Great Smokey Mountains

We decided to take a ride to see the Great Smokey Mountains east of us. We drove an hour through the broad valleys with beautiful rolling farmland dotted with neat family cattle farms. As we approached Gatlinburg at the entrance to the Park, we discovered the shocking result of ZERO zoning or urban planning. 12 MILLION people visit the park annually and the powers to be have allowed the most distasteful, tacky urban sprawl to be built right up to the park entrance. The strip of arcades, amusement parks, tattoo parlors , and endless chain restaurants stretches for over 6 miles along a 6 lane highway. The Hillbilly Fued Dinner Theater, the Titanic Hotel ( a 300 foot replica of the ocean liner). Dolly Pardons Vacation Land, they went on and on. Although few people are here now, we envisioned the millions of tourists clogging the highways in the summer. This building free for all has blighted an otherwise beautiful area, The majestic mountains towering over 6 thousand feet are the backdrop to this sad stretch of highway.