Cades Cove Sightseeing Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour

What your day looks like

Drive on the Cades Cove Loop Road with a phone app that works as a guide, an audio tour, and a map all in one. Navigate with ease through the wooded areas of the Smoky Mountains, visit historic churches, see the Elijah Oliver Cabin, stop by the Cades Cove Grist Mill, and go on the Abram Falls trail. Start by downloading the Action Tour Guide app that will function as your personal guide, audio tour, and map all in one. Begin the tour just west of Gatlinburg, by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Library. From there, continue west toward the scenic loop. As you drive, hear about the Cherokee who once lived here, and the clashes between them and the first European settlers to arrive. Using your audio guide, get familiar with some of the wildlife that makes the Smoky Mountains so special. Stop at the first major landmark, the John Oliver Place, once home to some of the first homesteaders to make a living here in Cades Cove. Next, get to the Primitive Baptist Church, one of three churches in the cove dating back to the 1800s. As you visit the next 2—the Methodist Church and the Missionary Baptist Church—learn about the devastating impact of the Civil War on the community, and where these churches stood in the conflict. Then it’s on to the Elijah Oliver Place, a beautifully-preserved homestead offering an authentic look at early pioneer life in the Smokies. After that, you have the option to hike to Abrams Falls, a secluded waterfall. Next up is the John Cable Grist Mill, a still-working mill from the 1800s where you can buy cornmeal ground up on-site. Then, reach Tipton Place, home to not only a Revolutionary War veteran, but a Civil War veteran as well. Finally, arrive at the Carter Shields Cabin, another idyllic homestead from a bygone era. Continue on toward the start of the loop as you hear about the last family to call Cades Cove home. Conclude the drive near the start of the Cades Cove Scenic Loop.