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Cumberland Gap: Off the Beaten Path

Overlook this tiny town—then wind down the mountain for a visit. With its wealth of history and community hospitality, Cumberland Gap is ideal for a truly tucked-away retreat. A rather nondescript exit ducks off US-25E just before the impressive maw of a tunnel plunges under the Tennessee-Kentucky border. Off the exit, a few turns take you closer to the base of towering Cumberland Mountain. It’s only when you reach the wooden covered bridge arching over the country road that you know you’re almost there. The brick-and-history hamlet of Cumberland Gap, Tenn., peeks beyond and warmly welcomes.            A truly tiny town (population: 202), Cumberland Gap somewhat defies logic. Sure, the Gap has historically held major significance. From the buffalo and the Native Americans’ longtime use of the North-South break in the ridges…to Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road leading settlers into Kaintuck wilderness…to Civil War skirmishes fighting for the thoroughfare, Cumberland Gap has seen its fair share of activity and admiration.             But the illogical nature of the town stems more from the Gap’s original transient purpose—as a passageway, a mountain hallway if you will, used by people always on their way elsewhere. Then there’s the issue of very limited land available. The Cumberland Mountain looms nearly vertically over the town—embracing, yes, but effectively limiting physical growth. Also, historically, there have been major setbacks to settlement here: the strategic nature of the Gap caused incredible violence during the Civil War (witnessed handily in a trailside crater from a Civil-War-era munitions detonation), and later the massive ironworks operation, running from 1820 to 1880, more or less deforested and smoke-blackened the little valley niche.            

Yet, with checkered past firmly in hand, here is Cumberland Gap today—as sprightly and charming a little town as anyone could want. With the briefest of brick downtowns, an easily walked in-town neighborhood of Victorian turrets and wrap-porches, a babbling creek and a gateway into incredibly scenic Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, the town has made a career in “quaint.”            

For a traveler today seeking peace and easy refuge, this is it. Two large brick buildings at the entrance of town hint at the only large-scale tourist trade: the Cumberland Gap Convention Center and the Cumberland Inn. Boasting 31 rooms, the Inn offers clean, comfortable motel accommodations and amenities. For those wanting a bit more personalized service, though, the historic Olde Mill Bed and Breakfast promises that and more.  For the complete story, please read the Holiday 2008 issue of Marquee Mountain South.

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