Great Smoky Mountains, NC/TN
Read Evan’s blog post about his trip to Great Smoky Mountains HERE
The Great Smoky Mountains are home to beautiful vistas, mountains, rivers, and wildlife. They are also home to nineteen species of fireflies, and every summer, for two weeks, you can go see the mating display of the synchronous fireflies. After dark, thousands of fireflies blink like silent fireworks in a magical display that draws hundreds of visitors each night. The Great Smoky area is also the homeland of the Cherokee people, but the federal government removed nearly all of them to Indian Territory on what became known as the Trail of Tears. Rounded up into stockades and forced to march west in terrible conditions, thousands of Cherokee died, especially children and elders. The few Cherokee who remained behind live on the Qualla Boundary reservation that borders the park, welcomes visitors, and includes many attractions for tourists as well as museums dedicated to Cherokee culture.
Resources
Story of the Cherokees: 13,000 Years