3 Scenic Drives to Take Near Kingsport, TN

East Tennessee is a beautiful area to call home. Thanks to our prime location between the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, Kingsport boasts several nearby scenic drives that are best experienced in the cooler months when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing. If you’re looking for a great drive to take this weekend, here are a few you may consider:

1. Cades Cove

Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park less than three hours from Kingsport, Cades Cove is an isolated valley that was once home to numerous settlers. The loop through the cove is 11 miles long and circles back to the beginning, so drivers have the opportunity to experience Cades Cove at their own pace. Scattered along the loop are a variety of historical buildings as well – a testament to the area’s early settler days. Expect to see barns, log cabins, a working grist mill, churches, and other restored 18- and 19th-century structures.

The loop is open daily except for Christmas, and year-round campgrounds serve as the perfect place to pitch a tent and enjoy an entire weekend here. Simply take I-81 South and go through Townsend via TN-1 East. Continue straight on TN-73 into Cades Cove.

2. Clingmans Dome

This mountain is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so it’s no wonder visitors flock to its observation tower every year. On clear days, you can see over 100 miles, although pollution usually limits viewing distances more to 20 miles. While Clingmans Dome itself is a great destination, the drive there is quite scenic.

Although it will take about two hours and 30 minutes to arrive at the park, driving through Gatlinburg into the mountains is a spectacular sight. Once you’re in Newfound Gap, turn off Newfound Gap Road and follow the seven-mile-long Clingmans Dome Road to the parking lot. Bring your camera.

3. Blue Ridge Parkway

Just an hour and a half south of Kingsport is Asheville, North Carolina, and the drive there on I-26 is a speculator one in and of itself. The Blue Ridge Parkway, however, is an iconic scenic route with numerous trails and overlooks the parkway. There are several places that allow you to enter and exit the parkway, but the ones in Asheville are among the most convenient. Once on the parkway, drive north to Little Switzerland and Spruce Pine, then get off and drive back past Burnsville straight to I-26, which will bring you back into Tennessee.

The best thing to do is download a map from the National Park Service site and plan your route according to where you want to enter and exit the parkway. Along the way, be sure to visit the Folk Art Center, Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, Mount Mitchell State Park, and the Museum of North Carolina Minerals Visitor Center.

These gorgeous mountains offer countless hidden gems and awe-inspiring views you won’t want to miss. If you’re feeling cooped up, set aside a day and head out on a scenic drive. You never know where you’ll wind up.

Image via Pixabay

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