The Atlas Obscura Guide To Townsend

3 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Townsend, Tennessee

Updated July 30, 2021

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Unusual Attractions in Townsend

Tuckaleechee Caverns. (Creative Commons)

Townsend, Tennessee

Tuckaleechee Caverns

Mile-long cave system near Great Smoky Mountains.

Townsend, Tennessee

The Great Smoky Mountains' 'Missing Link'

In one of America’s oldest mountain ranges, a long-awaited section of a scenic highway is now open to the public.

Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church

Townsend, Tennessee

Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church

This 19th-century building inadvertently preserved the handprints of its builders within its walls.

Are we missing something unusual?

The Avent Studio from beneath the porch.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Mayna Treanor Avent Studio

Visit the art studio of an early 20th-century painter, hidden amid the Great Smoky Mountains.

9 miles from Townsend

The old Appalachian Club.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Elkmont Historic District

An abandoned town is hidden in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

9 miles from Townsend

Front exterior

Alcoa, Tennessee

Millennium Manor Castle

One man’s religious convictions led him to build this stone castle meant to withstand an apocalypse.

13 miles from Townsend

The ruins of the Ritter Lumber Company’s sawmill at Hazel Creek near Proctor.

Bryson City, North Carolina

The Lost Town of Proctor

The scant remains of this flooded historic village can be explored in one of the most remote areas of the Great Smokies.

14 miles from Townsend

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Famous for country music and hot chicken, Tennessee is also filled with natural wonders. Across the state, caverns beckon. Venturing into some of Tennessee's strangest subterranean haunts is a great way to experience the depths of the state's spell-binding charm.

Forbidden Caverns, ready for its closeup.

Explore Townsend, Tennessee

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