I had only been to Cades Cove once - and that was a 1 day drive through mainly to visit Abrams Falls. This time I wanted to spend more time, so I scheduled a couple of days off from work. I also wanted to do it mid week to avoid the real crowds. There were plenty of empty camp sites to choose from in the 'no generator' section. I got there about 2PM, set up camp and ate, then hit the loop with no particular plan in mind. The one way 11 mile lane has just been improved and repaved with quite a few places to pull off and enjoy the views.