facebook
menuTimber Tops logo
mountain landscape

National Park Visitor Center Gets Facelift via Pigeon Forge Reporter

aerial view of downtown Gatlinburg
April 12, 2013

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (April 2013) – At age 50, the Sugarlands Visitor Center at Great Smoky Mountains National Park has gotten a major facelift.

The Great Smoky Mountains Association and Friends of the Smokies, two private sector organizations, funded the project.

Approximately 850,000 visitors a year come through the visitor center, which is on the Tennessee side of the 800-square-mile park that is split between Tennessee and North Carolina.

The work included new flooring, paint, lighting and a new entrance into a natural history museum. Park crews did most of the work during evening hours, permitting the visitor center to remain open throughout the project.

One of the special touches is a masonry wall that mirrors the original architecture of the building and invites visitors into the redesigned visitor contact area.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the U.S. (9,685,829 visitors in 2012). Park information is at nps.gov/grsm

Related Blog Posts

view of downtown Gatlinburg visitors get during a Gatlinburg vacation weekend
April 1, 2020
5 Webcams in the Smoky Mountains to Watch When You Miss the Smokies
A family hiking in the forest.
September 16, 2016
4 Easy Hikes in the Smoky Mountains That Are Great for Kids
Cades Cove church at night with lights on
April 8, 2014
Cades Cove Tours Bring the Smokies to Life at Night
Man and woman on a romantic winter hike
November 12, 2014
6 Tips for Taking a Winter Hike in the Great Smoky Mountains
expand_less