Best Places To Watch the Big Game in the Smokies

From the Vols to the Titans and beyond the best way to watch sports during your mountain vacation

We were on the road, vacationing in Orlando. Our beloved Tennessee Vols were hosting Ole Miss, marking the return of prodigal son Lane Kiffin. He was the coach who stayed in Knoxville for a season and exited for greener pastures. His departure nearly sparked a riot on campus. It was probably the preeminent factor in a more than decade long spiral for the once proud program.

Having been a rabid sports fan for most of my life, I had only recently reached a place where making sure I caught the big game was not a top priority. I wanted to watch, of course. But we’d spent a lot of money and time on that vacation. I wasn’t going to spend any of it in some strange Florida sports bar trying to hear over the din and distraction.

However, it was a late game. We were done for the evening earlier than expected. As a result, we found ourselves ordering pizza and trying to figure out the bizarre streaming service in the rental we were sharing.

If you’re a Vol fan or a big fan of sports in general, you probably remember the game. It was thrilling and surreal and a little embarrassing. Vol fans let the already inflamed tensions get to them and incensed by a bevy of bad calls began pelting the field. The debris included a mustard bottle that had been repurposed into a flask and a driving range golf ball. Some fan with a rocket arm and surprisingly good aim managed to hit Kiffin with the ball, and Kiffin has proudly displayed it as a souvenir for years.

The Vols drove with a chance to win. My beloved Joe Milton – with an all-world flamethrower instead of a right arm – just missed an exhausted Cedric Tillman in the end zone. And then he inexplicably ran out of bounds as time ran out on the clock.

Because of the circumstances, the “exotic” local and also the memorable exchange with a Pizza Hut call center, that game lingers more prominently in my memories than dozens of other games watched from the comfort of my living room.

Certainly when watching sports on vacation you’ve got to weigh the relative costs. After all, you didn’t travel hundreds of miles just to be doing the same thing you could have been doing in your living room or neighborhood sports bar. However, sports on the road can make for a fun combination of something new and familiar.

Where a Vol fan watches sports in the Smokies

Are you a Vol fan? The answer is easy. You can watch them any dang where with a TV.

One of the things that keeps me in East Tennessee, and one of the things that drew me back after a brief foray into South Alabama is the feeling that – in many ways – East Tennessee is one big hometown. People from Maryville, Morristown, Knoxville, Sweetwater, Athens and Greeneville are connected in ways that people in other parts of the country don’t share. Or they share in smaller fiefdoms.

I don’t think the people in Bloomington, Indiana share the same type of fidelity with the people of French Lick, for instance. There is not as much we’re from “Southern Indiana” comradery as you’d find amongst East Tennesseans.

Part of that comes from the fact that the Vols are our team. That doesn’t mean you want find anyone rooting for other teams. We have transplants. People who went to non-UT colleges. We have people whose parents had different loyalties and passed them down. There are, of course, contrarians. What we don’t have is another major university that divides loyalties.

Our neighbors in Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, the Carolinas and even Florida have massive schools splitting loyalties. Georgia has it a little bit with Georgia Tech. But in Tennessee, it’s the Vols, by a long shot. I don’t mean this as an insult to Vandy, Memphis or even ETSU but the distance in rooting interest in UT and the other big schools in the state is a gulf. It’s a canyon.

What that translates to in East Tennessee, and much of Middle Tennessee, if you’re a restaurant or bar that wants to do much business on Saturdays in the fall, you better have a few nice TVs where fans can catch the Vols while the eat.

In other words, if you want to watch a Vols football game while on vacation in the Smokies all you really have to do is get a table at a restaurant or a seat at the bar and open your eyes.

Best places to watch sports in the Smokies (non Vols division)

Some of this is contingent on a couple of things including the sport you want to watch. If it’s college football or the NFL, it’s pretty easy. But you might have to ask about a specific team before you commit to being seated. And if it’s college basketball or the NBA, you’ll likely get whatever the top game of the afternoon or evening is.

If it’s baseball? You’re gonna want to ask. Major League Baseball’s television “plan” is one of the more perplexing I’ve ever seen. Baseball was readily available on TV when I was a kid. Now, if you don’t subscribe to the MLB package, finding the game you want to watch that doesn’t include the Dodgers, Yankees or Red Sox is a quest worthy of Don Quixote.

Soccer? Unless it’s the World Cup, it can be harder to find.

One other tip? Make sure you check hours of operation before you go. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are not late-night spots. A lot of restaurants will close at 10 p.m. If you want to watch a late-starting game, you’re gonna want to factor that in. 

Blue Moose Burgers and Wings

With two locations – one in Pigeon Forge and one in Gatlinburg – Blue Moose has a couple of major things in its favor, especially in Gatlinburg. It has a lot of space and a lot of TVs. That means it can accommodate a lot of different games at the same time. And in an excellent menu filled with sports-friendly eats wings, burgers, and beer – it’s a good place to catch a game or three or four at the same time. Check out their webpage here, for more information. Blue Moose is located at 515 Parkway in Gatlinburg and at 2430 Teaster Lane #108 in Pigeon Forge.

Puckers Sports Grill

Serving up sports and sports friendly fare is Puckers’ entire raison d’etre. Burgers. Pizza. Wings. It has Par-Per-View, 19 HD TVs and a 22.5-foot monster wide screen. If you want a traditional sports grill experience, this is it. Visit Puckers website here. Puckers is located at 745 Parkway, #10 in Gatlinburg.

Smoky Mountain Brewery

Opening in 1996 in Gatlinburg, the Smoky Mountain Brewery was one of the first craft breweries in East Tennessee and was ahead of the craft beer wave. Now with Four locations in East Tennessee, the Brewery offers multiple large TVs. But also, a bevy of burgers, wings, pizza, sandwiches and apps to go with its craft beers and premium drinks. Visit the Brewery’s website here. The Gatlinburg location is 1004 Parkway and the Pigeon Forge location is 2530 Parkway.

Roaming Gnome Pub & Eatery

Taking its queue from classic Irish pubs, the fare here is classic other side of the pond. Fish and chips, Shepards pie and Irish Boxies, this might be the top place in the Smokies to watch World Cup action. However, they don’t limit the sports to cricket, darts, or the original football. American football and other sports are also welcome. The Pub is located at 202 Collier Drive in Sevierville. Follow their Facebook page here.

Places with TVs in the bar

As I said above, there are a lot of places that have large TVs in their bar, or a scattering of TVs about the dining room. Some of my favorites for the bar watching experience are Calhoun’s, Junction 35, Local Goat and Pinchy’s. But there are dozen others, including many chain restaurants where you can at least keep up with the game.

There are some – like the Mellow Mushroom that may or may not have TVs available depending on the location. The Mellow Mushroom on the parkway in Pigeon Forge – the one near the Christmas Place – has a good sports viewing experience. But you have to ask to be seated in the right part of the restaurant for viewing.

If you want something different than a traditional sports bar experience, it’s probably a good idea to call ahead. That way, you can make sure they will have the game you want and that you’ll be seated where you can see it.

Maybe the best option – rent a cabin

You want a truly memorable game day watching experience? Look to one of the area’s many rental properties where large TVs are frequently part of the amenities. In this day of varied streaming platforms, you need to make sure they have the right package to get the game you want. But going in with some buddies, splitting the rental and getting some carryout or sandwiches delivered? That can make for a top notch and memorable sports viewing experience. And you won’t have to worry about anyone needing to turn the table over for the next guest if the game runs into overtime.

What is your favorite place to take in a game in the Smokies? Let us know in the comments!