Explore This Park

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  • Places To Go
    • Visitor Centers

Visitor Centers

Stop at Sugarlands Visitor Center to view a free 20-minute film about the park.

Begin your exploration of the park at a visitor center. Here you can pick up a park map or newspaper, have your questions answered by a ranger, and purchase books and guides to the park.

Four visitor centers are located within the national park at Cades Cove, Oconaluftee, Sugarlands and Clingmans Dome. In addition, four information centers are located outside the park in the communities of Gatlinburg, Sevierville, and Townsend.

Two historic grist mills are open seasonally in the park. Both provide demonstrations of corn meal milling.

 

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Cades Cove Visitor Center
Open every day except Christmas Day.

January	9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
February	9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
March	9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
April - August	9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
September - October	9:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
November	9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
December	9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location
Inside the park near the mid-point of the 11-mile, one-way Cades Cove Loop Road.

Special Programs
Ranger-led programs are conducted seasonally. Check at the visitor center for times.

Exhibits
Indoor and outdoor exhibits of Southern Mountain life and culture. Includes Cable Mill, a grist mill which operates spring through fall, the Becky Cable house, and other historic structures.

Available Facilities
Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore and shop. Public restrooms.

 

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Oconaluftee Visitor Center
Open every day except Christmas Day

January - February	8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
March	8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
April - May	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
June - August	8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
September - October	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
November	8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
December	8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location
Inside the park, 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC, on US-441.

Special Programs
Ranger-led programs conducted seasonally. Check at the visitor center for location and times.

Exhibits
Visitor center museum exhibits tell the story of life in these mountains from native Americans and early European settlement time periods through the Civilian Conservation Corp and the development of the national park. The adjacent Mountain Farm Museum contains a fascinating collection of log structures including a farmhouse, barn, smokehouse, applehouse, corn cribs and others. Demonstrations of farm life are conducted seasonally.

Available Facilities
Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore and shop. Public restrooms. Soda and water machines.

Learn about the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center's green design!

 

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Sugarlands Visitor Center
Open every day except Christmas Day.

January - February	8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
March	8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
April - May	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
June - August	8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
September - October	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
November	8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
December	8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Location
Inside the park, 2 miles south of Gatlinburg on US-441.

Special Programs
Ranger-led programs conducted seasonally. Check at the visitor center for locations and times.

Exhibits
Free admission to 20-minute film about the park. Extensive natural history exhibits.

Available Facilities
Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore and shop. Public restrooms. Soda and water machines. Backcountry Information Office.

 

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Clingmans Dome Visitor Contact Station

April - May	10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
June - August	10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
September - October	10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
November	9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Location
At the Clingmans Dome trailhead, 7 miles off US-441 on the Clingmans Dome Road.

Available Facilities
Great Smoky Mountains Association bookstore and shop. Park information. Public restrooms in parking area.

 

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Historic Grist Mills

Cable Mill in Cades Cove
Open daily March 11 through October, and on weekends (Friday-Sunday) in November
Hours: 9:00-5:00

Location
Inside the park near the mid-point of the 11-mile, one-way Cades Cove Loop Road.

Exhibits
Water-powered grist mill.

Mingus Mill near Oconaluftee
Open daily April 1 through October, and on weekends (Friday-Sunday) in November
Hours: 9:00-5:00

Location
Inside the park, 2 miles north of Cherokee, NC, on US 441.

Exhibits
Turbine-powered grist mill.

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Visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park's official online store for books, maps, and guides to the park. Operated by the nonprofit Great Smoky Mountains Association, proceeds generated by purchases at the store are donated to educational, scientific, and historical projects in the park.