Overview
Townsend is a city in Tennessee on the western side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is one of the park's main gateways.
8 things to do · 2 places to eat · 11 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Townsend
Biking
Velo View Bike Tours
Fishing
Golf
Laurel Valley Golf Course & Laurel Valley Resort
Hiking
Horseback
Cades Cover Riding Stables
Tours
Cades Cover Heritage Tours
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 86°F; winter lows dip to about 25°F. Wettest: May and Mar. (climate data from nearby Cumberland Falls State Resort Park)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- TYS McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville/Maryville — 11 mi away (major hub). Directions
- AVL Asheville Regional Airport, Asheville — 85 mi away. Directions
Mc Ghee Tyson Airport (TYS) is located a few miles west in Maryville, accessible via US 321.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Biking, Golf
- Lunch Little River BarBeQue
- Afternoon Horseback, Tubing
- Dinner Riverstone Lodge
Day 2
- Morning Fishing, Hiking
- Afternoon Tours, Zipline
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Get in
By air
Mc Ghee Tyson Airport (TYS) is located a few miles west in Maryville, accessible via US 321.
By car
From Knoxville, US Route 129 from downtown and the Pellissippi Parkway/Interstate 140 connect to Townsend.
See
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Abram's Falls
- Ace Gap
- Cades Cove Loop Road
- Cades Cove Museum/Thompson-Brown House
- Cable Mill Visitors Center
- Chestnut Top
- Cucumber Gap Loop
- Elkmont Historic District
- Foothills Pkwy
- Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
- Gregory Bald
- Gregory Bald Trail
- Hitch Pond
- Laurel Falls
- Little River Road
- Lumber Ridge
- Middle Prong
- MTN Trax
- Oconaluftee Visitor Center
- Pleasant Hill Vineyards
- Rich Mountain
- Rich Mountain Loop
- Russell Field
- Schoolhouse Gap
- Spence Field
- Sugarlands Visitor Center
- Thunderhead Mountain
- Tremont Outdoor Resort
- Tuckaleechee Caverns
- Tuckaleechee Caverns Biking Trail
- Tuckaleechee Cove
- Wears Valley
- West Prong
Do
Do Fishing
Do Hiking
Do Tubing
Do Zipline
- Great Smoky Mountains Half Marathon
- Smoky Mountain Classic
- Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival
- Smoky Mountain Snowdown: Winter Heritage FestivalTownsend Spring Festival
Buy
Shop Antique Outlet Mall
Shop Antique Time-Clock Shop
Shop Dogwood Mall
Shop Druid Hill Antiques
Shop Foothills View Antiques
Shop Gerred's Collectibles and Treasures
Shop Good Ole Girls Antiques
Shop Hall's Furniture and Auction
Shop Heart of Blount Antiques
Shop Hwy 411 South Antiques and Auction
Shop Ilona's Antiques
Shop Lincoln General Store
Shop McQuade Antiques - British Imports
Shop Memories of the Past Antiques
Shop Parkway Antique Mall
Shop Rivermill Antique Mall
Shop Skypad Vintage Antique Mall
Shop Trader Dave's
Eat
Sleep
Stay Best Western Cades Cove Inn
Stay Blackberry Farm
Stay Cades Cover Campground
Stay Headrick's River Breeze
Stay Highland Manor Inn
Stay Moon Shadow Lodge
Stay Riverstone Lodge
Stay Talley-Ho Inn
Stay Townsend Gateway Inn
Stay Tremont Lodge
Stay Tuckaleechee Village Motel
Go next
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Adjacent
- Maryville is a small college town 20 minutes west of Townsend and half an hour south of Knoxville.
- Gatlinburg. About an hour's drive.
- Chattanooga. About two hours' drive to the home of the Tennessee Aquarium.
- The Museum of Appalachia in Norris. About 30 minutes north of Knoxville on I-75. See how settlers in Southern Appalachia lived. This area was once "the Wild West". The museum features pioneer artifacts and authentic buildings. There are special events in the spring, the Christmas season, and the Fourth of July (anvil shoot!).
- Oak Ridge, Manhattan Project site and host of the annual Secret City Festival. About an hour west
Nearby
Knoxville
City / town · 61 listings · 0 mi away
Maryville
City / town · 5 listings · 15 mi away
Farragut
City / town · 16 mi away
Kodak
City / town · 2 listings · 16 mi away
Oak Ridge
City / town · 14 listings · 19 mi away
Sevierville
City / town · 22 listings · 21 mi away
Lenoir City
City / town · 2 listings · 23 mi away
Pigeon Forge
City / town · 60 listings · 23 mi away
My experience
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