New app leads Smoky Mountains visitors

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Going to the Smokies? There's an economical app for that.

Knoxville travel writer Katy Koontz has issued the Smoky Mountain Travel Guide, which can be loaded onto iPhones and iPads through the App Store and Android devices through Google Play. The cost is $2.99 and periodic updates are then free.

There are more than 200 entries, including tourist stops in Smokies gateway cities as well as features in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Koontz says the app has turn-by-turn GPS directions and a photo gallery for each entry.

Koontz also wrote "Family Fun in the Smokies: A Family-Friendly Guide to the Great Smoky Mountains," which was published in February.