Mountain Crossroads Travel Guide™ -  ©Going Global Media 2009-2010 - All Rights Reserved

The numbers are in and the 76-year old international treasure, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is number one in visits in America. Of course, it has been king for decades. In 2009, 9.5 million people visited the park. The record for visits at the Smokies is 10.3 million in 1999. Second and third places for 2009 visits go to the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, each with fewer than 5 million visitors. What makes the Smokies so popular? One hundred million of us live within a day's drive of this gem (nps.gov/grsm).
Speaking of the Smokies, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, widely known for its great rafting adventures, is opening Great Outpost, a $4 million retail store and concierge service center. It opens Easter weekend and is located near the park entrance in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Robert Jumper, the new tourism director for the Cherokee Tribe in North Carolina, knows that the name "Qualla Boundary of the Cherokee Indian Reservation" doesn't ring cash registers as far as identity is concerned, so leaders there have reverted to their former name - simply "Cherokee Indian Reservation".

Enter To Win Contest

Great Smoky Mountains

Nantahala Outdoor Center

Cherokee Indian Reservation

Compiled by Tom Cooper

The winner will receive one night's lodging at The Lodge at Tallulah Falls and a choice of rafting on the Chattooga River or zooming around the river and nearby forest canopy on zip lines, courtesy of Wildwater, Ltd.
Dinner for two up to $50 at The Attic, an upscale restaurant in nearby Clarkesville.
The second day of this super getaway focuses on nearby Highlands, NC, and lodging at the Highlands Inn..
A $100 dinner for two is provided by Wolfgang's Restaurant and Wine Bistro, just a few steps from the Highlands Inn.
You may enter this contest only once, but watch for a new contest every 30 days. The winner will be selected at random and will have until December 1, 2010, to claim the award. Certain blackout dates apply during busy holidays and fall color.