Waynesville has ~8-10,000 pop, with another 10k+ in surrounding mtn communities, legally outside the town boundaries. The north entrance is an avenue of fast food joints, strip malls, etc. The southern entrance has Walmart, Verizon, Best Buy, et al., and more joints... Downtown is very nice with tree lined sidewalks, restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. Very little store space is vacant in downtown.
There is a decent county library, a good newsstand/bookstore, and a Lowes east of town, etc.
We have lived here since Sept 2001, and enjoy it very much, fwiw.
Waynesville to SMNP: 2-3 ways to get to the 'HQ' way over on the TN side, all will take ~1hr 30 mins+ to 1hr 45 mins. 'Summer traffic' can add some to that trip, mostly as one gets close in to the TN side 'entrance'/HQ. However, the eastern side has a decent visitors center just down the 'road' or, down the Blue Ridge Parkway, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, just 45 mins from Waynesville, past Maggie Valley.
SMNP:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Other than Gatilinburg, TN, or some very small towns in western NC, there is not much 'closer', imo.
SMNP is 'the most visited' Nat Park, primarily based on car traffic, most of which simply drives through it on the main road that bisects the park. That road can be packed and nearly stop & go in sections, in mid summer, esp on a Fri through Sunday afternoon, in my experience.
There are several smaller roads, parking and hiking start areas off the main road...
Map:
Park Map Viewer
Cabin/Vacation Rentals can be found on TA:
Waynesville Cabins: Reviews for Vacation Rentals and Cabin Rentals in Waynesville - TripAdvisor
GL, mD
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
