City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (865) 436-7318

Address: 3099 Winfield Dunn Parkway

Description: If you want to help the national park, make it a point to patronize the well-appointed shops run by the nonprofit Great Smoky Mountains Association, of which this is the first you come to when traveling down the Smokies Corridor from I-40. Located within the new light and bright Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, this shop stocks a wide variety of Smokies-related apparel, stuffed animals and other toys, local specialty foods, CDs, posters, postcards, calendars, mugs, trail maps, and all manner of excellent books on the Smokies. Books for sale include various park guides, picture books, histories of the area, tomes about the park’s flora and/or fauna, and plenty of great nature-oriented books for children. All purchases made at GSMA shops benefit the national park.If you really want to help the park and save money, become a GSMA member. Memberships start at $30 per year, with benefits including a 15 percent discount in all GSMA shops (and with all online orders) as well as a variety of discounts at all sorts of local shops, galleries, accommodations, restaurants, and other businesses. You’ll also get Smokies Life magazine and the association’s newsletter, Bearpaw, twice a year, as well as the quarterly Smokies Guide newspaper—not to mention a snazzy lapel pin, a coupon for 20 percent off a one-time purchase, and other assorted goodies. Oh, and a great feeling that you’re helping to support one of America’s greatest national treasures.In addition to this particular location, you’ll find similar GSMA shops inside both of the Gatlinburg Welcome Centers (on The Spur, US 441 South, between Pigeon Forge and downtown Gatlinburg and also at traffic light #3 on the Parkway downtown) and in each of the three visitor centers inside the national park (at Sugarlands, near the Gatlinburg entrance; at Cades Cove, halfway around the 11-mile loop drive near Townsend, TN; and at Oconaluftee, near the Cherokee, NC, entrance).