A local’s honest review of Pirates Voyage in Pigeon Forge There are certain obligations that come with writing about Dolly Parton’s pirate-themed dinner and show, located just a cannon blast or two away from Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The obligations are: So, with those rules out of the way, let’s get down to business, shall we? When did
A local offers a 2025 update on recovery efforts post Hurricane Helene Life – in many ways – has returned to normal. Or it is in the process of returning to normal. I’m about a 15-minute drive from the Nolichucky River where serious flooding and damage occurred. So for some of us, it’s possible to go a few days without
A local’s take on why GSMNP attendance dropped in 2024 We live in a time of magnificent hyperbole. Blaring headlines on social media and the internet make the yellow journalism of the early 1900s seem quaint by comparison. Click here to watch your favorite politician DESTROY his political enemies. Watch here as this comedian ANNIHALATES, the politician you hate. Click
6 Things You Need To Know about the Rare Albino Bear The animal in the picture above is a black bear. No, you’re not looking at the next gold and white dress debate. (Or was black and blue?) Even though this guy looks a bit like a lost polar bear or a white grizzly bear, he (or she) is a
A long time Tennessee resident shares the Best Attractions in the Tennessee Tennessee is a deceptively large state. People have a basic understanding of scale when talking about Texas or California or even Florida. I think most people understand that it’s a long way from Jacksonville to Miami. But Tennessee? It’s thin, but it’s wide. Sure, it’s a short drive
A local offers several critical tips before Visiting the Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains National Park sees about 12.5 million visitors in a year, according to the National Park Service (NPS). This makes the Smokies a huge tourist area. But with great fame comes great growing pains. While we love our visitors, there are a few things us locals
Local offers tips for the best times to visit the Smoky Mountains Vacation days are precious. So how many days should you allocate for your Smoky Mountain vacation? Of course, that’s really only a question you can answer. Factors like distance, personal preferences and drive time have to be weighed as well as cost. You also want to pick the
The History of the now Famous Mountain town Gatlinburg, by a local The area that would become the village of Gatlinburg existed long before a South Carolina farmer made his way to the mountains looking for a new home for his family. The history of Gatlinburg begins with the spine that existed long before the American Revolution, long before colonists
Camping World in Sevierville receives flagpole zoning violation notice A controversy is brewing in Kodak that is drawing national attention. The combatants? In one corner, Camping World, the nation’s No. 1 RV dealer and its CEO Marcus Lemonis, who sidelines as a reality TV show star. In the other corner? The city of Sevierville codes enforcement department and Board of
How Jim Gerding changed the face of Gatlinburg forever … with pancakes, architecture and civic involvement The swallows are called Capistrano. The Manatee find their way home from the wide ocean to the springs of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The people of the Smoky Mountains? They respond to the siren call of Myrtle Beach. And The Hoosiers? They come to the