There’s an immersive Christmas village in Tennessee that keeps it festive 365 days a year Christmas in my house starts on Thanksgiving Day. While my wife is inside preparing a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I’m outside decking the house for Christmas. We run strands of colorful lights along the eaves of our small front porch. We decorate the bushes. I’m a Christmas guy. We’re Christmas
An analysis of Tennesee’s famous fight song, Rocky Top When you grow up with the Smoky Mountains in your backyard, the mountains can become window dressing. An omnipresent decoration that fades to the background until something happens that draws it back to the fore. Such is the case, when you live in East Tennessee, with “Rocky Top” the unofficial theme
A local offers his opinion on the famous glass-bottomed bridge in Gatlinburg In recent years, the Gatlinburg SkyPark’s glass-bottomed SkyBridge has become one of the most iconic attractions in the Smoky Mountains. As a local who has had a first-row seat to witness how the Gatlinburg skyline has transformed in recent years, I can understand why. It is not only
A mom shares her favorite things to do in Gatlinburg with her family In my experience, I find that those visiting Gatlinburg for the first time are often surprised by the number of attractions competing for their tourist dollar. What seems like a sleepy mountain town can sometimes feel like an array of neon lights and eye-catching, quirky displays. But
The Park Grill offers some of the best service and food in Gatlinburg with (slightly) less wait I see The Park Grill – the unofficial restaurant of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park – as a port. It’s the perfect launching spot for an adventure in the park or the perfect destination to return to civilization after a day of
Cocke County TN has been identified as the worst county in the state of Tennessee. Who says? The good folks at 24/7 Wall St. They identified three categories – life expectancy at birth, percentage of the population with bachelor’s degrees and poverty rate – to determine the worst counties in which to live for all 50 states. For those who
Have you considered buying a Dollywood season pass? If so, you may have run across a few questions. How many times do I have to visit to get my money’s worth? Should I get a Gold Pass? What the heck is a Dining Pass? If you’re anything like me, you work hard for your money and want to be sure
A local ranks his favorite Ice Cream Shops in Gatlinburg Like pancakes, moonshine and go karts, ice cream in Sevier County is big business. From the Old Mill Creamery in Pigeon Forge and the Apple Valley Creamery – part of the Apple Barn Village in Sevierville – to the various premium ice cream purveyors in the Gatlinburg area, the Smoky
It’s easy to take the Dollywood theme park for granted for those of us who grew up with the beloved amusement park practically in our backyards. This is why, for years, I assumed my affinity for Dollywood was likely more biased than anything else. However, I’ve gotten older and expanded my theme park horizons. I realize there’s much more than a
The long-awaited 74,000 sq foot flagship Buc-ee’s Family Travel Center, complete with 120 fueling positions, EV charging stations and a car wash over 250 feet long in Sevier County opened in 2023. And along with the arrival of Buc-ee’s, came the congested traffic. Is Buc-ee’s at Exit 407 a bad idea? It is not. Buc-ee’s is a wonder. But the question we all had was if the infrastructure was