Recent Headlines...
Keep up with our Summer Research Interns - read the "Tremonthly" summer science report.
It's Great Smoky Mountains Photo Contest time again! Read the rules here
Evaluating Tremont's Impact
Learn why your school's visit to Tremont will be "more than just a field trip."
About Great Smoky Mountains Institute
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is a residential environmental learning center located within the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We are a private, non-profit organization that works closely with the National Park Service to provide educational programs that increase the awareness, appreciation, and understanding of the natural and cultural resources of the Great Smoky
Mountains and promote stewardship of these resources.
Groups of all ages visit the Institute to live and learn, using the national park as an outdoor classroom. Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont has something for everyone. Whether focusing on the park’s rich cultural history or unfathomable biological diversity, participants in the Institute’s programs, school trips, adult workshops, family camps, and youth camps leave with a greater sense of wonder, depth of knowledge, and appreciation of history and natural systems.
Miles of trails and a half million acres of mountains and forests surround Tremont. In addition to these excellent natural resources, Tremont facilities include a comfortable dormitory, dining hall, classrooms, outdoor meeting shelters, and a bookstore. Graduate credit is available for many of our workshops.
View a history of the Tremont campus then visit our Undeveloping Tremont page to learn more about our future plans for our site and faciities.
Indoor and Outdoor Meeting Spaces
The Elsie Burrell Activity Center is at the center of campus. It offers a large multipurpose meeting space, the Cove Room, that can accommodate 100+ in theater style seating. Two classrooms and other informal meeting spaces are also available in the activity center.
The Institute offers a number of outdoor meeting spaces. A large open-air pavilion containing picnic tables and rocking chairs makes a great meeting spot as do our two covered campfire circles and riverside porch.
Audio/visual equipment is available upon request.
Meals
Meals at Tremont are served family style in our large dining hall. We offer a wide variety of hot and hearty menu items, salad bar, and vegetarian options at every meal – just right after a day on the trail. Fruit, snacks, and a bottomless coffee pot are just a few of the hospitality touches that make Tremont a home away from home.
Lodging
Our sleeping accommodations include Caylor Lodge, a comfortable, heated and air conditioned dormitory that is divided into four sections, each with a corresponding bathroom. The dormitory can sleep up to 125 people, making it a perfect place for youth groups, adult workshops, college groups, etc. Participants in most programs provide their own linens, pillow, and blankets. We also offer limited tent camping options for program participants. The Institute has several tent platforms on a hill above our activity center. Participants may bring their own tent or use one of ours.
Convenient Location
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is located on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Situated about four miles from the Townsend entrance, Tremont is in the watershed of the Middle Prong of the Little River, which encompasses 20,000 acres. Only an hour from downtown Knoxville and forty-five minutes from McGhee-Tyson Airport we offer a quick escape from urban life and the perfect place to immerse yourself in the national park.
At Home in the Smokies
Guests are only a short hike from Spruce Flats Falls, fabulous views on Lumber Ridge, and spectacular forests. A quick drive will take you to Cades Cove, an area of unparalleled natural and cultural attractions, and within an hour you can stand on the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Institute offers the perfect launch point for exploration of the diversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For More Information
In addition to our conference, retreat and event facilities, the Institute offers a residential environmental education program for 4th – 12th grade schools, summer youth programs, adult and family workshops and adventures, Elderhostel courses, and much more.
Contact Tremont to inquire about our facilities and rates, schedule a retreat, or to learn more about our education services. Call 865-448-6709 or e-mail us at mail@gsmit.org