“You can fully appreciate its beauty as you ride under tall sourwood trees, past rhododendron tunnels, and over spring-fed creeks.” Minutes from downtown, the trails (also ideal for hikers) pack newbie-friendly and hard-core loops into 10.5 miles of twisting routes that can be mixed and matched. “The trails are designed to have minimal impact on the forest,” says host David Nestler. Now a new generation is eager to show off the area’s natural assets. Despite being a gateway community for the park, the town’s big draw has been the tribe’s casino.

Everyone’s into hiking, fishing, kayaking - and mountain biking is gaining ground since the 2017 introduction of Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee, North Carolina, home to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

With the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as your backyard, hundreds of miles of rivers and trails are all the entertainment you need. “People still come here to see the mountains.” “It doesn’t matter how many Ferris wheels are built,” says Morgan. the Parkway, know that to get the full story, you’ll have to push deeper into the hills. While there’s tons of touristy kitsch along U.S. Though Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), 522,000 acres of forest that straddle two states, is the most visited in the park system (about 11 million come through yearly), locals have been able to sustain their colorful identity - they still pick, carve, and distill, continuing centuries-old traditions in this slice of Appalachia where backcountry grit blends with Southern hospitality. “Their roots predate the United States: They’re a big part of our culture.” She believes North Carolina’s Eastern Band of Cherokee tribe has much to do with it. “I used to think I was biased, but after meeting people from all over who say the same, I know these mountains - among the oldest on earth - have a pull,” says Airbnb host C.J. Something about the Smokies feels grounding.

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