Five historic restaurants located outside of the Smokies When visitors come to the Smokies, they are beset by merchants, restauranteurs and more. And all are selling a particular brand of nostalgia. Authentic mountain goods, authentic mountain recipes. Some of it real. However, some of it is catering to specific expectations. But the taste of East Tennessee – even the mountains
East Tennessee’s premier fantasy world destination – Ancient Lore Village is Expanding My introduction to the fantasy world came – as I suppose it did for many in my generation – sitting in a darkened elementary school English class. Our teacher would roll out an AV stand. On the stand was a TV with a screen so small that kids
Exploring the out of the way places off the strip and beyond in the Smokies We start with some parameters. In Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, the strip is a quite literal designation. Both the Pigeon Forge – Highway 321 – and the Gatlinburg – Highway 441 – strips hold dedicated demarcation of space, often marked by excessive traffic. The strip
Sure, the GSMNP picnic areas are great, but what if you want a change of scenery? We’ve got just the places for you to explore There’s a place on Wears Valley Road that runs between Pigeon Forge and Townsend through (you guessed it) Wears Valley. And it may be the worst designated picnic spot in the world.It’s not far past
Spout Spring Estates is a surprising, picturesque spot hidden in the mountains of Blaine, TN Even after more than 30 years in and around the mountains, there are things that surprise me. Well-known things that have eluded me, secret spots or stories only known by a few, or places that I just haven’t made it to, yet. The mountains are
Thousands of visitors are leaving their handwritten wishes at this beautiful bridge in the Smoky Mountains I’ve been around the Smoky Mountain tourism game for more than 30 years. So, I’ve come to expect certain liberties to be taken with local lore. Any mountain, cove, den, holler, waterfall or creek that happens to come under the ownership of a money-making
Celebrating the Unique Dining Spots in the Smokies Mimicry in the Smokies is king. Success breeds imitation. That’s why everywhere you look, it’s pancake houses and go-kart tracks and mountain coasters as far as the eye can see. But the Smokies isn’t all about imitation. Some folks eye the landscape and decide to carve their own path. When everyone else
A Guide to the Devil’s Courthouse in Transylvania County They say the Lord works in mysterious ways. But so, too, must the Devil. It stands to reason, right? He’s in Georgia inexcusably losing fiddle contests and in Mississippi luring Blues men to their eternal fate. But as much as it appears the Devil enjoys having a hand in the music
Inside the area that legendary author Horace Kephart once described as “a country of ill fame” In 1904 Horace Kephart, a librarian/outdoorsman who tended the stacks at the Yale University Library and for a while worked for an American rare book collector in Italy, separated from his family and made his way to the Mountains of North Carolina. Kephart was
A Local Reveals Some of Dollywood’s Best Kept Secrets The thing about a place with a legacy like Dollywood is that even as progress rolls through, and even as things change, little snippets of the past survive. Sometimes these little slivers of what was remain purposefully, a little tribute shared among the knowing. Other times it’s more practical. It might