Driving in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina: Lake Junaluska and Oconaluftee Islands Park

After seeing such a great exhibit at the McClung Museum on the Native Peoples of Tennessee, I had a desire to explore the history and cultures of the people who lived in this part of the country prior to European settlement and so I decided to travel to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, located in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. I knew from some fellow bloggers who lived in this part of North Carolina that it was beautiful but I was still unprepared for the beauty that I saw even the short glimpse I got of these mountains. I cannot wait to come back to this part of the country and dedicate at least a few weeks to exploring its majesties. That day though I was on a mission since I had less than a week before I was scheduled to meet friends so I only spent the day here before moving into South Carolina that night. Even though I spent most of day at the museum, I can’t help but share pictures of two of the places I came across en route: Lake Junaluska and Oconaluftee Islands Park, the latter located in the town of Cherokee where I stopped for some yoga before heading to the museum. Unfortunately I only jumped out of the car to take one picture of the lake but my, oh my, was it a stunner, framed by the Smokies.