Finding the best outdoor gifts for kids is a lot more fun when you think about where those gifts might take them. A new pair of hiking boots could lead to their first big trail. Creek shoes might spend the summer splashing through Tennessee streams. Even a simple headlamp can turn an ordinary night at…

Cades Cove camping is a great way to experience one of the most popular areas of the Smokies. Staying at Cades Cove Campground puts you right in the middle of it. Once the day visitors leave, things slow down. Deer often wander into the fields, and mornings can bring fog across the mountains and meadows.…

You’ve probably seen the sign at campgrounds across Tennessee, posted at the entrance or near the bathhouse: Have you bear-proofed your campsite? It’s easy to read it and keep walking. But bears follow their noses, and a campsite can smell interesting long after supper is over. Bear safety for campers starts with a bear proof…

Fall is probably my favorite time to camp. The days are cooler, the campfire feels a little better, and there’s nothing quite like waking up to a chilly morning with a hot cup of coffee in hand. Packing the right fall camping essentials makes all the difference. But fall camping can also be a little…

Fall camping in Cades Cove is something special when you wake up right in the middle of it. Cool mountain air, fog drifting across the fields, and color creeping down the ridges make those early mornings worth getting up for. Before the Loop Road fills with visitors, you have a little time to simply enjoy…

Historic hotels in Tennessee let you do more than visit the past. You can actually spend the night in it. Sleep inside an old train station. Check into a small-town inn that has welcomed travelers for generations. Or stay at a grand Memphis hotel where one unusual tradition has been drawing a crowd since the…