I explored an abandoned resort town in the Great Smoky Mountains, where the wealthy vacationed a century ago

Business Insider's reporter explored a 1900s resort town in the Great Smoky Mountains, full of historic cabins abandoned by the end of the century.

Joey Hadden/Business Insider The last thing I expected to find in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a resort town.

It was abandoned in the late 1900s, but its 100-year-old cabins still stand.

I stepped inside the empty vacation homes and found eerie remnants of a past era.

Tucked away beneath the towering oaks and pines in the lush woods of Great Smoky Mountains National Park , 100-year-old cabins dot a once- abandoned resort town known as Elkmont.

I visited in the spring of 2023 and was amazed to find that the cabins preserved and restored by the National Park Service were open for public viewing.

When I made plans to visit the historic district , I pictured myself wandering outside cabins and looking in the windows.

I had no idea I'd be able to step inside them for a more intimate look at what life was like 100 years ago.

Elkmont Historic District is in a valley on the northern border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Elkmont Historic District is just south of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Google Maps I took a taxi to the resort town .

Drivers can take the US-411 from Gatlinburg and turn at the "Elkmont Campground" sign, according to Visit My Smokies , a tourism site run by Sevier County.

From there, take a left at the sign that says "Elkmont Nature Trail." I began my trip to Elkmont by reading about its history.

Information about the history at Elkmont Historic District.