Thousands of Insects Descend on Popular Vacation Spot

(KMDL-FM) When people in Louisiana go on vacation, they usually hope to leave the things that annoy them back home. But since Father's Day is next week, you should probably let him come along for the ride. All kidding aside, depending on your vacation preferences, you could be sharing your "time off" with tens of thousands of unwanted guests.

We recently surveyed hundreds of people in Lafayette, Broussard, Breaux Bridge, Eunice, Crowley, and Abbeville about where they prefer to spend vacation time. The overwhelming choice was the beach. We can appreciate that answer, but if you're heading to the beach this weekend, you've got more than a few issues you're going to have to deal with.

READ MORE: Condo Fire, Storms, Traffic: Louisiana's Beach Weekend Issues

READ MORE: $775,000 Louisiana Home to be Sold for $100

If the beach isn't your choice for vacation, then you probably opted for one of our other top five choices, which were camping, the casino, Las Vegas, or staying at home. We can't promise you won't have "unwanted guests" if you stay at home. And there is a strong likelihood that any casino you pick in the area, or if you choose to fly to Vegas that you'll probably have to deal with crowds.

What is the Most Popular National Park in America?

But the vacation option that unfortunately fills the bill of "tens of thousands of unwanted, annoying guests" would fall under the "camping" category. No, it's not every campsite or campground, but the influx of "buzz killers" will be buzzing around a camping and vacation destination that is very popular with Louisiana travelers.

If you are making plans to visit Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, or any of the many campgrounds and tourist resorts that dot the area in and around the Great Smoky Mountains National Park we are warning you now, don't expect a lot of peace and quiet, at least for the next few weeks.

Noisy Guests Invade Great Smoky Mountains - The Cicadas Are Back

The National Park Service, which oversees the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, says tens of thousands of cicadas have emerged in the park, and they are making their presence known. The insects don't sting or bite, but they are loud. And when there are tens of thousands of them being loud at the same time, the noise can be deafening.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the U.S. National Park system. The park covers over 522,000 acres of land and is split almost evenly between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina.

Get our free mobile app

Now, if your vacation plans don't allow for you to travel quite that far, but you still have the desire to get out and go do things, here are some suggestions that are very close by and should work with almost any family's budget.