I grew up here in the Smokies and went to high school here. I grew up around families with deep roots in these mountains—names like Parton and Whaley, and so many others through Greenbrier and Pittman Center. Dolly grew up on Locust Ridge, just a few miles from where I was raised. So even though the world knew her as a celebrity, she never felt distant to us. Her impact here is hard to measure. Dollywood brought millions of visitors to this area and became an anchor for so ma

History tends to remember the people who wrote about great things. But behind nearly every great undertaking are others who simply went to work. My great-grandfather, David West Barber Sr., was one of those men. Long before the Great Smoky Mountains became America's most visited national park, a relatively small group of hikers, conservationists, businessmen, photographers, architects, and community leaders recognized that these mountains were worth protecting. Some of their

Today, the world remembers Dolly Parton as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Here in the Smoky Mountains, we remember something more personal. Before Dolly belonged to Nashville, Hollywood, or the millions of people who found comfort in her music, she belonged to these mountains. Her story began among the creeks, ridges, churches, farms, and close-knit communities surrounding Greenbrier, Emerts Cove, Pittman Center, Catons Chapel, Richardson Co

...history with Jake A few miles outside Gatlinburg, where the mountains separate as we approach the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River, lies a community whose story reaches back farther than the state itself. And it helped to shape my life, and then the lives of our entire family. Today we call the larger community Pittman Center, but our little neck of the woods has been and will always be Emerts Cove. Long before Pittman Center took shape, Emerts Cove was one of sever

Vallie Comstock Vallie Comstock - McNeil Point, Mt Hood, Oregon with camera in hand I was standing in the cab of the fire tower in the late part of April. The sun was about to crest the mountaintops to the east. Just as its rays gently rested on the topmost peaks of Mount Leconte, the birds’ sleepy morning whisperings turned into song. The air warmed and a breeze began to drift up from the coolness of the hollows and streams. There was the sweet smell of pine that I’m sure m

Running Rock Nature Reserve & Resort -Jake Comstock Running Rock doesn't fit neatly into any category. It's not a hotel or a cabin rental, it's just not a typical development. It's a 260-acre private nature reserve in Pittman Center, Tennessee, with a resort built inside it. That distinction sounds small until you're standing outside at dawn or walking a trail and the only thing between you and nature is air. When we tried to explain what this place is, the usual marketing

Romantic getaways in the Smoky Mountains do not need elaborate itineraries. After 30 years of marriage I have a lot to learn but I have picked up a few tips. One is that men and women are often very different, including in what they desire from a nice weekend away. The mountains are often at their best when the schedule is left open but with options—when there is time to follow a trail without watching the clock, sit beside moving water, or watch the evening light withdraw sl

Little Log Cabin in the Meadow of Laurel Creek When you stand on one of the ridges at Running Rock and look out over the forested hollows and crystal-clear streams, it’s easy to feel the weight of time. This 260-acre mountainside in Pittman Center, Tennessee, isn’t just another patch of the Smokies. It’s land with a story—one that stretches back to the earliest days of settlement in these mountains and now finds new life in our commitment to preserve it for generations to c

The Greenbriar area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was my own giant stomping grounds as a kid, a place where our family would enjoy great swimming holes, hike the trails and as I grew older, I began to venture into the forest alone. The car noises disappear and finding solitude is easy. Away from the busiest park entrances, this corner of the park is known for its shaded mature forests, clear mountain streams, and trails that reward hikers with a genuine sense of peac

A quiet thought with Jake. Growing up here, I have watched it change. There once was a time when most people “visiting the mountains” sought time outdoors, now most seek shopping, food and activity-filled entertainment. And it all seems rather unsatisfying to me. If you are more like the former, we have common ground. Urban tourism has its place. Bright lights, busy streets, and packed attractions offer a certain kind of energy. But the Great Smoky Mountains National Park off