Townsend is a small city in Blount County, Tennessee, at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. The area has been populated by Native American peoples for thousands of years. Townsend is known as one of the gateways to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The unfinished Fooothills Parkway crosses the northern Great Smoky Mountains foothills near Townsend. Little River that runs nearby is famous for great tubing on the rapids. The family-friendly tubing trips are offered by the River Rat Tubing company. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center preserves the culture and heritage of the folks living in the Great Smoky Mountains, the Native Americans, the pioneers and the Appalachian communities.

Foothills Parkway

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Smoky Mountain River Rat Tubing

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