ShermansTravel.com’s list the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as one of the “29 Places to Go in 2009.”

Why go in 2009: With American travelers forecasted to plan more trips to national parks this year, the Great Smoky Mountains offer one of the country’s most cost-efficient vacations in the great outdoors. Admission to the park is always completely free, and as this year marks the 75th anniversary of its founding (www.greatsmokies75th.org), many additional complimentary activities are planned, including musical performances and special ranger-led programs.

(via The Dare Society, which also notes times are so bad Harrah’s cutting jobs by 5 percent at its  Cherokee, N.C., casino on the other side of the park.)