However, visitors centers remain open, and their orientation information and museum displays provide a good starting place when visiting the Smokies. The Sugarlands Visitor Center is open daily except Christmas. It is two miles south of Gatlinburg, TN on US Route 441 at the intersection of the Newfound Gap and Little River Roads. Focusing on natural history, this visitor center has displays on the Park's plants and animals. A slide show and orientation run throughout the day.
Staff is available to help with questions or comments.
The Oconaluftee Visitor Center is also open daily except Christmas. It is one mile north of Cherokee, North Carolina. It is also near the southern terminus of the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. Its displays center on the economic and environmental changes associated with logging, farming, and other 19th century activities. Adjacent to the visitor center, the Pioneer Farmstead lets you see how the early mountain people lived.