If you're there for the first time, you'll all be drawn to the various museums, but you should visit Great Smokey Mountains National Park first. Originally known as Lakeview Drive, the so-called "Road to Nowhere" was conceived in the early 1940s as a second entrance to Cades Bay from the North Carolina side of Great Smokey Mountains National Park. However, due to concerns about its high cost and negative environmental impact, the road was abandoned. Today, visitors can take a 6-mile scenic drive along the Road to Nowhere (it is located near Bryson City ) and enjoy scenic mountain views, wildlife, and hiking trails such as the Noland Creek Trail. The road to nowhere ends at the entrance to a 1,200-foot tunnel (bring a flashlight!)