Posts Tagged ‘CherokeeNC’

Go Tubing in the Smokies with Smoky Mountain Tubing in Cherokee, NC

Looking for a wild ride on a beautiful river in North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains? Smoky Mountain Tubing in Cherokee, NC, is the place to go.

Thanks to Smoky Mountain Tubing for hosting us!

Beautiful scenery, the possibility of elk sightings, fun rapids, and nice and cold water await in Cherokee, North Carolina at Smoky Mountain Tubing. My daughters, ages 10 and 14, and I had such an awesome time tubing here and would recommend it to anyone looking to cool off on hot, summer days while also enjoying the beautiful town of Cherokee, NC.

Watch! Our Trip on the River

About Smoky Mountain Tubing

Smoky Mountain Tubing has been running the Oconaluftee River since the 1990s. The owners are local and are well-acquainted with the town, the land, and the river. The customer service was great as well. It was an easy check-in process and our driver was super helpful with getting us on the water and telling us exactly where we needed to go on the river and when to get out to get back to the outpost.

Our Experience Tubing the Oconaluftee River

Once you sign your waiver and apply sunscreen, you can leave your keys with the company so they aren’t lost in the river. Then you’ll hop on a bus and head to the put-in area along the river.

The water is quite chilly but it feels amazing on hot days. Once you are in the water, just chill out and try to avoid branches in the water and get in the current.

If you want to be tethered to your kids/friends/fellow tubers, be sure to ask the driver or the attendant when you check in so they have them available. My youngest daughter got a tube with a bottom but my other daughter and I had bottomless tubes, which was fine. I think they use the bottom tubes for younger tubers.

The Oconaluftee is not a lazy river. There are lots of rapids! Some of the rapids are faster and bigger than others so be sure to lean back and keep your feet up going through them. One of my daughters flipped on her tube going through one but the water isn’t deep so she was able to stand up and grab onto my tube while we chased hers down. I also got a dip when I ran into a tree branch – whoops. Maybe use a broomstick or large stick to maneuver in the river!

My daughters and I had a lot of fun. The scenery is just beautiful as you are right on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While we didn’t see any elk, the owner of Smoky Mountain Tubing said they can be in the river sometimes so you’ll have to be prepared to hang tight while they cross. I think elk are pretty cool so I was disappointed we didn’t see any that day.

There are some swimming holes and rope swings on the river plus places to stop and hang out if you want to extend your time and enjoy all the fun things.

And yes, there are snakes around because it is their home after all. We didn’t see any in the river or on the banks but are always on the lookout and try to stay in the middle of the river to avoid the banks.

The trip was a lot of fun and took about two hours. Some days it can be shorter if the water level is higher and the river is running faster and other days it can take longer depending if the water level is low.

While my older daughter and I did not use a life jacket, I would recommend them after running this river due to the faster currents and rapids. We are all good swimmers but I think it’s always a wise decision to choose safety when adventuring so will definitely make that choice when we go again. Smoky Mountain Tubing does have life jackets available.

Need to Know

Bring cash. SMT only accepts cash.

They have life jackets. Kids 12 and under must wear a life jacket but they have them for those older than 12 if you want to use one.

Trips are usually a couple hours. Plan to be on the water for around two hours depending on the water level.

Wear sunscreen and a hat. Most of the river is in the sun and it’s hot.

Bring a change of clothes and a towel. There are changing rooms available and wet clothes are no fun.

Kids need to be at least 5-years-old to tube. No lap riders.

Since SMT is about a 2.5 hour drive from Greenville, you may want to call them the night before or the morning of to make sure the water level isn’t running too high and they are closed that day.

Booking Your Tubing Trip

Tubes are first-come, first-served so get there with plenty of time to enjoy the river and have fun! They have an abundance of tubes, so you should be able to get one whenever you come. Tubes are $14/person + tax (it comes to out just over $15).

Dogs are allowed to tube but if damage occurs, the guest will be charged $50.

Other Things to Do in Cherokee, NC

Cherokee, NC is honestly such a cool place to visit. The history of the Cherokee Nation runs deep and we recommend checking out the famous Unto These Hills show. Bethany went with her family and absolutely loved it.

Also in Cherokee is the Oconaluftee Visitor Center where elk are frequently seen and where they have an awesome Junior Ranger book that kids (and adults) can work on.

There are tons of shops with authentic Cherokee-made goods, which are beautiful. There are also restaurants – we wholeheartedly recommend Peter’s Pancakes. Oh my gosh, that breakfast was amazing. Anything on the menu is great.

Get our full guide to Cherokee, NC, full of things to do, places to stay, and more.

If you want to stay overnight, you can camp nearby at Smokemont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We’ve camped there and loved it. We’ve also stayed at the Rivers Edge Motel, a clean and comfortable motel right on the river (you actually tube by it on the tubing trip). It’s in a great location and every room has a balcony that overlooks the river.

On your way home from Cherokee, you can stop at Mingo Falls, an easy (but steep with lots of stairs) and short hike to an incredibly beautiful waterfall. Keep heading east and hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike the half mile up to Waterrock Knob, the highest point on the Parkway. It’s stunningly gorgeous and you feel like you’re on top of the world.

Smoky Mountain Tubing
1847 Tsali Boulevard, Cherokee, NC
828.497.4545
Smoky Mountain Tubing Website | Smoky Mountain Tubing Facebook

Where to go tubing near Greenville, SC and find great "tubing near me".

Find more tubing adventures in our HUGE list of River Tubing Spots.

This Emerald Lagoon In North Carolina Looks Like A Fairy Tale, and You’ll Never Want To Leave

We heard about a place called Midnight Hole in North Carolina that featured an emerald lagoon, one that would likely have mermaids, or so we hoped.

Are you looking for a romantic day trip for you and the apple of your eye? A new place to take the family for a nature-inspired adventure? This beautiful natural swimming hole, Midnight Hole, is located in the Big Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and it might be just the place for your next outdoor family quest.

Midnight Hole Emerald Lagoon, Western North Carolina

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Your Kids Can See Elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Cherokee

Did you know that you can see elk in Cherokee? Nestled in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, you’ll find the Oconaluftee Visitor Center where you’ll find lots of fun things to do. We didn’t know about this! After hearing in passing about the elk herd, we decided to load up the kids and set off on an adventure to see what we could find. And find them we did at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, along with some other great educational gems.

Elk were originally native to the Smoky Mountains, but over 200 years ago the population died off to extinction in the area. However, back in 2001 a project was begun to reintroduce the elk to the Smoky Mountains. Since then, the herd has multiplied. Cherokee, NC offers excellent viewing of these impressive animals in their wild habitat.

You can find more day trip ideas on our Day trips in Western NC page.

Find a place to stay near Oconaluftee. This article contains Stay22 affiliate links.

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

One great place to view the elk is the Oconaluftee Visitor Center Website. This spot offers a wealth of opportunities for homeschool students. The field next to the visitor center is known for elk viewing. In addition, the center boasts a small indoor museum about the history of life in the Smoky Mountains and an impressive outdoor museum consisting of original farm buildings built in the early 1900s.

There is no admission fee but you must pay the $5 daily fee to park or purchase a parking pass for the park.

The best time to observe elk

First, observing the elk. We arrived at the center around 10 am, and we were disappointed to hear from the rangers that the best time to view the elk in the field is either first thing in the morning, about 7 am, or in the evening, approximately 6 – 7 pm, as elk prefer the cooler temperatures. During the Winter the elk viewing is unpredictable.

Walk along the Oconaluftee River

However, determined to enjoy our day anyway, we walked on the easy trail along the Oconaluftee River. The river was crystal clear and we enjoyed skipping stones and our leisurely walk. After walking a short while, we turned around to head back to the car to pick up our picnic basket. But our walk was interrupted by a few large park natives, elk. We were treated to a small group of 14 elk. One of them was a large bull with an impressive set of antlers. They were just a few feet off the trail! It was thrilling.

The bugle sound the bulls make to attract the females is unforgettable. This occurs mostly in September and October.

Be careful to view the elk safely

We climbed down the river bank to avoid getting too close to the bull. However, other walkers did not make the same decision. Another walker decided to approach the bull to take a picture and we watched him rear up and toss his antlers. Fortunately, the bull turned and ran, leading a small herd away. (Note that especially in mating season, bull elk can be very aggressive. Approaching them closely is NOT recommended. It is actually illegal to approach them willfully within 50 yards. Stay on the trail and be mindful of getting too close. The Smoky Mountains National Park has some elk viewing safety information.)

Mountain Farm Museum

While the elk were extremely exciting to see, we also really enjoyed the small museum in the visitor’s center and the Mountain Farm Museum adjacent to the center. Both of these places allowed us to get a glimpse of what living in the mountains in the early 1900s was like.

At the entrance to the Mountain Farm Museum (outdoors) look to the right of the opening in the fence and you will find a covered box with self-guided tour booklets. This will give you a lot of information about the individual buildings themselves, as well as their role on mountain farms at this time.

We really appreciated that the buildings in the farm museum were original and not replicas, so we were able to examine the construction and see elements like pegs used as nails, and the dovetail construction of the cabin walls. Here we viewed a cabin, chicken coop, meat house, wood shed, pig pen with pigs, apple house and many other buildings utilized by mountain farmers in the 1900s.

Admission to this site is completely free, and the travel time is a little over 2 hours from Greenville, making this a really fantastic day trip.

Homeschool Field Trip Expansion Ideas for Elk

This section contains affiliate links.

As a homeschool trip, this site offers both science and history opportunities. If you’d like to augment the trip, check out some books or search the internet for information about elk or mountain farm life in the 1900s. You might also enjoy the following:

Read Little Farm in the Ozarks, by Roger Lea MacBride. This story is a continuation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, focusing on her daughter, Rose. It is set in Laura’s mountain farm in the Ozarks, in the same time frame as the buildings viewed at the Mountain Farm Museum.

Read Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings, by Laura Ingles Wilder. This is a collection of essays Laura wrote for a newspaper during the late 1800s and early 1900s about her life as a farmwife on an Ozark Mountain farm. This is NOT a Little House series story and was not written for an audience of children, so parents may wish to read through it first and make sure it is accessible and acceptable for their children.

This article from American Forests offers a lot of information about the project to reintroduce elk to the area. It contains a lot of information but is quite long, so parents may want to go through it with their children and select a few points to focus on.

For an alternative view, read this article about the struggle farmers in the area have with damage caused by the elk (you can view an example of this damage on the farm museum’s apple trees). Consider holding a mock debate in your home between siblings, or kids vs parents, about the benefits to the elk and the park vs the viewpoint of the farmers and the damage the animals cause.

Here is a brief minute-and-a-half-long video showing the elk at Oconaluftee with a little bit of information about the herd from the wildlife biologist for the Smoky Mountains National Park. You can hear the male elk bugle at the beginning of the video.

Oconalufee Visitor Center

Oconaluftee Visitor Center
1194 Newfound Gap Rd, Cherokee, NC
828.497.1919

Open every day except Christmas Day

How do you think your kids would feel about a road trip to visit elk?

Looking for more things to do in Cherokee, NC? Check out our Spend A Day in Cherokee, NC guide.

Spend a Day (or More) in Cherokee, NC

If you’re looking for things to do in Cherokee, NC for a fun day trip or vacation, we have you covered! We are always looking for exciting day trips near Upstate, SC, which are fun and great experiences to teach our children about our local history. For this reason, when Visit Cherokee invited us to visit and experience their Yona (Bear) Package that included a visit to The Museum of the Cherokee Indian, the Oconalufee Indian Village, and tickets to Unto These Hills, we were excited to go and share this valuable nearby opportunity to learn about the Cherokee with you.

Here’s what we saw in Cherokee, our thoughts on visiting with children, and some suggestions for places to eat and stay in the Cherokee region.

About Cherokee, NC

Things to Do in Cherokee, NC

Unto These Hills

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Places to Eat in Cherokee, NC

Where to Stay in Cherokee, NC

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