Townsend is called the :"Peaceful Side of the Smokies" with an incorporated population of only 400. The town follows 5 miles of Little River as the river flows out of the National Park, making the river one of the cleanest in the country and popular for swimming, fishing and tubing. There are also 5 miles of hiking and biking trails through the center of town, with three tunnels passing under the road from the hiking trail to the river's edge. There are swinging bridges and lots of amenities for travelers, including restaurants, banks, crafts store, museums, grocery stores, a quaint general store, as well as tubing, horse-back riding, bicycle rentals, great underground caverns, and more.