Gatlinburg is well known for its amenities and attractions, but it received an extra plug when it was included in the travel book "101 Best Outdoor Towns: Unspoiled Places to Live, Visit and Play."
Released this month by Countryman Press and written by Sarah Tuff and Greg Melville, "101 Best Outdoor Towns" provides information about possible vacation spots for those who like outdoor activities but appreciate the amenities offered indoors.
This is the first type of book of this genre that we've done," said Tuff during a phone interview from her Vermont home. She and Melville have written many articles about outdoor towns for magazines and used that as the basis for "101 Best Outdoor Towns."
"A lot of research came from stories we've done for magazines and an innate knowledge for hot spots and adventure for outdoor travel," Tuff said. For this book, she said they wanted to look beyond the obvious and locations that have become too expensive for the average tourist.
"We wanted to find small outdoor-oriented towns that were still affordable and had access to national parks and state parks, but also had great coffee shops and pubs and art scenes," she said.
Gatlinburg fit those descriptions well enough that it made the cut among the hundreds of locations the authors considered, among other factors and Census data. Gatlinburg was the only Tennessee spot to make the list. Its closest neighbor on the list is North Carolina's Bryson City.
"We started with hundreds and spent about a year really identifying which towns we wanted to profile," she said. "Neither of us are scientific, but it was a scientific process. The fun part, of course, was visiting and researching and writing, which is what we know best."
Tuff conducted the research on Gatlinburg in April 2006, accompanied only by a "very, very small visitor," she said. "I was pregnant with my daughter at the time. It was right before the barbecue festival and it was just a lively weekend in town with lots of visitors. The hills were extremely green. In Vermont and the hills don't get green until May or June."
The arts and crafts community, Tuff said, added something special.
"It had such a great feel to it, a little oasis," she said.
Gatlinburg's proximity to the Smokies was a big plus.
"I'd heard great things about Gatlinburg, but didn't realize how close it was and you're really smack in the mountains. In fact, you can walk out of your hotel in Gatlinburg and be in the Park in five minutes."
She said she remembers walking out of her hotel and seeing fishermen in the river, surrounded by restaurants and hotels.
"It's a great mix of outdoors and town life in one package," she said.
Tuff said readers can find "101 Best Outdoor Towns" at most bookstores and online at Amazon.com. Along with a short essay on each town, the book includes tips on lodging, dining and preparing for outdoor adventures.
For Gatlinburg, the extra publicity is "always great," said Walter Yeldell of the Gatlinburg Department of Tourism. For the most part, Yeldell said the attention always has something do with the national park. He pointed out a recent publication, "100 Places You Have to See Before You Die," and those from the past like, "Heaven on Earth, 100 Must-See Destinations."
In the latter, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was listed among sites like the Taj Mahal and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Being in such famous company is an eye opener, Yeldell noted.
"The Great Smoky Mountains is listed as one of the top places to visit in the world and we live here," he said.
Yeldell added that Gatlinburg is often the subject of travel articles, but also draws interest from publications related to housing and retirement.
"We get a modest number of people that do express interest in writing general travel information," he said. "I had one called Mature Living, and it was about a hundred great condo sites, a hundred great places to retire, and they listed Gatlinburg in their national publication."
Yeldell said he was interviewed just a few months ago by a couple updating their book, "Great Towns in America."
How much impact these books and articles have is hard to say, Yeldell said.
"To say it's had a direct impact, I would say that it's had," Yeldell said.
gcrutchfield@themountainpress.com
