The Great Smoky Mountains are iconic. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular in the United States, and people come from around the world to enjoy the serene beauty and wildlife.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park spans for more than 522,000 acres and is split between Tennessee and North Carolina. Newfound Gap Round goes between Cherokee, North Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It’s the frequently traveled and most direct route between the two areas of the Smoky Mountains.
The park is located within driving distance to cities like Asheville, Charlotte, Nashville, and Knoxville.
Along with the beauty of the mountains themselves, it’s also home to tourist attractions like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, with entertainment, restaurants, resorts, and family-friendly options.
One of the most popular areas of the National Park is Cades Cove. It has an 11-mile circle that goes around a valley of more than 6,800 acres. You can bike on certain days, and it’s likely you’ll spot bears and other wildlife.
Rainbow Falls is another popular destination, especially among hikers. It’s one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains.
The Sinks is a swimming hole that’s alluring on a hot day.
It’s no wonder, with so much scenic beauty, that the area is often the setting of movies. The following are movies that are filmed or set in the Smoky Mountains or nearby in places like Asheville.
28 Days
28 Days stars Sandra Bullock and it is about her character’s struggle with drugs and alcohol. She goes to a court-mandated rehab center, and it was filmed at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. That serves as the Serenity Glen rehab center featured in the movie.
A Walk in the Spring Rain
A Walk in the Spring Rain stars Anthony Quinn and Ingrid Berman. It’s about a woman and her husband who travel to the Great Smoky Mountains as he begins a sabbatical year writing a book. Their neighbor is a mountain man who’s married and falls in love with the woman, Libby.
The movie was filmed primarily in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and some scenes were also filmed in Knoxville and Gatlinburg. The world premiere was held in 1970 as part of the Knoxville Dogwood Arts Festival.
The Green Mile
The Green Mile was filmed in a few different places near the Smoky Mountains. The Tom Hanks award-winning movie was shot on location in Shelbyville, Tennessee, as well as in Blowing Rock, North Carolina.
Portions of the film were also shot in Tennessee State Prison, which is located near Nashville.
A Smoky Mountain Christmas
A Smoky Mountain Christmas aired in 1986 as a made-for-TV holiday movie. It stars Dolly Parton and Lee Majors. Dolly Parton is one of the most famous Smoky Mountain natives.
In the movie, Parton is a country music star who leaves the big city to go back to her mountain home for the holidays.
You get a lot of the beauty of the Smokies in this movie and, of course, Dolly’s music.
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead is a horror movie from 1981 that was filmed in Morristown, Tennessee. The movie has developed a cult following, and many feel it’s one of the best horror movies of all time. The movie is also one of the most successful independent films.
The Evil Dead lead to a franchise that includes Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness and a reboot done in 2013 by the same name.
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing was filmed near the Smoky Mountains in Lake Lure, North Carolina. The scenes in Lake Lure were filmed at Camp Occoneechee, which was a Boy Scout Camp and is now a residential community.
The movie, despite being filmed in the south, is set in the Catskills.
October Sky
October Sky is a drama that was released in 1999. It’s based on the story of Homer H. Hickam Jr. He was the son of a coal miner and was inspired by the Sputnik 1 launch to learn about rocketry. He ended up becoming an engineer for NASA.
The story is set in West Virginia, but much of the scenery was filmed in Oliver Springs, Kingston, and Harriman, all in East Tennessee.
The Fugitive
Finally, the hit 1993 film The Fugitive was filmed in the Great Smoky Mountains in Jackson County, North Carolina. Portions were also filmed in Bryson City, North Carolina and Blount County Tennessee.
