Gatlinburg Vacation part 8: Mountain Farm Museum

This post is the eighth in a series about our vacation to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Look for more posts of trip from me, here is Part 7 and Part 9.

The day we headed to the Mountain Farm Museum and Oconaluftee Visitor Center, we were greeted with gorgeous views of the North Carolina mountains along the way.

I liked that there are more opportunities for education at the Mountain Farm Museum than at other locations we visited.  This is where my kids participated in their Ranger-led Junior Ranger program that I mentioned in Part 2 of this series.  As I was looking at the schedule of events posted in the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, a Park Ranger came right over and told me to scoot quickly to get to the next program that started so that the kids could get there in time.  I appreciated her helpfulness and awareness of time.

As we chatted with a Park Ranger, she mentioned that not very many people who visit Gatlinburg make their way to this area of the national park.  Further evidence of my like of "off the beaten path" kind of places, I liked that this location is far less crowded than Sugarlands Visitors Center in Gatlinburg.  I liked the different opportunities for experiences.  The park ranger also mentioned that elk had been in the pasture all week, but of course not the day we were there.

We also stopped at Mingus Mill.  The guy running the mill... eh... well... he seemed more interested in his book than talking with visitors.  But it was very pretty and peaceful.