Townsend, Tennessee
Also known as the "quiet side of the Smokies" and the major gateway to Cades Cove, Townsend, Tennessee was originally known as Tuckaleechee Cove. It was renamed for Col. W.B. Townsend, president of the Little River Lumber Company and the Little River Railroad.
Col. Townsend grew up in the first area on the Little River that was flat enough and wide enough for the facilities needed to harvest the forty thousand acres of standing timber purchased by the Little River Lumber Company in 1901.
As the lumber industry in Townsend moved from labor intensive horse and wagon transportation to the more efficient steam engine, more extensive logging took place. Today, we can see little sign that for forty years most of the forest was logged. Overseen by the National Park Service, the once denuded slopes now support a lush green forest that makes it almost impossible to imagine the clear cutting that took place. The Little River Railroad Lumber Company Museum does a good job of showing us what the area looked like then and telling the story of the community, the railroad, and the lumber company operation from early settlers to W.B. Townsend. The engine sitting out front of the museum is an old No. 2147, a Shay engine once used to haul men and logs down the steep mountain grades. It was a small locomotive that was very good for handling steep grades with sharp curves, uneven track, and heavy loads.
There are motels and inns and thirty cabin rental businesses offering several hundred cabins, bed and breakfasts, and cottages in Townsend. National franchises include Best Western, Days inn, and Hampton Inn. We strongly suggest you call ahead for reservations, especially on weekends and in the fall.
If the three-mile Townsend Bicycle Trail whets your appetite for cycling, ask for a copy of Bicycle Routes in Blount County at the Smoky Mountain Visitors Bureau.
For those of you interested in learning more about the Smokies, the Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont offers year-round programs for individuals and school groups on geology, flora and fauna of the Smokies. Lodging and family-style meals are available for reasonable rates.
If you’re visiting Townsend between March 15 and November 15, stop at Tuckaleechee Caverns off US 321 on Dry Valley Road. The Big Room is the largest cavern open to the public in the eastern United States. It’s an easy walk beginning with stairs to see the sixty-thousand-square –foot room and its dramatically illuminated formations.
Townsend Heritage Festival and Old-Timer’s Day is held in late September and features lots of bluegrass music, food and beverages, antique engine and tractor shows, and vintage music displays.