Grotto Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains  National Park

Our newest set of pages are devoted to the Smoky Mountains, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the surrounding communities. This is our favorite vacation getaway, so check out the information, photos, and links that we have gathered on several trips to this fascinating area of Tennessee and North Carolina. Click on the image to visit the Smokies! Updated 6/22/03 with additional Smokies photos

Photos of the Smokies and Surrounding WildernessAreas Click on image! Added 1/28/2000

Into the GSMNP via Little River Road Take a trip with us from Townsend, Tennessee into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park via Little River Road. Descriptions and photos of Cades Cove, Meigs Falls, The Sinks and other scenic attractions along Little River Road are presented on our driving tour. Click on image to begin! Added 7/25/99

NATIONAL PARKS and FORESTS Blueridge Parkway Virtual Visitor Center GORP - US National Park List  GORP = Great Outdoor Recreation Pages Great Smoky Mountains National Park Home Page Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest - Awesome old growth forest Mammoth Caves National Park National Park Service- Search and find out more about our National Parks National Park Service Digital Maps - On-line maps of the National Parks Gulf Islands National Seashore

The Tipton Cabin Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tennessee

STATE PARKS L.L. Bean® ParkSearchservice Noccalula Falls Park in Alabama DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne, Alabama Alabama State Parks State of Florida's Park System Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky Kentucky State Parks Tennessee State Parks

Noccalula Falls in Noccalula Park Alabama

CAVES U.S. Show Caves Directory Caving Links A-Z   National Speleological Society  Cave Research Foundation  More Caves  Mammoth Cave National Park Luray Caverns

One of the many cave formations in Mammoth Caves National Park Kentucky

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES Nantahala Outdoor Center Outdoor Offerings Page L.L. Bean® - Great gateway to Outdoor Web Sites REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) - Outdoor adventure trips Cabela’s - Outdoor adventure trips and worldwide travel service Tennessee Valley Outdoors - The enthusiast's guide to fishing, hunting, boating and recreation in Tennessee plus parts of Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia and Virginia

Cumberland Falls Kentucky

OUTDOOR & TRAVEL GEAR Campmor L.L. Bean Nantahala Outdoor Center REI  Lowe Alpine® Cabela’s TravelSmith Magellan's Lands' End  Sierra Trading Post

Cantilever Barn in Cades Cove Great Smoky Mountain National Park Tennessee

THEME PARKS and PRIVATELY OWNED PARKS Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida Six Flags Theme Parks Busch Garden Theme Parks in Florida and Williamsburg, VA Chimney Rock Park is located in the North Carolina mountains southeast of Asheville

The Haunted Mansion in Disney World

WEATHER FORECASTS Intellicast     National Park Forecasts The Weather Channel     National Parks The Weather Underground

A rainy day in Townsend, TN

GRAND HOMES / MUSEUMS

• The Lotz House Museum in Franklin/Nashville area of Tennessee features a civil war museum in the house built in 1858 by a German immigrant named Johann Albert Lotz. He was a great woodworker and built ornately engraved (carved?) pianos and  furniture. Much of his handy work can still be seen throughout the home today.

Although we can't claim a direct relationship to Johann Albert Lotz, it is interesting to note that other Lotz immigrants settling in the New Orleans area were also well known for their house building, woodworking, and carving skills.
• Biltmore Estate - This was George Vanderbilt's Victorian country estate. Biltmore House, a 250 room chateau filled with priceless treasures from around the world, is located here.

The Biltmore Company has announced it will open a 224 room deluxe hotel on Biltmore Estate. The facility will be called the Inn on Biltmore Estate and is scheduled to open in 2001.
• Bellingrath Gardens and Home in Theodore AL. This was Mr. Bellingrath's fishing camp (Bellcamp) until Mrs. Bellingrath began developing it into an estate in 1927. The Bellingraths opened the Gardens on a March afternoon as a one-day event for the general public. The response was more than anything either could have imagined, so the couple decided to spend their energies on making the 65 acre grounds a public garden.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

The Lotz Travel Bookstore - Our recommended travel-related reading America's Best - Bed and Breakfasts, Inns, and Small Hotels; 1st Traveler's Choice The Wright Cabins - Nice selection of cabins for rent at reasonable cost in Townsend, TN ("The Quiet Side of the Smokies"). Dogwood Realty and Cabin Rentals - Large selection of cabins for rent in Townsend, TN. This site also provides background information and lists activities available in Townsend and the Smoky Mountains. Ecola Travel Planner - Visitors Bureaus, Airlines, Hotels, Airports Gatlinburg, TN - Great source of info about this scenic town nestled at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park Guide to Western North Carolina - Info on all the area's attractions Holiday Inn - On-line Reservations MapQuest! Homepage- Road maps and trip planning help Maps on Us - More road mapping for that vacation drive Rand McNally Trip Planning and Construction Database - Plan and check your route for any construction related delays! Rails-to-Trails Conservancy - A nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching America's communities and countryside by creating a nationwide network of public trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors State of Alabama - Tourism Homepage State of Georgia - Tourism Homepage State of Kentucky - Tourism Homepage State of Louisiana - Tourism Homepage State of Mississippi - Tourism Homepage State of North Carolina - Tourism Homepage State of Pennsylvania - Highlights of Fall activities State of Tennessee - Tourism Homepage The Great Smoky Mountains Railway - Rail excursions into the mountains of northwest North Carolina The Globe Corner Bookstore - Books and Maps for the traveler The Pines Cottages - Photos of some of their rental cottages along with rates and activities available in Asheville, NC TravelWeb- On-line accommodations and airline availability and reservations National Traffic and Road Closure Information sponsored by the US Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration Wildflowers of the Southern Appalachians - Excellent source for identifying flowers of the Appalachians

One of the restored cabins in Noccalula Park Alabama

HIKING

• Chattanooga Hiking Club - The Chattanooga Hiking Club is a nonprofit member-supported organization that promotes a program of hiking adventures to outdoor enthusiasts of all social and economic backgrounds and of all skill levels. This organization is concerned with the environment and believes in conservation.
• Appalachian Trail Conference (ATC) - This organization was founded in 1925 by people helping to construct and mark the Appalachain Trail. ATC is the only organization solely focused on the protection and management of the AT. Members support the efforts of nearly 5,000 volunteers who donate almost 500 hours every day to maintain the full 2,160 miles of the footpath, hundreds of campsites, bridges, shelters, and other trail features.
• Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) - A volunteer trails organization headquartered in the Washington, D.C. region. The club has a membership of 6,000. The main purpose of the PATC involves upkeep and improvement of 970 miles of hiking trails, 30 shelters, and 23 cabins in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. This includes 240 miles of the Appalachian Trail, and 730 miles of other hiking trails in National Parks, National Forests, State Parks, Regional Parks, and local parks.
• Check out the PATC's United States and Worldwide Hiking Links Page. Every hiking link you could imagine can be found here!
• Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links - A meta-site with links "to other Web sites containing original content which is informative and useful to the online hiking, trail, walking, and wilderness communities."
• The American Discovery Trail (ADT) - "The ADT is a new breed of national trail - part city, part small town, part forest, part mountains, part desert - all in one trail. Its 6,300+ miles of continuous multi-use trail stretches from Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware to Pt. Reyes National Seashore, California. It reaches across America, linking community to community in the first coast to coast, non-motorized trail. The ADT provides trail users the opportunity to journey into the heart of all that is uniquely American - its culture, heritage, landscape and spirit."
• American Hiking - "The only national organization dedicated to serving hikers and protecting the nation's hiking trails. From the halls of Congress to the backcountry, AHS speaks up for America's hikers and the trails they love."

THE OUTDOORS

• European Hiking Site by Ton de Maagt - Check out these comprehensive pages for information on hiking, trails, and accommodations throughout Europe. The author also gives unique insight to the areas and trails that he and his family have hiked.
• Mountain Memoirs - A monthly e-zine celebrating the outdoors with features on our National Parks. An excellent source for information about the great outdoors.

A Wooden Doll's Travel Page! Hitty visits the "Garden of the Gods" Park Colorado Springs, CO 7/98 Be sure to visit Hitty's Travel Page

Lotz of Love Babies

View the wonderful and unique wood artist dolls sculpted by: Jean D. Lotz of Lotz Studio!