Well, it happened….the government ceased to come to an agreement and therefore the government is shutdown for now. This means that the National Parks across the country have closed their gates and are limiting access for visitors. However, the popular section of 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will remain open during the shutdown and families will still be able to enjoy the beauty of one of the nations most popular parks during the government shutdown. The Blue Ridge Parkway will also remain open during the this time and visitors will be able to access this beautiful section of highway that stretches across the blue ridge mountains of North Carolina and Virginia.
These two sections of road are some of the most scenic in the Western North Carolina area, as
well as the most popular to visit. if these two roads would have been closed due to the shutdown the tourism in this area would have been affected dramatically. October is one of the biggest months of the year for this area and there are many small businesses that depend on this months visitors to help get them through the winter. No one is really sure how long this government shutdown will last, but the great thing about it is that we here in the mountains can still enjoy the beauty of the government property that surrounds us!
We hope that this shutdown does not alter your plans and that you still plan on visiting the mountains this fall, the colors are going to be great this year! As for all the government employees out there that have been furloughed during this time we are sorry to hear this and we hope this problem gets resolved quickly.
NC Smokies Things To Do 