Sevier County ranks third in the state for visitor spending, saving locals an estimated $11,294 in state and local tax collections There may not be gold in the hills of East Tennessee, but there sure is a lot of green. According to a report from the State of Tennessee, Sevier County, gateway to the Smoky Mountains, ranked third in the
“That’s the only time you’ll ever catch me out of my high heels,” says Parton It can be risky to commission a monument. One day it’s a great idea, but sometimes, years later, all you have is a controversial landmark. But there are also times when creating a statue to honor a native son or daughter is a no-brainer. Such is
Move over Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg – There’s a new foodie scene in Sevier County There is a movement afoot in Downtown Sevierville, a changing of the culinary guard. It is a movement of artisanal burgers, of top-shelf barbecue and homemade bacon. It is a movement of locally sourced, high-end elevated mountain cuisine. And it is a movement of lobster. As
A Buc-ee’s fanatic spills the beaver nuggets on his favorite Buc-ee’s foods We have become a Buc-ee’s family. For a long time, we’d heard whispers and had been Buc-ee’s curious. Now, after multiple road trips and witnessing one of the country’s largest Buc-ee’s being recently installed in our hometown, we’ve been able to soak in the Buc-ee’s travel center experience
I’ve eaten at dozens of restaurants in the Smokies, these are my picks for the best burger joints in town In my over 20 years living in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, I’ve sampled dozens of local restaurants, everything from chains to hole-in-the-wall restaurants, in search of the best burger in town. In full disclosure, the best burger I
A Southerner shares his first experience at a Buc-ee’s We were on I-75 heading south through Georgia and running late. But once we passed Chattanooga, temptation in the form of Buc-ees billboards was everywhere. The billboards promised seemingly endless rows of gas pumps with cheap gas. Not to mention the cleanest bathrooms in the United States, with enough urinals to
Ice skating returns to the Smoky Mountains for the 2023 season Ice skating always puts me in a festive mood. And when it comes to outdoor ice skating in the Smoky Mountains Wilderness, my favorite spot is at Wilderness at the Smokies. Wilderness at the Smokies is celebrating its 5th ice skating season this year starting Nov. 10, 2023, and
The Apple Barn Cider Mill and General Store is a popular, iconic destination in Sevierville Tennessee, very close to the Pigeon Forge line. There you will find shops, delicious treats, a winery and two very popular restaurants – Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and Farmhouse Grill. If you love sweet, specialty wines, apple butter, apple pies, apple fritters, apple cider and heck
After several months of waiting, the new Buc-ee’s is open in Sevierville, and it is everything we’d been waiting for. We visited the week it opened and tried to hit it early. By the time we left, traffic was already getting squirrely. The site is massive, crowded and crazy. In fact, it’s everything you want out of a Buc-ee’s and
When the self-styled “home of the world’s cleanest bathrooms, delicious barbecue, freshest food and friendliest beaver” announced plans to build the world’s largest convenience store in Sevierville, it generated a lot of attention. The popular Buc-ee’s chain has stores in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, and yes, the Volunteer state. And now, the Sevierville location has officially opened. And it