A Smoky Mountain native offers his opinion on Calhoun’s in Gatlinburg I remember the first time I set foot in a Calhoun’s restaurant, the iconic East Tennessee dining tradition. It was 1994 and the NCAA tournament Men’s Regionals was in Knoxville at Thompson-Boling Arena. In fact, basically right across the street from Calhoun’s on the River. My stepdad suggested we
The Best Scenic Mountain Views in the Smoky Mountain’s, a locals guide You could spend a lifetime searching the Appalachian mountain range for the most gorgeous views. In fact, you could catalog them by state, separating the spectacular views from the merely beautiful views. For instance, are the best views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina
The Life and Times of Bud Ogle in Gatlinburg Tennessee William Ogle himself identified the Gatlinburg area as ripe for European settlement. He was a Delaware native who made his way down to the Carolinas where he met and married Martha Huskey. With the help of the Cherokee locals, he cut and hewed the logs to build a cabin. William returned
A local’s take on why Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains have such lasting appeal Humans – quite frequently – are creatures of habit. Sure, we’ll try new things. But we often find comfort in the tried and the true. For instance, do you have a favorite Mexican restaurant? Do you have a favorite order there? Maybe it’s not something you
A local’s advice on the top 7 things to do on spring break What does spring break mean to you? If, like me, you’re of a certain generation, it’s living vicariously through MTV’s sun-drenched beach houses while sitting on your couch, waiting for the Midwestern winter to break. Of course, places like Daytona, Cabo and Panama City conjure up ideas
A Smoky Mountain local shares his favorite spots for all-day breakfast and brunch Folks at the Pancake Pantry struck gold in the form of flapjacks when they came to the Smokies in the 1960s, and then pancake houses began popping up like weeds … if weeds were buttery and delicious, that is. But what’s that? You want to eat breakfast
A Virtual Tour of a Local’s Favorite Historic Places in the Smoky Mountains Traveling is about a lot of things. It’s about getting away from the daily grind and freeing yourself of the responsibilities that come with work. Additionally, it’s about bonding with friends and family. It’s also about seeing other parts of the country and world and absorbing cultures
A local weighs the pros and cons of the two Best Breakfast Restaurants in Gatlinburg Certainties in life are rare. Things change often without warning. Call it what you want. Whether it be fate, karma or luck. But even the things we think are certain in life can be changed by unexpected forces beyond our control. So, when we find
A local’s review and recommendations on the Best Things To Order at Log Cabin Pancake House When I was kid, we’d go down to Florida and Papaw would take us out on the Homosassa River to go fishing. Usually, there’d be three of us in the boat. Pap sat up in the bow and my stepdad Joe and I would
The little-known story of how the Smoky Mountains nearly had two theme parks, instead of one There are many great figures who shaped the path of the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge over the years. Some are well-known and some mostly forgotten. From Dolly Parton, to the first Ogles who set foot in White Oaks Flats, later known as