Avid fans of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will agree that the remote treasures found deep in the Oconaluftee Valley in the park are a must-see with any first or return trip to the country’s most visited national park. Attendance at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park completely dwarfs that of other national parks by almost four times each year. In 2020, park attendance exceeded 12 million visitors, compared to the second most visited national park in the U.S., Yellowstone at 3.8 million visitors.
One of the most loved sites within the park is the Oconaluftee Valley, where you’ll find a visitor center as well as the Mountain Farm Museum, which is located in the meadow next to the visitor center.
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In the 1950s, the park service began gathering up buildings within the park that were built in the late 1800s. They moved them to this spot in the Oconaluftee Valley in order to create an example of farm life in the period.
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Walk amongst and explore a barn, applehouse, springhouse, and smokehouse.
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And then there is the old Davis farm house, built from chestnut and with matching log walls.
Google/Christopher Light
To match the walls, John Davis split chestnut trees in half and placed the two halves in the same place on opposite walls in the cabin.
TripAdvisor/ASHLEYA7678 Viewing the inside of the old Davis farmhouse gives visitors a new appreciation for the simplicity of life in the 1800s.
The Mountain Farm Museum is a working farm so expect to see pigs, chickens, and more — and of course, plenty of elk!
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While you’re on site, be sure to stop into the visitor center.
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And check out the two trails that leave from this spot in the Valley.
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The Oconaluftee River Trail is 1.5 miles long and ends up in Cherokee. And the Mingus Creek Trail is much longer at 5.9 miles and climbs to great heights in the park.
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The Mountain Farm Museum and the Visitor Center are open daily from mid-March through mid-November (and also on Thanksgiving Day) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more with a visit to the National Park Service website.
Google/Jim Petykowski
Google/hot rods by Smitty
TripAdvisor/Dan
Google/Christopher Light
TripAdvisor/ASHLEYA7678
Viewing the inside of the old Davis farmhouse gives visitors a new appreciation for the simplicity of life in the 1800s.
TripAdvisor/airpizz6
Google/Paul Foster
TripAdvisor/MSGirlSmokiesLover
TripAdvisor/Carlene K
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Address: Mountain Farm Museum, Cherokee, NC 28719, USAAddress: Oconaluftee Visitor Center, 1194 Newfound Gap Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719, USA
