The days of seeing cars lined up with ‘For Sale’ signs along the Parkway are over In my 30 years in the area, Rod Runs meant classic cars lining the parkway adjacent spots in Pigeon Forge. Some were there to ogle the classic cars. Others were there to trade, dicker and deal. However, Pigeon Forge officials, at the request of
While many Smoky Mountain Restaurants are marketed as being a ‘mom and pop,’ these are as authentic as you’ll get As a writer, I sometimes become attached to the literal meaning of words or ideas. You spend your life mulling the minutia of second and third definitions – or fourth or fifth – and you can get a little lost
Unusual Popular Attractions in the Smoky Mountains It was the Great Smoky Mountains that turned Sevier County into a tourist mecca. But, the locals found out early on that tourists needed more than motels, restaurants and the great outdoors. As it turns out, there’s only so much nature one Midwestern family can absorb before they need a different level of
Which Smoky Mountain Water Park is Best? We’ve written about several of these head-to-head battles in Sevier County before – including The Peddler vs Alamo, Anakeesta vs Ober Mountain, Pirates Voyage vs Dolly’s Stampede and Lumberjack Feud vs Hatfield and McCoy. But today, we want to compare two of Sevier County’s most popular summertime attractions: Dollywood’s Splash Country and Soaky
Remembering an attraction that used to be the centerpiece of the park, now permanently erased It’s appropriate that in a theme park dedicated to mountain life, the remnants of a mostly forgotten relic are fading back into the scenery. Or at least, they were fading. Now, it’s nearly all but erased. This is Dollywood. It is never long until lost
In a picture that sat in a dusty album in my grandmother’s home, there was a picture of 5-year-old me with my arms stretched out from my shoulders and bent at the elbow. On each bicep rests a large, colorful parrot with a tight grip on my quivering arms. It is a photo-op from Busch Gardens. My eyes were wide and
Many Smoky Mountain Attractions Sell Themselves As Historic or Use Historic Theming, but the Old Mill Is the Real Deal In the Smoky Mountains, history sells. Countless attractions try to grab visitors’ attention by overplaying their connections to history. They may borrow the history of someone or something local or create a theme around a historic figure or place that
The worst times to visit the Smokies, according to a local The perfect time to hit the Smokies depends on what you want out of the experience. For example, in the spring, the mountains are fresh, green and blooming. They retain a bit of the nip in the air. Summer is also great when nothing is more refreshing than a
A local reviews Mel’s Classic Diner in Pigeon Forge There is a reason the classic American diner has endured from its heyday in the 1950s into modern times. And it goes well beyond nostalgia. You give the right person a griddle and a few classic ingredients, and magic happens. There are a lot of great dining options in the mountains,
Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show preparing to debut its South Pacific Celebration It seems unbelievable now since decades of dust have piled around the memories and obscured our vision. But for 12 years, a magical, mystical, improbably and fiscally irresponsible place lived in the Smokies. Porpoise Island, it was called. And it brought – quite literally – Polynesian culture and