A Trip To This Little Known Ruin In Tennessee Is Truly One In A Million
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Meghan Kraft
Author
These ruins might not be ancient, but these abandoned cabins and houses in East Tennessee are truly wonders in their own regard. The buildings have been abandoned since the early 1990s, but the history behind them is truly fascinating. And while they’re tucked deep in to the hills and hollers of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, they’re easier to get to than you would expect. Check it out!
If you go to Gatlinburg for a visit, you simply have to visit the Elkmont Historic District, an old mountain town that you have to see to believe.
Elkmont is full of old cabins and houses that have since been abandoned, and you can explore them via a gravel road that you can drive on.
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The cabins used to be a part of a social club that started being built in the early 1900s. The land for the club as sold for the creation of the National Park in the 1950s, but the park service didn't renew the leases when they came up in the '90s.
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The collection of houses was abandoned when the leases weren't renewed in the '90s, leaving the ghost town that you can see today. The cabins are actually on the National Register of Historic Places, which is the only thing that prevents them from being torn down.
The town is home to roughly 80 cabins and houses, many of which are in good enough shape that you can safely go through them still today.
There's even a cool old bridge that leads in to the town! Just don't let the river sweep you away.
To get to the cabins, go to the Elkmont Campground and then turn left where the sign points to the Elkmont Nature Trail. There's a parking lot right there that is close to many of the cabins and is the perfect place to park and explore.
Did you know that you can go on an African-style safari right here in Tennessee?
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