Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Townsend (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum, and Little River Railroad. Also, be sure to include Tuckaleechee Caverns in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Townsend (Tennessee).
Table of Contents
Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center
Museum in Townsend, Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is a private non-profit museum located in Townsend, Tennessee, United States, near the city's entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Its mission is to preserve the heritage and culture of the inhabitants of the Great Smoky Mountains, including both the region's Native American inhabitants and the pioneers and residents of the region's Appalachian communities. The center was organized in the early 2000s, and officially opened in February 2006.
The center houses over 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of indoor and outdoor exhibits. The outdoor area includes several structures from around the region, including a log cabin, two cantilever barns, an AME Zion chapel, a logging town "setoff" house, a sawmill, and a still once operated by a local moonshiner. The indoor gallery displays tools, furniture and musical instruments used in the mountain region, as well as a sizable collection of Cherokee and other Native American artifacts, some dating to the Archaic period (c. 8000–2000 B.C.).[1]
Address: 123 Cromwell Dr, 37882 Townsend
The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum
Specialty museum, Museum, History museum
Address: 7747 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, 37882 Townsend
Little River Railroad
The Little River Railroad is a historic class III railroad that operated between Maryville and Elkmont, Tennessee, during the period 1901 to 1939.[2]
Tuckaleechee Caverns
Cave in Tennessee. Tuckaleechee Caverns is a tourist attraction and the largest and highest rated cave or caverns by AAA East of the Mississippi river. Tuckaleechee runs under the Smoky Mountains National Park to Townsend, Tennessee. The caverns were discovered in the mid-19th century and were opened to the public by Bill Vananda and Harry Myers in 1953. The caverns are known for the "Big Room", an immense cave/cavern room with many stalagmites reaching 24 feet tall with flow-stone formations hundreds of feet in length and width.
Tuckaleechee Caverns also has the tallest underground waterfall named "Silver Falls", a 210-foot two-tier waterfall. The cavern originates at White Oak Sinks in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Caverns also host a seismograph system monitored by the United States Department of Defense and the United States Geological Survey (USGS).[3]
Address: 825 Cavern Rd, 37882-4505 Townsend