Yes it’s a tourist trap. A very beautiful tourist trap. And the people living there depend on those tourist dollars to survive. Prayers for all affected.
True. And, with a little sense, one can avoid the silliest stuff ($20+ t-shirts and such).
I had just been thinking a few days ago that my family should go back to the Smokies at least once more while I’m still able to really enjoy it. But, that means we’ll miss something else — there are in a sense way too many great places to go in this “beautiful country”, as some Chinese put it, than we can go with a limited budget. (Plus, I likely do not have that many more years to “get around” in good shape.) Geez, I’ve never made it to the Grand Canyon...
With this though... I think the people affected, once a bit “rebuilt”, could use a little of my family’s vacation budget...