Recreation+Gardening
Featured
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Mountain Biking
The Southern Appalachian region is a panacea for outdoor enthusiasts of all types, including mountain bikers. Though I grew up in these mountains, I never enjoyed biking as a young girl. Read more
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A Conversation With the Smokies’ Litter Fighter
Lisa Bryant moved from Missouri to Tennessee five years ago when her fiancée, a swim coach, found a job in the Great Smoky Mountains. She’d worked in the newspaper business for more than 20 years at the time of the move. Read more
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Randa Harris
Randa Harris has kind eyes, and the kind of gaze that wells with empathy—for her students, for the environment, for the future. Her voice is nuanced: Though Southern, hers has a calming sweetness and wisdom to it. Read more
The Grandstand of the Great Smoky Mountains
At one time there were 10, strategically scattered across the Great Smoky Mountains. Ten fire towers, all but one constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, manned by wardens during the spring and fall fire seasons to watch for wildfires. Read more
Aug 1, 2021
Solitude Done Right
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken off like this on a weekday, but in the summer of 2020, my sense of time was beyond muddled. Read more
Aug 1, 2021
Courtesy of Bridget Donaldson, Virginia Transportation Research Council
Searching for Safe Passage
Growing up in eastern Kentucky, Frances Figart loved any chance to glimpse the wildlife roaming those Appalachian foothills—except when the sightings occurred after the creatures had become roadkill, something that occurred all too frequently. Read more
Jun 1, 2021
Flower Power
The Southern Appalachians are home to a beautiful array of plants with a diversity that is unmatched by any other location in the world. During the summer, you can’t throw a stone without hitting a plant in flower. Read more
Jun 1, 2021
The Highest-Elevation Fire Tower East of the Mississippi River
At one time there were 10, strategically scattered across the Great Smoky Mountains. Ten fire towers, all but one constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, manned by wardens during the spring and fall fire seasons to watch for wildfires. Read more
Jun 1, 2021
Group Camping With Kids
Not everyone has the luxury of having the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains in their backyard. Growing up north of Asheville, I didn’t realize how lucky I was. Read more
Jun 1, 2021
Warren Bielenberg/NPS photo
Jun 1, 2021
The Survivors
At one time there were 10, strategically scattered across the Great Smoky Mountains. Ten fire towers, all but one constructed by FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps, manned by wardens during the spring and fall fire seasons to watch for wildfires. Read more
Apr 1, 2021
