No vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains is complete until you visit Cades Cove. Cades Cove is a short drive away from any of the Aardvark Smoky Mountain Cabin rentals. It should be on everyone's must-do list in the Smokies. You should plan to spend the entire day and bring your camera along to capture various wild life and abundant species of flowers, plants, and trees.

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Cades Cove is a unique valley hidden in the mountains. Home to the Cherokee Indians, it was first settled by John Oliver and his wife. With evidence of Indians all around, they struggled through their first winter alone with an infant daughter. Surprisingly, it was the Indians who came to their aid when they risked starvation. The Cherokees would bring food to their door, then leave. Though not great friends, the Olivers and Cherokees did not consider each other enemies.

With Oliver's success raising crops in the fertile soil of the cove, many soon made the trek and settled in Cades Cove. Within a few years, roads were forged through the area, churches and schools began to rise and a mountain community was born. With a working mill and postal service, the families of Cades Cove settled into a life of hard work and peace. Crops were grown and trips into Maryville and Knoxville to sell goods were a mainstay of the economy.

A visitor to Cades Cove today can see original home sites, have access to the many churches and graveyards, and purchase products at the Cable Mill. The eleven-mile one way loop around the cove is a breathtaking site. Cades Cove is much loved by tourists, and by the many descendants of the original Cades Cove families.

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