25 years ago when vacationers came to the Great Smoky Mountains, they might have remembered the name Goldrush Junction,  or the Space Needle, however, remembering the names Pigeon Forge or Sevierville would have been unlikely.  These vacationer's spent their time in the mountains, Cade's Cove, or walking the strip in Gatlinburg.  They held in amazement the considerable talents of the Craftsmen, and admired their talents that were handed down from generation to generation.  Many of these Craftsmen were forced from the Parkway due to sky-high rental/leases in the establishments they themselves nurtured into being.  They are not EXTINCT...but simply have moved out to the beautiful, peaceful area known and cherished by locals as the Glades Area! DiscoverTheSmokies.com is focusing on this area like no other area in the Smokies, as we KNOW, that next to God's Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this is the most unique, overlooked, absolutely incredible area in the entire Smokies!

     Folks, The Great Smoky Arts And Crafts Community is one of the 'best kept secrets' not only in the Smokies, but it is also unique to the entire U.S.!  This approximately 8 mile loop is concentrated with awesome craftsmen & artists, where young and old alike will be literally thrilled to see these folks and their shops, with many of them  making their wares RIGHT BEFORE YOUR EYES!  This is why this area should ABSOLUTELY be part of EVERY vacation itinerary for the Smokies.  

     We are so sure you will absolutely LOVE this area, that we are building a very comprehensive virtual tour/editorial review of nearly EVERY SHOP IN THIS AREA!  So make some popcorn, gather the family together, and have a wonderful evening of touring through this incredible area, shop by shop, where you can actually PEEK INSIDE MOST SHOPS AND SEE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN MISSING IN THE SMOKIES!!! EVERY shop will be listed complete with addresses, phone numbers, latitude, longitude, and mileage marker references.  This tour will take hundreds of man hours to build, but may be the most cherished tour we have.  Folks, this area has been overlooked long enough....GET READY for some GREAT FUN and SEE FOR YOURSELF!

     NOTE: There is an official organization "The Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community" (that exists within our covered area,) of which many of these area merchants belong to, and will have the organizations logo proudly displayed on the businesses.  This organization has minimum requirements and requires member businesses to meet certain standards, and is regarded as having many of the areas finest shops as its members.  If you would like to see if the shops you find below belong to this distinctive organization, you may visit their website at artsandcraftscommunity.com