When Luie Boone overheard his hoomans talking about Watauga Lake, his ears perked up like little satellite dishes. Lakes are his jam—swimming, cannonballs, pontoon naps, and watching his hoomans fish? Paw-fection. But Watauga Lake isn't just any splash zone. Beneath its shimmering surface lies a secret: the ghost of a town that refused to drown. Long ago, nestled in the valley of the Watauga River, there was a town called Butler, Tennessee.

If you have been craving a getaway that feels simple and peaceful for awhile—you know, the kind of vacation where the days are slow, the air is fresh, and there’s more nature than noise—then Luie Boone has got the perfect vacation destination for you: the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.