Editorial

Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge

Is Dollywood Worth the Price? What You Need To Know To Plan Your Budget

Most people go on vacation with a certain budget in mind. Everything you choose to do takes a piece of that pie. Perhaps a fancy meal Or a shopping trip to stock up on salt-water taffy and ninja stars. And so, planning becomes a game of deciding what activities are worth taking and which ones don’t offer the bang for

Legend or Lawbreaker: The Real Story of Popcorn Sutton

Tennessee loves the lore of its moonshine. From mountain boys outrunning revenuers in hopped-up hot rods to the illicit pleasure of drawing a sip of untaxed apple pie whiskey made in a copper still in someone’s mountain barn. There’s a rugged outlaw poetry that even the most straight-laced, law-abiding East Tennessean embraces when it comes to the original mountain dew.

Blue Ridge Mountains

Are the Blue Ridge Mountains and Smoky Mountains the Same?

I learned everything I know about the Blue Ridge Mountains from a pair of musicians from the other side of the country. For me, a child of the 70s and 80s, New Mexico native John Denver was an omnipresent part of my youth. On TV with the Muppets, on the movie screen with George Burns, on the radio singing about

We hope you enjoy our tongue-in-cheek suggestions on how to get out of an unwanted timeshare presentation in the Smokies (stock photo)

10 Hilarious Ways To Get Out of a Timeshare Presentation in the Smokies

You did it. You took the plunge and traded your precious time to save money on lodging during your vacation. I mean, 90 minutes listening to a timeshare presentation for three days and two nights of free hotel? That’s a deal. But is it? I mean is it, really? I have a friend who used to be in the timeshare

Ziplining at Anakeesta

Best Ziplining in the Great Smoky Mountains: Our Top 9 [2023]

You haven’t been ziplining if you haven’t been Smoky Mountain ziplining. If you’re visiting East Tennessee or Western North Carolina, definitely consider doing a zipline activity while you’re here. If you’ve never tried it before, it’s a tour in which you’re strapped to an aerial runway with a pulley suspended on a cable, and then you fly through the treetops

Frizzle

Best Lunch Spots for Families With Kids in Pigeon Forge; Our Top 6 Picks

Vacationing with kids is never stressful at all! … said no one ever. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great until someone starts feeling a bit hangry in the backseat. And it can feel daunting to find an affordable lunch spot that will make both kids and adults happy. But fortunately, there are lots of great lunch spots in Pigeon Forge

Chapel in the Hollow might be No. 2 on our list because it requires just a bit more of a drive to get to it from Gatlinburg – but its No. 1 in our hearts because of the fabulous scenes and photography (photo courtesy of Chapel in the Hollow/Star Noir Studios)

A Look at the 6 Best Wedding Chapels in Gatlinburg, Ranked

Did you know that Gatlinburg, Tenn., is considered the official honeymoon capital of the South? In fact, my own parents honeymooned in Gatlinburg after their marriage more than 40 years ago. Love is always in the air in Gatlinburg. But for couples looking to wed at one of the many cute mountain chapels, the options can sometimes feel a bit

Cas and Dolly

The Man Who Discovered Dolly Parton: The Bizarre Story of Cas Walker

East Tennessee’s most notorious showman came into the world two years after the turning of one century and left two years before the arrival of another. It’s fitting, in a way, that Orton Caswell “Cas” Walker of Tennessee fit all his living within the confines of the 20th century. Because few people encapsulate the width and breadth of the wild