The Shutdown goes on but the Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be fully open
Friday afternoon, the Sevier County government announced that the park – thanks to efforts of multiple government agencies – will fully reopen on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 4.
The affected parts of the park – including the Sugarlands Visitor Center, Cades Cove, the Cades Cove Picnic area and the Chimneys Picnic area – had closed when the federal government closed on Oct. 1. The majority of the park had remained funded and open even after the shutdown.
“Great Smoky Mountains National Park will resume full operations beginning Saturday morning, Oct. 4, despite the federal government shutdown. This effort is made possible through a partnership among local and state governments, as well as the Friends of the Smokies and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians,” the Sevier County Government.
Previously, officials had said that In anticipation of the federal government shutdown, Sevier County, the cities of Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Pittman Center, Blount County, Cocke County, the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, along with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, had begun working together on a plan to provide financial support to keep the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fully operational in the event of a federal government shutdown…