GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, TENNESSEE — The National Park Service opened 16 restored cabins to visitors at the Elkmont Historic District in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in spring 2023. The restoration project began in 2009 after the historic resort community had been abandoned since the late 1900s.

Elkmont Historic District is located in a valley on the northern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just south of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The land was used for farming in the 1800s before a railroad brought loggers and tourists in the 20th century, leading to the establishment of a resort town known as Daisy Town.

According to a National Park Service historical marker, about 100 years ago wealthy Tennessee travelers took the train to the resort community to escape hot summers in cities and find "harmony with nature." According to a National Park Service historical marker, families spent summers relaxing on the porches of vacation homes and playing outdoors.

The National Park Service bought the land that includes Elkmont in 1934. After the purchase, residents could sell their cabins for full price or for half price with a lifetime lease. By the late 20th century, the resort community at Elkmont had become a ghost town.

In 1992, the National Park Service stopped renewing leases for cabins at Elkmont and the abandoned cabins began to deteriorate. In 2009, the National Park Service announced plans to preserve Elkmont's historic buildings.

Volunteers removed trees, repaired roofs and ceilings, and added insulation to the cabins at Elkmont. The oldest cabin in Elkmont was built in 1830 and moved in 1932 to serve as a guest house in the resort community. The oldest cabin is a one-story structure with a distressed, unpainted wooden facade, and its interior consists of a single large room with a stone fireplace.

Visitors can drive to Elkmont by taking US-411 from Gatlinburg, turning at the "Elkmont Campground" sign, and then turning left at the sign for the Elkmont Nature Trail.