Visitor Information

There are three main visitor centers in the park: Oconaluftee near Cherokee, Sugarlands near Gatlinburg, and Cades Cove. In addition, there is a visitor contact station at Clingmans Dome, plus five information centers outside the park (in Bryson City on the North Carolina side, and in Sevierville and Townsend and two in Gatlinburg on the Tennessee side).

Cades Cove Visitor Center. This visitor center is located about midway on the highly popular 11-mile Cades Cove Loop on the Tennessee side. What makes this one especially worth visiting is the Cable Mill, which operates spring through fall, and the Becky Cable House, a pioneer home with farm outbuildings. Cades Cove Loop, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina. 865/436–1200; www.nps.gov/grsm. Dec. and Jan., daily 9–4:30; Feb. and Nov., daily 9–5; Mar., Sept., and Oct., daily 9–6; Apr.–Aug., daily 9–7..

Clingmans Dome Visitor Contact Station. While not a full-fledged visitor information center, Clingmans Dome has a staffed information kiosk, along with a small park store and bookshop, on the Clingmans Dome trailhead. There are restrooms in the Clingsmans Dome parking lot. Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina. 865/436--1200; www.nps.gov/grsm. Closed Nov.-Mar.. Closed Dec.–Mar..

Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The park's main information center on the North Carolina side underwent a $3 million green-certified construction and expansion, completed in 2017. This was the first major visitor center construction project in the park since the early 1960s. It is 1½ miles from Cherokee and offers interactive displays, a 20-minute film, a large book and gift shop, ranger-led programs, and assistance from helpful park rangers and volunteers. There are restrooms and vending machines. Adjoining the visitor center, in a large level field next to the Oconaluftee River, is the Mountain Farm Museum, a reconstruction of an early 1900s mountain farmstead. Herds of elk are sometimes seen here. U.S. 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, 28719. 865/436–1200; www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm. Jan.-Feb., daily 8–4:30; March and Nov., daily 8–5; Apr.-May and Sep.-Oct., daily 8–6; June–Aug., daily 8–7.

Sugarlands Visitor Center. The main visitor center on the Tennessee side, Sugarlands features extensive exhibits in a nature museum about park flora and fauna, as well as a 20-minute film about the park. Ranger-led programs are held here from spring to fall. There are hiking trails nearby. U.S. 441, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, 37738. 865/436–1200; www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm. Jan.-Feb., daily 8–4:30; Mar. and Nov., daily 8–5; Apr., May, Sept., and Oct., daily 8–6; June–Aug., daily 8–7..