TOWNSEND, TENNESSEE — The Simmerly family reopened a renovated miniature golf course, Cades Cove Golf, in Townsend, Tennessee. The course is currently open for business. The family has roots in Blount County.
Tina Simmerly, a business owner, stated that their decision to open the course stemmed from their enjoyment of miniature golf during vacations. "It's one of our favorite things to do when we go on vacation. It kind of started as, 'Oh sure why not?' and turned into 'Yeah, I think we could do this, it would be really fun, and we could do it together as a family,'" Simmerly said. "My dad was born in Cades Cove, we have always vacationed up here. It's gorgeous, why wouldn't you?"
Casey Simmerly designed the miniature golf course layout. The design features elements such as bears and Bigfoot. Simmerly noted the lack of outdoor activities, aside from rafting, within Townsend. "Looking around Townsend there wasn't a lot of outdoor activities to do outside of rafting. So when we saw that there was a mini golf here that we could go in and renovate and bring back life to, we thought that would be a good idea to help rejuvenate the city of Townsend," Simmerly said.
Jeff Muir, a Blount Partnership Representative, commented on the current business environment in Blount County. "The business landscape in Blount County right now is really positive, there's a lot of retail growth in Springbrook Farm, there's a lot of development in downtown Maryville," Muir said.
No independent assessment was available for this report.