There is a fast way to get to Sevierville. And then there is the better way.
As East Tennessee begins its annual turn toward fall, this is the time of year when getting somewhere quickly seems almost beside the point. In another few weeks, the hills will trade summer green for red, orange, and gold, and some of the prettiest scenery will be found on the roads we usually pass by in favor of the interstate.
From the Knoxville area, it is easy to point the car toward Interstate 40 and follow the traffic toward Sevier County. But Close to Home is about discovering what is nearby, and sometimes that means deliberately choosing the road that takes a little longer.
One alternative is to work your way through East Knox County toward Strawberry Plains, then continue toward Sevierville on the older roads that carried travelers long before today’s major highways became the default. Depending on where you begin, the exact route can vary — and that is part of the fun.
Along the way, the landscape changes. Subdivisions give way to farms. Ridges rise ahead of you. Old houses, barns, churches, and small cemeteries sit beside roads that curve with the land instead of cutting straight through it.
And then there are the mountains.
On a clear fall day, the Smokies begin appearing in the distance well before you reach Sevierville. The view changes around every bend, sometimes disappearing behind a ridge and then suddenly opening again.
That is when taking the long way starts making sense.
Fall is coming
Late September is more preview than peak. A few trees begin showing hints of color while most of the landscape remains green. October brings the bigger show, although elevation, rainfall and temperatures mean East Tennessee’s fall color never follows an exact calendar.
That makes the next several weeks a good time to take this drive more than once.
Go now and watch autumn begin. Go again as October progresses and see how much the landscape has changed.
There is another advantage to the slower route: You can stop.
If something catches your eye, pull over somewhere safe. Take the picture. Wander through a small community. Stop for lunch or coffee. Once you reach Sevierville, spend some time there instead of simply treating it as the place you drive through on the way to somewhere else.
Then consider taking a different road home.
The point isn’t saving time
We have become very good at letting our phones tell us the fastest way from Point A to Point B. They calculate traffic, miles and minutes and announce that one route will save us seven minutes.
Sometimes those seven minutes aren’t worth saving.
A backroad drive through East Tennessee reminds us how much we miss when the only goal is arrival. There are places within an hour or so of home that can still surprise us — especially when autumn starts painting the hills.
So sometime during the next few weeks, put Sevierville into your plans.
Just don’t necessarily put the fastest route into your GPS.
Take the long way. Driving Tour
After all, the best part of a Close to Home trip sometimes happens before you ever get there.
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