Great Smoky Mountains Association to celebrate 60th anniversary with hiking …

A day of hikes, lectures and cupcakes is planned to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains Association’s 60th anniversary on Saturday, June 22, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C.

GSMA’s legacy of providing financial support to Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in 1953 with a slightly longer name (Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association) and a $100 startup loan from Mount Rainer Natural History Association. The organization’s mission in the last 60 years has remained the same – to assist national park visitors by providing educational and other park-related sales items; to build a membership program of those who wish to support the park; and to use the proceeds of both these efforts to contribute to preservation efforts in the most-visited national park in America.

“Our organization started by selling postcards and Pioneer Farmstead pamphlets for a nickel. Our lifetime memberships were offered for $5,” said Terry Maddox, GSMA executive director. “Since then we have become home to one of the largest and most recognized national park publication teams, increased our membership ranks to more than 12,000 individuals and supporting businesses, expanded our visitor center and stores to eight in North Carolina and Tennessee, and grown our staff of GSMA employees to 70.

“More importantly, our organization in the last 60 years has contributed more than $30 million to the national park,” he said. “I’d call that an effort worth celebrating.”

GSMA contributions to the national park have been used for a wide variety of preservation efforts, including protecting bears from human interaction, restoring historic structures in Cataloochee Valley, Elkmont and Cades Cove, the fight against threats to the hemlock trees, backcountry rangers to protect the most isolated areas of the park, and archival storage of park-related documents and artifacts. GSMA was instrumental in the effort to bring elk back to the park, as well as worked to ensure the native brook trout population remains vibrant.

Most recently GSMA funds have been used to complete a renovation of the Clingmans Dome Information Center, Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn., and to construct a new visitor center at Oconaluftee, near Cherokee, N.C., both of which enrich the visitor experience by providing interpretive displays, current event information and assistance in planning your national park visit.

Two events will be held during the year to celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary, the first of which is set at Oconaluftee on the North Carolina side of the park, said Lisa Duff, GSMA marketing and membership director. “The people on both sides of the park have played an important part in the GSMA story over the years,” said Duff. “We plan to honor both for the contributions they’ve made.”

Most aspects of the daylong event are free and open to the public, including the official anniversary program at 2 p.m., the GSMA book signing beginning at noon and the GSMA historic photo exhibit, said Duff. Only GSMA members will be invited to take part in the day’s other planned activities, said Duff, “Which means if you join GSMA anytime prior to or during the day June 22 you’ll be eligible to participate in all the events planned during the day.”

GSMA members should preregister for the following, as space is limited:

8 a.m. – GSMNP Ranger Jason Fisher will give an elk program, limit 50

9 a.m. – Bryson City artist Elizabeth Ellison will conduct an outdoor watercolor class or participants can opt to bring the medium of their choice, limit 10

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Individuals and teams are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt at Oconaluftee, Mingus Mill and Smokemont, prizes to be awarded

10 a.m. – GSMA volunteer Westy Fletcher will lead an interpretative hike along the Oconaluftee River, limit 20

1 p.m. – Indoor storytelling and artistic program by Sylva’s Ammons Sisters, limit 50

4 p.m. – Naturalist Liz Domingue will lead a salamander safari, limit 20

To preregister for any of these activities, call the GSMA Membership Department at 865.436.7318, Ext. 222 or 254 by Friday, June 14.

A second 60th anniversary event is planned for Sept. 13-15 in Townsend, Tenn. That event will feature a full day of similar activities on Saturday, plus dinner and dancing in the evening. Preregistration will be accepted starting in early August.

Since its inception in 1953, Great Smoky Mountains Association has supported the preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the national park system by promoting greater public understanding and appreciation through education, interpretation and research. A non-profit organization, GSMA has provided more than $30 million to the park during its 60-year history.

Support for the Association comes primarily from sales of educational products and from annual membership dues. Anyone who wishes to become more closely involved with the park is encouraged to become a member. For more information about GSMA’s membership and volunteer opportunities, visit SmokiesInformation.org or call 888.898.9102, Ext. 222 or 254.

Smokies hosting Junior Ranger Day with activities

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is removing prepared to applaud National Junior Ranger Day with special activities during all 3 caller centers.

Children can acquire a giveaway Junior Ranger patch by completing 3 of a specifically designed activities. They embody ranger guided walks, ancestral fondle making, a speak with a wildland firefighter, a blacksmith emporium proof and hold tables with animal skins and skulls.

Activities take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday during Sugarlands Visitor Center nearby Gatlinburg, Cades Cove Visitor Center nearby Townsend and Oconaluftee Visitor Center nearby Cherokee, N.C.

Sugarlands will also horde a National Park Career Day for center and high propagandize students who will get a behind-the-scenes demeanour into a careers of a National Park Service.

Weekend in Gatlinburg

BREAKFAST: Grab a full-blown Smokies breakfast during Log Cabin Pancake House ( www.logcabinpancakehouse.com). You’ll be fueled to stand a towering (even if we don’t).

9 A.M.: Options crawl during Dollywood ( www.dollywood.com), one of a country’s tip thesis parks. Rides operation from a new Wild Eagle swift coaster to a 5-mile scenic steam sight trip. Singer Dolly Parton’s a local, so there’s towering culture, too. If falling all day into one captivate doesn’t appeal, house a Titanic, a large reproduction “docked” on Parkway in Pigeon Forge ( www.titanicattraction.com). Actual artifacts supplement to this sparkling re-creation.

LUNCH: Old Mill Square ( www.oldmillsquare.com) is a ancestral cornerstone of Pigeon Forge – an 1830 grist indent on a National Register of Historic Places. At Pottery House Cafe and Grille ( www.oldmillsquare.com/cafe.htm), have a boiled immature tomato BLT and a tantalizing square of cake or cake.

1 P.M.: Explore a Old Mill, accommodate a miller, buy creatively belligerent cornmeal, flour, forage and more. Watch potters during Pigeon River Pottery ( www.oldmillsquare.com/pottery.htm) – we only ate on their plates.

3 P.M.: The Smokies are all about views, so take a tethered balloon 400 feet in a atmosphere during Wonders of Flight ( www.wondersofflight.com). The whole Great Smoky Mountains protrusion a angled mile into a sky. The park is some-more than a backdrop. For an afternoon drive, take Wears Valley Road from Pigeon Forge, a left on Lyon Springs Road, to a best-kept-secret behind approach into a park to loop Cades Cove.

DINNER: No some-more nation cooking … Aptly named Bullfish Grill has black angus beef and flown-in uninformed seafood ( www.bullfishgrill.com).

WRAP UP: Catch a show. The Comedy Barn ( www.comedy barn.com) is a low-brow blast for families, and Country Tonite ( www.countrytonitepf.com) is a plain nation revue. Or only manipulate a festive Parkway strip. Where else can we competition go-karts during midnight?

BREAKFAST: The Donut Friar ( www.thevillage shops.com/donutfriar.html) is adult during 5 a.m. with a Smokies’ best baked goods.

8 A.M.: Time to tackle a Great Smoky Mountains ( www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm)! Take Newfound Gap Road to a Sugarlands Visitor Center for a glorious 18-minute film about America’s most-visited inhabitant park. Stroll a moving Sugarlands Nature Trail circuitously – or strike a highway aloft to Clingmans Dome. The summit’s a unbending half-mile travel – value each huff. Or leave city a opposite approach for a Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail Loop ( www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/roaringfork.htm), finish with ancestral cabins, wildlife, and waterfalls.

LUNCH: Take your collect of robust fresh-ground burgers and micro-brewed beers during Smoky Mountain Brewery ( www.smoky-mtn-brewery .com/locations.html)

2 P.M.: Want to try some-more in a area’s outdoors? Nantahala Outdoor Center ( www.noc.com), a large end outfitter, has all a gear, guided trips, and combined info we need.

3 P.M.: Gatlinburg is home to an extraordinary array of kitschy attractions – trust it or not. One of a coolest is Hillbilly Golf ( www.gatlinburg- attractions.com/hillbilly_golf.html). Take an slip tram adult and play down yet a howl full of fun. Or soar adult to good views during Ober Gatlinburg ( www.obergatlinburg.com). A tram rises to a town’s winter ski area where summer family options embody an alpine slide, H2O rides, Wildlife Encounter animal exhibits, ice skating and some-more (all-day, all-activity passes available).

DINNER: Celebrating 75 years in 2013, Buckhorn Inn ( www.buckhorninn.com/home.htm) is a Gatlinburg classical (built but electricity!). The four-course, prix-fixe cooking menu changes nightly. Thankfully, a nightfall perspective of Mount LeConte does not.

Randy Johnson

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Spring Opening Schedule Is Announced

Great Smoky Mountains National Park has altered the facility opening dates for many park facilities for the 2013 season. The Look Rock Campground and Picnic Area and the Abrams Creek Campground in Tennessee will remain closed. The remaining sites will open as follows:

Secondary Roads are scheduled as follows: Round Bottom/Straight Fork Road will open April 1; Parsons Branch and Rich Mountain Road will both open on April 5; Roaring Fork Nature Trail and Little Greenbrier are set to open April 12.

Clingmans Dome Road has been open dependent on weather conditions since Feb. 15, but will be officially open for the summer season on March 29. 

Operating Hours for Visitor Centers – The three visitor centers are open daily and the operating hours through March are as follows: Sugarlands Visitor Center, near Gatlinburg, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Cades Cove Visitor Center, near Townsend, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Campgrounds will open starting April 12. Reservations are required for Cades Cove, Elkmont, for the period from May 15-Oct. 31 and Cosby Campground, which has mostly first-come, first-served campsites, has a number of sites which can be reserved. Camping fees range from $14 to $23 per site/night.  

The Park’s largest picnic pavilion at Twin Creeks opens on April 1 and reservations are required. Twin Creeks fees range from $35-$75.

The opening dates for the three horseback concessions located on the Tennessee side of the Park are: Smoky Mountain Riding Stable on March 8; Sugarlands Riding Stable on March 8; and Cades Cove on March 9. Cades Cove Riding Stable will offer their customary carriage rides and hay rides, and wheelchair accessible carriage and hay rides.  

For more information, visit www.nps.gov/grsm.

For more information on Tennessee happenings, visit tnvacation.com, facebook.com/tnvacation, tnvacation.com/triptales/, instagram.com/tnvacation, twitter.com/tnvacation/ or pinterest.com/tnvacation/.

Planned controlled fires scheduled in Great Smoky Mountains National Park this …

GATLINBURG, Tennessee — The fire on the mountain may be by design this spring in the Smokies.

Officials of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park plan several intentional burns through May.

The National Park Service said the controlled burns reduce the accumulation of fuel for wildfires near residential communities and help restore diverse tree populations in the forest.

As weather permits, the burns are scheduled in areas near Wears Valley, Lynn Hollow and Cades Cove.

Park officials say the popular Loop Road will remain open in Cades Cove, but visitors may experience brief delays because of drifting smoke or safety concerns as firefighter work along the road.

Fire management officer Dave Loveland said 600 acres of fields burned earlier in the cove look great as spring arrives.

Prescribed browns entrance in a Smokies

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The glow on a towering might be by pattern this open in a Smokies.

Officials of a Great Smoky Mountains National Park devise several conscious browns by May.

The National Park Service pronounced a tranquil browns revoke a accumulation of fuel for wildfires nearby residential communities and assistance revive different tree populations in a forest.

As continue permits, a browns are scheduled in areas nearby Wears Valley, Lynn Hollow and Cades Cove.

Park officials contend a renouned Loop Road will sojourn open in Cades Cove, though visitors might knowledge brief delays since of flapping fume or reserve concerns as firefighter work along a road.

Fire government officer Dave Loveland pronounced 600 acres of fields burnt progressing in a inlet demeanour good as open arrives.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park to be affected by sequestration

3:31 p.m. February 20, 2013
Great Smoky Mountains National Park to be affected by sequestration

By Jeaneane Payne

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will suffer from the impact of sequestration as the meat cleaver comes down on America’s national parks.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee will close five campgrounds and picnic areas affecting over 54,000 visitors. Additionally, the reduction in staff will result in reduced road maintenance and increased time for emergency responses to activities such as accidents, rockslides, ice, and hazardous tree removal for more than 35,000 vehicles per day on several heavily travelled routes in the Cades Cove area as well as the thoroughfares between Gatlinburg, TN and Pigeon Forge, TN and between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC.

Sequestration will total $1.2 trillion and will occur in a series of cuts over a 10 year period. Fifty percent of the cuts include domestic discretionary spending which includes a $100 million cut for the National Parks Service. Sequestration is one of several efforts to control the growth of the U.S. national debt which now stands at more than $16 trillion. It will go into effect on March 1, 2013.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not only America’s most visited national park, it also generates more visitor spending than any of the 397 national parks.

A recently-released National Park Service (NPS) study shows that the Park’s 9 million visitors in 2010 spent over $818 million in the gateway towns surrounding the Park. In addition, 11,367 local jobs (full and part-time) were supported by Park visitor spending.

In the top five NPS parks generating the most revenue for surrounding towns were Great Smoky Mountains National Park with $818 million, Grand Canyon at $415 million, Yosemite with $354 million, Yellowstone at $334 million, and Blue Ridge Parkway with $299 million.

In addition to cutbacks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sequestration will cut visitor access to the rim of the Grand Canyon, significantly delay the spring opening of key portions of Yellowstone and Yosemite, limit access to the beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore, and impair the experiences in many other ways for millions of visitors at America’s national parks. In addition, local, regional and state economies that depend on national parks will take huge hits as visitors are either turned away or skip visits due to the impact of the mindless sequestration budget cuts.

Sequestration will result in a much reduced workforce, shutdowns of certain national park areas altogether or for extended period of times, closure of visitor centers and services, restrictions on the availability of campgrounds, visitor centers, comfort stations, and trail and other backcountry access. Additionally, the ability to respond to emergencies including wildland fires will be sharply reduced.

Joan Anzelmo, former Superintendent of Colorado National Monument, said: “Congress might just as well put a big Keep Out! sign at the entrance to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Cape Cod Seashore, and every other iconic national park in the U.S. This foolhardy path tarnishes America’s crown jewels and is a repudiation of the nation’s national parks often touted as America’s best idea. Millions of Americans depend on national parks for their vacations and livelihood. Those Americans are being told that national parks don’t count, that people who use national parks don’t count, and that people who live and work near national parks don’t count.”

Specific cuts at other major parks include:

• Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho will delay spring road opening operations inside the park and to the west, south, east, and northeast entrances. Savings would come from a combination of reduced or delayed seasonal hiring, extended unpaid furloughs for employees, and reduced operating expenses including fuel, equipment and maintenance. Access from the west (from US 20 191 West Yellowstone, MT), from the south (US 287/89, Jackson, WY thru Grand Teton National Park) and the east (US 20, Cody, WY) would be delayed 2-3 weeks. Access from the northeast via the Chief Joseph Highway (near Cody, WY) and Beartooth Highway (near Red Lodge, MT) would be delayed 3-4 weeks. Visitor access to Grant Village and Yellowstone Lake would be delayed 2-3 weeks. Combined, these delays will affect over 78,000 visitors, reduce park fee revenue by more than $150,000 and have significant economic impacts to concessioners and gateway communities.

• Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona will delay opening the East and West Rim Drives and reduce hours of operation at the main Grand Canyon Visitor Center. This will immediately affect over 250,000 visitors. Grand Canyon receives approximately five million visitors annually.

• Yosemite National Park in California, will delay the opening of the Tioga and Glacier Point roads by as much as four weeks due to limitations on snow removal resulting from reduced staffing which will impact thousands of visitors. In 2011, Yosemite National Park had a near record 4,098,648 visitors.

• Glacier National Park in Montana will delay opening the Going-to-the-Sun Road by two weeks, the only road which provides access to the entire park. In previous instances, closures of Going-to-the-Sun Road have resulted in financial distress for surrounding communities and concessions well into millions in lost revenues.

• Grand Teton National Park in Woming will close the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve, and the Flagg Ranch Visitor Contact Station, for the summer season affecting over 300,000 visitors. Additionally, the park’s cooperating association, the Grand Teton Association will lose $225,000 in sales revenue as a result of the closures.

• Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts will close the Province Lands Visitor Center for the season due to inability to staff and maintain it. Normal operating hours are daily, early May through late October. This closure will affect over 260,000 visitors. Additionally, visitor access to large sections of the Great Beach will be reduced and restricted in order to protect the nesting shorebirds. The nesting birds require daily monitoring, which a reduced staff could not provide.

• Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee a reduction in seasonal employees will cause closure of 25 comfort stations one day per week, affecting more than 200,000 visitors.

• Mount Rainier National Park in Washington will close the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center due to inability to staff and maintain it, affecting upwards of 85,000 visitors.

• Denali National Park in Alaska will have seasonal staff shortages resulting in delayed plowing operations of Denali’s spring road, postponing the opening of the Eielson Visitor Center. This would impact over 3,500 visitors per day and would significantly affect revenue for local businesses.

Nationwide, national parks support local economies in a significant way, generating $31 billion in private sector spending and 258,000 private sector jobs each year. Many parks are located in rural areas that are very dependent on these expenditures to maintain a healthy economy.

Published February 20, 2013

Subscribe to Knoxville Daily Sun

Great Smoky Mountains National Park to be effected by sequestration

3:31 p.m. February 20, 2013
Great Smoky Mountains National Park to be effected by sequestration

By Jeaneane Payne

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will suffer from the impact of sequestration as the meat cleaver comes down on America’s national parks.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee will close five campgrounds and picnic areas affecting over 54,000 visitors. Additionally, the reduction in staff will result in reduced road maintenance and increased time for emergency responses to activities such as accidents, rockslides, ice, and hazardous tree removal for more than 35,000 vehicles per day on several heavily travelled routes in the Cades Cove area as well as the thoroughfares between Gatlinburg, TN and Pigeon Forge, TN and between Gatlinburg, TN and Cherokee, NC.

Sequestration will total $1.2 trillion and will occur in a series of cuts over a 10 year period. Fifty percent of the cuts include domestic discretionary spending which includes a $100 million cut for the National Parks Service. Sequestration is one of several efforts to control the growth of the U.S. national debt which now stands at more than $16 trillion. It will go into effect on March 1, 2013.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not only America’s most visited national park, it also generates more visitor spending than any of the 397 national parks.

A recently-released National Park Service (NPS) study shows that the Park’s 9 million visitors in 2010 spent over $818 million in the gateway towns surrounding the Park. In addition, 11,367 local jobs (full and part-time) were supported by Park visitor spending.

In the top five NPS parks generating the most revenue for surrounding towns were Great Smoky Mountains National Park with $818 million, Grand Canyon at $415 million, Yosemite with $354 million, Yellowstone at $334 million, and Blue Ridge Parkway with $299 million.

In addition to cutbacks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sequestration will cut visitor access to the rim of the Grand Canyon, significantly delay the spring opening of key portions of Yellowstone and Yosemite, limit access to the beach at the Cape Cod National Seashore, and impair the experiences in many other ways for millions of visitors at America’s national parks. In addition, local, regional and state economies that depend on national parks will take huge hits as visitors are either turned away or skip visits due to the impact of the mindless sequestration budget cuts.

Sequestration will result in a much reduced workforce, shutdowns of certain national park areas altogether or for extended period of times, closure of visitor centers and services, restrictions on the availability of campgrounds, visitor centers, comfort stations, and trail and other backcountry access. Additionally, the ability to respond to emergencies including wildland fires will be sharply reduced.

Joan Anzelmo, former Superintendent of Colorado National Monument, said: “Congress might just as well put a big Keep Out! sign at the entrance to Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the Cape Cod Seashore, and every other iconic national park in the U.S. This foolhardy path tarnishes America’s crown jewels and is a repudiation of the nation’s national parks often touted as America’s best idea. Millions of Americans depend on national parks for their vacations and livelihood. Those Americans are being told that national parks don’t count, that people who use national parks don’t count, and that people who live and work near national parks don’t count.”

Specific cuts at other major parks include:

• Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho will delay spring road opening operations inside the park and to the west, south, east, and northeast entrances. Savings would come from a combination of reduced or delayed seasonal hiring, extended unpaid furloughs for employees, and reduced operating expenses including fuel, equipment and maintenance. Access from the west (from US 20 191 West Yellowstone, MT), from the south (US 287/89, Jackson, WY thru Grand Teton National Park) and the east (US 20, Cody, WY) would be delayed 2-3 weeks. Access from the northeast via the Chief Joseph Highway (near Cody, WY) and Beartooth Highway (near Red Lodge, MT) would be delayed 3-4 weeks. Visitor access to Grant Village and Yellowstone Lake would be delayed 2-3 weeks. Combined, these delays will affect over 78,000 visitors, reduce park fee revenue by more than $150,000 and have significant economic impacts to concessioners and gateway communities.

• Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona will delay opening the East and West Rim Drives and reduce hours of operation at the main Grand Canyon Visitor Center. This will immediately affect over 250,000 visitors. Grand Canyon receives approximately five million visitors annually.

• Yosemite National Park in California, will delay the opening of the Tioga and Glacier Point roads by as much as four weeks due to limitations on snow removal resulting from reduced staffing which will impact thousands of visitors. In 2011, Yosemite National Park had a near record 4,098,648 visitors.

• Glacier National Park in Montana will delay opening the Going-to-the-Sun Road by two weeks, the only road which provides access to the entire park. In previous instances, closures of Going-to-the-Sun Road have resulted in financial distress for surrounding communities and concessions well into millions in lost revenues.

• Grand Teton National Park in Woming will close the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, the Laurence S. Rockefeller Preserve, and the Flagg Ranch Visitor Contact Station, for the summer season affecting over 300,000 visitors. Additionally, the park’s cooperating association, the Grand Teton Association will lose $225,000 in sales revenue as a result of the closures.

• Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts will close the Province Lands Visitor Center for the season due to inability to staff and maintain it. Normal operating hours are daily, early May through late October. This closure will affect over 260,000 visitors. Additionally, visitor access to large sections of the Great Beach will be reduced and restricted in order to protect the nesting shorebirds. The nesting birds require daily monitoring, which a reduced staff could not provide.

• Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee a reduction in seasonal employees will cause closure of 25 comfort stations one day per week, affecting more than 200,000 visitors.

• Mount Rainier National Park in Washington will close the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center due to inability to staff and maintain it, affecting upwards of 85,000 visitors.

• Denali National Park in Alaska will have seasonal staff shortages resulting in delayed plowing operations of Denali’s spring road, postponing the opening of the Eielson Visitor Center. This would impact over 3,500 visitors per day and would significantly affect revenue for local businesses.

Nationwide, national parks support local economies in a significant way, generating $31 billion in private sector spending and 258,000 private sector jobs each year. Many parks are located in rural areas that are very dependent on these expenditures to maintain a healthy economy.

Published February 20, 2013

Subscribe to Knoxville Daily Sun

Rental Cabins Smoky Mountains – GSMVRO is Offering No Cost Advertising to … – Virtual

GSMVRO is offering no cost advertising to rental cabins in the Great Smoky Mountains. This offer includes Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg cabins and all immediate surrounding areas.

Gatlinburg,TN (PRWEB) December 16, 2012

Great Smoky Mountains Vacation Rentals Online (aka: GSMVRO) is currently offering no cost advertising to all owners and management companies of rental cabins in the Smoky Mountains. For a limited time Wears Valley, Pigeon Forge (click here) and Gatlinburg cabin rentals are eligible for a full featured ad listing on the GSMVRO website with zero cost for the first year. This listing will be full featured and allows up to 14 photos, is video tour capable and has prioritized placement over basic ad listings. This offer is good for the first 500 new rentals listed on the GSMVRO site or until May 1st 2013. Visit the GSMVRO Website to sign up.

The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited National Park in the USA with upwards of 9 million vacationers yearly to the area. GSMVRO has been providing listings for vacation cabin rentals to the region for over 7 years. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is the main Gateway to the National Park and tends to be the busiest of the popular destinations. For those who are seeking a quieter atmosphere a quick search of the GSMVRO website in the Wears Valley, Cobbly Nob, Cades Cove and Bluff Mountain areas should result in many chalets that fit the bill for peace and quiet perfectly. With ski season fast approaching a search of Chalet Village and Gatlinburg will get you situated just minutes from the Slopes. For those seeking bargain basement rental rates January 2 till early May can often reward diligent shoppers with the best rates on the nicest cabins. For something different a waterfront cabin on Douglas Lake featuring serene lake views with the Smoky Mountains for a backdrop is awe inspiring.

For more information on chalet and cabin rentals visit the GSMVRO website. To aid potential travelers to the area GSMVRO has recently launched their Gatlinburg Web Cam page (click here) that streams live video feeds from many popular area destinations. With over 1000 Smokies area rentals to choose from cabin hunters will surely find their perfect match. With everything from ultra-luxurious chalets with indoor pools and private theaters to honeymoon cabins for $99 per night in the off season GSMVRO has rentals to fit virtually everyone’s needs.

Planning a visit to the Smokies in the near future? Search the Great Smoky Mountains Vacation Rentals Online Website today for the best choices in mountain style log cabin rentals.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebrentalcabins/smokymountains/prweb10243984.htm

Park offers chance to view night sky, learn legends

NATIONAL PARK — A short hike this Saturday night could lead to a new appreciation of the night sky.

A stargazing event at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give participants the chance to see the night sky while surrounded by complete darkness, according to Mike Maslona, park ranger.

“They’ll see the stars like they never have before,” Maslona said. “They’ll definitely see the Milky Way like they never have before.”

In addition to stargazing, the event will include a presentation about Cherokee folklore related to the night sky, Maslona said. Afterwards, participants can peer through one of several telescopes that will be available, each pointing to a different aspect of the sky.

Astronomers from the Smoky Mountains Astronomical Society, which is collaborating with the park for the program, will be on hand to point out various features of the sky, including the position of stars, galaxies and constellations.

Seeing the sky without artificial light around is a rare opportunity, and is what makes the event worth attending, Maslona said.

“It’s just the uniqueness of being cushioned by the surrounding mountains and being completely in the dark,” he said. “It’s truly, totally dark.”

This year’s event will be the eighth annual stargazing at the park, Maslona said. In previous years, the chance to see and learn about the stars has drawn as many as 800.

Mid-September is the ideal time to see the sky, Maslona said. In October, the moon will be full and its light will obscure the view.

Those wishing to attend should arrive at the orientation shelter at the entrance to the Cades Cove Loop Road by 8 p.m. A park ranger will escort participants on a one-third mile hike to the stargazing area. Participants should dress warmly and bring a flashlight and lawn chair or blanket, Maslona said.

Also, those planning to attend should call the park Saturday morning to ensure the event has not been canceled because of cloud cover or rain. The park can be reached at (865) 448-4104.