Explore the visual beauty of this amazing valley, where both nature and our cultural heritage collide, preserved for the benefit of all. At one time, Cades Cove was a bustling community of more than 800 people with schools, churches, stores, an iron forge and gristmills. Learn the story of the community, from the time of the Cherokee to the Civil War, up to the creation of the national park and beyond. Learn what it was like to live on a small 19th century farm surrounded by high mountains, and see the deer, bear, coyote, birds and other wildlife that call this area home.