hiwassee wildlife refuge

A friend took me to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge which is about a 1 hour drive from Knoxville TN. It was January, just before the Festival started when the Sandhill Cranes, Whooping Cranes and a variety of other birds are migrating. It was cold out (30's) and the wind on the water makes it colder, so dress appropriately, including mitts and hat etc. We also enjoyed seeing a Bald Eagle pair sitting on a nest.The lunch included with the boat trip was good (Buddy's BBQ or something..) and there were only a dozen or so of us on the boat. Again, because we went the weekend before the Festival begins.

We went the weekend BEFORE the Festival, hoping to avoid the crowds, and we were treated to actually decent weather, and the thrill of seeing not one, but two rare whooping cranes. The sandhills number in the hundreds and are just beautiful in flight, as well as in groups on the ground, near the gazebo viewing stand, eating the corn. This was challenging to find, but definitely worth the trip! (the GPS coordinates from the website take you right there)

Each winter thousands of Sandhill Cranes and a few endangered Whopping Cranes winter at the Hiwassee TWRA Refuge. There is a very nice viewing platform that is handicap accessible. Closest town with motels and restaurants is Dayton, Tennessee

I've just returned from a trip into copperhill, TN aboad the Hiawasse River Rail and it was a fun trip. The left side of the train is the scenic side but they ask passangers on opposite sides of the train to swap seats before the return trip. There are many spectacular views of the river. The train cars were climate controlled and it was a comfortable ride in the cold november wind. There are ample restroom facilities onboard the train. There is also a snackbar that serves coffee, sodas and snacks. The train stopped in copperhill, TN and McCayesville, GA...a cutelittle mining town, that seems (in my opinion) to depend heavily on the train for income. Much the same way as cruise ships in the carribean. It was a lovely little town with friendly people, good food, cute shops and a tourist town atmosphere. On the return trip a memberof the train staff entertained us with banjo music, cute stories and ablast back to past with a few trivia questions. If you've never taken this trip, I would highly recommend it. I will admit that the $52 fee was a bit expensive but in this economy what doesnt cost a fortune? It is good family fn...no alcohol and none of the usual haircurling cursing that one usually hears with such attractions...perhaps the ticket price weeds out those problems. At any rate it is a fun trip...in fact something tells me I havent seen the last of the Hiawasse River Train!

My sister and I decided to do this while on vacation. It was a wonderfully smooth train ride, with entertainment and guide information on the area, etc. I would definitely recommend this for families and for people in need of handicapped entry. The train is huge and very roomy, with front sitting area for people in a wheelchair. The views were great too and would be a great thing to do during Fall! You get a complete view of the Hiwassee Dam and a tour of the Hiwassee river gorge as you ride along on the train. It is owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the operate several train rides in Tennessee.