Explore the Area

The Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort is located at Deals Gap, North Carolina and is nestled deep in the Great Smoky Mountains on the NC/TN state line. Known to many as Deals Gap, the home of "The Dragon" or, by the locals, as "the Gap", the resort is open early March through mid November and provides you with all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay overnight or a quick fuel up to get back on the twisty roads. With the world famous Dragon literally outside our doorstep, you can encounter one of the most technical & challenging roads in the country.

Visit the oldest winery in Tennessee. Highland Manor Winery’s carefully crafted wines are made from hand-selected grapes from their vineyards. Enjoy complimentary wine tasting, take a tour of the vineyard, or enjoy a picnic in the cellar with a bottle of their award-winning local wine and an assortment of cheeses from Sweetwater Valley Farm.

Pickett State Park is known for its beautiful scenery including waterfalls, natural sandstone bridges, and scenic overlooks. This park is also one of the first parks in the Southeast to earn a Silver-tier International Dark Sky Park designation in recognition of its exceptional views of the night sky.

With more than 800 miles of shoreline, Norris Dam State Park offers recreational boating, skiing, and fishing along with hiking, mountain biking, bird watching, and educational experiences. The park offers programs and a museum to depict life in Southern Appalachia from 12,000 years ago to present day

Voted Best Attraction by the Oak Ridger in 2018, AMSE displays the successes of science, research, and development that have occurred in this area since the first days of the Manhattan Project.

The Manhattan Project National Historic Park is home to the Oak Ridge Reservation, the administrative and military headquarters for the Manhattan Project where more than 75,000 people lived in the hills of East Tennessee.

Relive coal mining history and explore the scenic mountains and streams of Coal Creek by traveling the new Motor Discovery Trail. The trail is free and is dedicated to those miners who lived and died in Coal Creek to improve the quality of life today.

Come and learn about the miners that lived and died in and around the Coal Creek mine. This museum depicts the historic events that changed the mining industry forever.

Come bring the family out for a fun day full of mountain valley views and 606 acres full of scenic nature trails through wetlands and woodlands. Relax with a day spent fishing or simply taking in the gorgeous sights that Cove Lake State Park has to offer.

Said to be the largest timbered plateau in America, Cumberland Mountain State Park offers an array of outdoor activities including hiking, mountain biking, golfing, fishing, birding, and even rents out paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, and pedal boards on Byrd lake.

Tennessee’s first linear park, the Cumberland Trail follows a line of pristine high ridges and deep gorges lying along Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. Along with hiking, the trail offers several opportunities to go rock climbing.

If you’re looking for the perfect place to reflect and relax, come and visit Historic Rugby. Rugby was started as a unique English colony and is now a village that shares the experiences of the past.

Full of rivers, gorges, and sandstone bluffs, the 125,000 acres of the Big South Fork encompasses a massive amount of the Cumberland Plateau. Adventure awaits you and your family with an array of outdoor activities including horseback riding across over 200 miles of equestrian trails, whitewater paddling in the dynamic Cumberland River, and simply sitting by the fire and relaxing in one of Big South Forks five developed campgrounds.

Come and explore the only colonial-era fort reconstructed on its original site. Fort Southwest Point Park houses a museum containing artifacts and offers spectacular events that bring history back to life as staff members dress up in period costumes and recreate the events of the past.

Rising over the Cumberland Plateau and spanning across 3,624 acres, Lone Mountain State Park is a beautiful outdoor destination worthy of exploration. The forest’s 15 miles of trails—the most popular of which leads to the stunning Coyote Point overlook—are well-equipped with watering holes and hitching posts for horseback riders and are also popular with those looking for a leisurely hike or mountain bike ride.

The area's most legendary motorcycle ride begins right here! Starting at the Historic Brushy Mtn. State Pen, and ending in Oliver Springs, this 72-mile route will take its daring riders through parts of Frozen Head State Park and up and over multiple mountains. With steep switchbacks more dangerous than even the famous Tail of the Dragon, this ride is recommended for veteran and experienced riders only.

With its sprawling 24,000 acres of dense forests and unspoiled mountain wilderness, this gorgeous state park and natural area is great for backpackers and day-hikers alike. Named for its tallest (3,324-foot) mountain peak, which is commonly seen covered in snow and ice during the colder months, Frozen Head State Park’s varied terrain, abundant wildlife, and beautiful wildflowers make this state park and natural area an explorer’s paradise.

Stretching along the Cumberland Plateau lies the Obed Wild & Scenic River—one of the last remaining free-flowing river systems in the United States. Throughout its beautifully preserved landscape, this outdoor playground has something for everyone to enjoy with an abundance of outdoor activities ranging from whitewater rafting and kayaking to climbing and camping.

Off-roading, trail riding, hiking, and camping in a family-oriented atmosphere. This 73,000 acre expanse with its more than 300 miles of trails make Windrock Park the largest privately owned riding area in the country. The trails accommodate a variety of vehicles including ATVs, dirt bikes, Jeeps, dune buggies, and more.

Take a helicopter flight to Brushy Mountain from Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Along the way you’ll enjoy scenic views of Knoxville, Oak Ridge, Oliver Springs, Frozen Head State Park, and Fork Mountain.

Once you land at Brushy, you’ll be greeted by a staff member and escorted via shuttle to the prison for a 1.5-hour public group tour led by either a former prison guard or former non-violent inmate. There, you’ll explore the rooms and hallways of Brushy Mountain and hear surprising, and some terrifying, stories of life behind these walls.

Following the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the grounds and sample the world’s only legal prison-made spirits. Brushy Mountain Distillery is a farm-to-still distillery that produces moonshine, vodka, whiskey, and liqueurs created by local distillers using local grains and local water from the mountains’ natural springs.

But wait, there’s more! Chow down at the Warden’s Table before you go and browse the gift shop before climbing back on board your helicopter for the return flight.