The Derosia Team

Fall is the perfect time for hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The weather is mild and the colors are vibrant. There are tons of hikes for all ages and skill levels. The fall leaves are quickly moving past their peak, but there are several trails that still provide some great opportunities for leaf viewing. These hikes are in the lowest elevations of the park, where leaf color remains exceptional.                                                        Meigs Mountain Trail is found in the Elkmont area. It is a moderate, 4.6 round-trip mile hike. This trail will offer some great opportunities to view the leaf colors along Jakes Creek. You will pass a small 2 foot waterfall and remains of former inhabitants. The trail ends with an opportunity to view remains of an old dam.                 ...

Sevier County, Tennessee was established September 18, 1794 and covers about 6,000 square miles.  There are three distinct regions in Sevier County, Appalachian Mountain region to the north, Foothills region in the central portion, and the Great Valley of East Tennessee, which stretches 9,200 square miles across Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. Since the counties establishment, the county seat has been situated at Sevierville, the eighth oldest city in Tennessee.  As with an old county throughout the world, their is always historic buildings and places that still remain today.  Sevier County is no exception.  There are many historic buildings that make up part of the history of Sevier County that are still standing today.  Some of these buildings/places have made their way to the United States National Registry of Historic Places.  Because their are so many important buildings/places within Sevier County it is near impossible to hit on all of these in o...

Have you considered buying a vacation home as an invest?  What better way to go on vacation than to go out of town and stay at your on home? Then when you are not visiting you can rent it out throughout the year to cover your cost.  Sounds good, right? Let's consider a couple things and you can make your own decision. Gross Income Depending on where you plan to buy a vacation make sure to take into consideration that must vacation destinations are seasonal.  In other words you will not have a renter everyday of the year.  For example, in the Great Smoky Mountains the season runs from mid-March through December.  January and February can often be dead months but are starting to pickup. Management Fees If you plan on using a management company to rent your vacation home you will need to factor in the percentage the rental company takes for each rental plus any other hidden fees.  Do your research and know what you are getting yourself into. Ano...

Pigeon Forge will host the 23rd annual Wilderness Wildlife week starting January 12, 2013 and going through January 19, 2013 at the Music Road Hotel and Convention Center. This event is free and is an educational and fun experience devoted to the wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wilderness Wildlife Week will consist of guided hikes, workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and many other activities and events that celebrate the spectacular ecology, history, and tradition of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This event offers so many activities that it is easy to say that there is something for everyone to enjoy and be involved in. The information desk is open from 7:00am - 9:00pm for the duration of the event. The vendor/exhibit hall is open from 9:00am - 6:00pm for the duration of the event. If you are interested in Wilderness week you can read more about the different classes and hikes here .

Tourist destinations are packed full of restaurants; most of them being the well known chain restaurants that can be dined in all over the country.  However, every city has the smaller restaurants that are usually out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.  These restaurants are  local favorites and mom and pop establishments that don't make it into the guidebooks and vacation brochures.  Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and the other surrounding areas of the Smoky Mountains have several well-kept secrets that the locals love.   These establishments in the Smoky Mountains are often a great place to go and learn about the local culture, as well as eat some of the best local food.  Most of the establishments have more reasonable prices than the chain restaurants in town.  The service is above and beyond in these family owned establishments and the food is worth coming back for over and over again. Because there are so ...

October is here!  In the Great Smoky Mountains this means the leafs are starting to change colors.  This is the time of year where visitors come from all over to view and photograph the beauty the Smoky Mountains can bring. Why are fall colors so remarkable in the Great Smoky Mountains?  The first reason is the parks diversity of trees.  One hundred species of native trees live in the Great Smoky Mountains and the majority of these are deciduous. How do colors change? According to the National Park Service, as the summer comes to an end, the green pigments in leaves deteriorate, giving other colors a chance to shine.  The pigment that makes carrots orange and leaves yellow, carotenoids, are exposed as the green fades.  the reds and purples come from a pigment that is formed when sugars in leaves break down in bright autumn sunlight. The Great Smoky Mountains usually experience an autumn leaf season of seven weeks as the fall colors travel down the m...

Tourist destinations are packed full of restaurants; most of them being the well known chain restaurants that can be dined in all over the country.  However, every city has the smaller restaurants that are usually out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.  These restaurants are  local favorites and mom and pop establishments that don't make it into the guidebooks and vacation brochures.  Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and the other surrounding areas of the Smoky Mountains have several well-kept secrets that the locals love.   These establishments in the Smoky Mountains are often a great place to go and learn about the local culture, as well as eat some of the best local food.  Most of the establishments have more reasonable prices than the chain restaurants in town.  The service is above and beyond in these family owned establishments and the food is worth coming back for over and over again. Because there are so many local favorit...

A vacation the The Great Smoky Mountains National Park gives kids of all ages a opportunity to get back to nature and learn about plant and animal life, history, and the ecosystem.  Here are some helpful tips of some fun ways kids can get involved. Park Activities Become a Junior Ranger.   Kids can earn a badge by participating in specially-designed programs such as blacksmithing, pottery, venturing to learn about insects and other wildlife, or becoming a nature detective and identifying animal signs and tracks.  Age-specific booklets are available at visitor centers and guide kids ages 5 to 12 through a variety of activities. Walk with a park ranger.   Get the real scoop on nature during a ranger-guided walk or attend a slide show at designated campgrounds.  Check out the park newspaper for times and topics. Attend Discovery Camp.   Participate in a three-day program at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, designed specifically for children ...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracts visitors to explore the mysteries of the park's ancient landscape. FAST FACTS Established:   The park was established in 1934 to protect the last of the southern Appalachian forest, which once covered more than 4 million acres, but was eliminated by logging and fire. Land Area:  The park is 521,895 acres. Number of Visitors:  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has the highest visitation of any national park with more than 9 million people visiting annually. Lowest and Highest Elevations:  The lowest elevation in the park is 870 feet at the mouth of Abrams Creek.  The highest elevation is 6,643 feet at the summit of Clingmans Dome. Plant and Animal Species :  The park's abundance a variety of plant and animal life have earned it the United Nations designation of International Biosphere Reserve. Their are an estimated 100,000 different types of plants and animals in the national park. ...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is world renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, its beautiful ancient mountains and the quality of its rem ants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, it is no wonder this is America's most visited national park.  The national park offers a wide variety of activities for children and adults of all ages. The national park encompasses more than 800 miles of rustic mountain ranges.  An automobile tour of the park offers a variety of experiences from scenic views and flowing mountain streams to weathered historic buildings and hardwood forests stretching to the horizon.  There are 384 miles of road to choose from in the Smokies.  Cades Cove and Roaring Fork Motor Trail are two auto tours that offer both beauty and a tour of the history of the Great Smoky Mountains. If you are not looking for a relaxing day in the car and would rather work up a sweat, then the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop is a popular bicycling area....