ritually to earn as many cows that they gather into harems.

Right now, the momma elks called cows are still nursing their young that were born in May and June. The calves still have their baby spots, but they will gradually fade as their winter coat comes in during the fall. Bring a lawn chair and sit in the shade to watch these majestic animals. Just as with the bear it is important that no matter how docile they may appear, stay at least 150 from the elk.

The best place to see the elk is in Cataloochee North Carolina, about and hour's drive from Gatlinburg Tennessee. Just like the black bear, the first 2 hours after sunrise and before sunset is the best time to see them. As it gets cooler in late September, you may be able to see them all day long.

Speaking of cooler, another way to beat the heat on the Smokies is to zip along on one of the many new zip line attractions in the Smokies. After climbing into your safety harness and putting on a helmet, you are ready to zoom high above the ground and through the trees - what a rush having the wind on your face...Not for the faint of heart!

So many ways to beat the summer heat on the Smokies! Which will you choose?