Greened-up tourism at the Gateway to the Smokies

Gatlinburg Greening UpGatlinburg is a walking community, and in all honestly, if you're going to drive within the city top up your car insurance and pre-book therapy. You're going to need both.

There doesn't seem to be a rush hour here - the driving is crazy all the time.

I spent a morning pushing my way through crowds of tourists balancing cameras, funnel cakes and corn dogs. Tackiness is all about perception, I suppose. In the spirit of fun, I agreed to pose as a saloon madam in 'The Garters and Guns Saloon' - complete with fishnet stockings and feather boa. I still get a little twitchy when I think about the number of people before me who strapped themselves into that bustier and rolled on those stockings...

While there's no denying the urban sprawl, Gatlinburg Gatlinburg - Gateway to the Smokiesis getting some things right when it comes to reducing traffic and pollution in the downtown core. For starters it promotes itself as pedestrian-friendly and has calibrated every public system to encourage tourists and residents to park their cars.

And neatness counts.

Overhead wires at main intersections are being buried and traffic signals are now on graceful, curved poles. In the congested downtown core, you'll find bear-proof trash containers that are emptied at obsessively regular intervals - even weekend nights.

Who pays for all this green goodness? If you visit, youGateway to the Smokies will. Every business in town pays a 1 ¼% tax on gross receipts. But in all honesty, I'm happy to contribute to the greening of places I visit. It's better than adding to the pollution.

If you go...

If shopping's your thing, you'll find more than 450 specialty and artisan shops that boast one-of-a-kind collectables within the city limits of Gatlinburg.

The Arts and Crafts Community sits on an 8-mile loop on the periphery of Gatlinburg. Most of it's unusual (and weird) enough to be considered art.

Have you ever shopped in Gatlinburg? Did you find a treasure that surprised you?

Talk Back, Girlfriend and rate this post!

Rate This Post

Bookmark This Post

• < previous
• next >