RV Lifestyle Story and photos by Rex Vogel You’ve seen lists of the top travel destinations for 2017. Some lists include such exotic spots as Croatia, Zimbabwe, Uruguay, Finland, Dominica, Rwanda, Costa Rica and Azores. But, like us, you travel by RV – and not air or sea. There’s an incredible variety of places around Canada and the U.S. to enjoy in your RV. It’s a big world out there, even for RV travellers, so we’ve narrowed it down for you. Here are our top two RV destinations to visit this year. TOP TWO PLACES TO VISIT IN 2017 GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, TENNESSEE The fire is out, and it’s time to play in the Smokies. Wildfires ravaged Tennessee in the autumn of 2016, spreading through the eastern part of the state and into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Officials, fearing the worst, shut down the park indefinitely as fires raged. The resort town of Gatlinburg evacuated residents just as one of its heaviest tourism seasons – SmokyMountain Christmas – was ramping up. Some 2,400 buildings in Sevier County were damaged or destroyed before, at last, the rains came. The firefighters won. Life returned to the Smokies just in time for the holidays. Gatlinburg will be a different place this year, but it’s still one of the finest RV destinations. And chances are that in 2017, the locals will be ecstatic to see you. Buy a national parks pass, book a site at one of the numerous RV parks in the area, wander Gatlinburg, go hiking in the park, visit Dollywood, shop, eat in the many restaurants of Sevier County (Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg), or just drive around the Great SmokyMountains to enjoy the view. If you want something 24 | www.snowbirds.org
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