Sevierville

Mom and Pop Restaurants in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville

Tired of Chains or High-Concept Restaurants in the Smokies? These ‘Mom and Pop’ Restaurants Are Your Best Bet

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

Soaky Mountain vs Splash Country, Which Water Park Is Better?

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

The Best Mountain Parks Ranked: Anakeesta vs Gatlinburg SkyPark vs SkyLand Ranch vs Ober

A Smoky Mountain Expert Weighs In on Which Mountain Park Is Most Deserving of Your Money The best views in the Smokies remain free. You can drive up to Kuwohi – formerly Clingmans Dome – and soak in the natural wonder that made our ancestors see the mountains as something worth preserving. A drive along Newfound Gap Road offers several

The Best Restaurant in Sevier County Isn’t in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. Welcome to The Appalachian

A chef-driven restaurant is changing the possibility of what dining in the mountains can be  I’ve thought a lot about the right words to use about my new favorite restaurant in the Smokies. Words that can convey the experience without seeming like they’re hyperbole or exaggeration.  I’ve thought a lot about the peculiar combination of artistry, science, passion, and expertise

Forbidden Caverns History: Moonshiners’ Refuge Turned Tourist Attraction

A Local reviews Forbidden Caverns one of America’s most spectacular caverns If you think the Great Smoky Mountains are beautiful above ground, you should see what’s below.  Tennessee’s vast network of caves is hardly unknown. There are tourist locations all through East Tennessee promising underground adventure and sightseeing, but it is often, I think, under-appreciated.  Forbidden Caverns – located near

How the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Came Into Existence

Who is responsible for creating the GSMNP? The one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is approaching on the horizon. It’s nearly impossible – or at least for me – to truly understand life in the mountains before the national park. Imagine a time when interested parties across a wide-ranging spectrum of experiences and ideals

There’s an entire Harry Potter Inspired Village Hidden Near Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Did you know an entire rentable Harry Potter-inspired village is hidden near Gatlinburg, TN? In the Smokies, we have a grand tradition of thumbing our noses at things like laws. We have traditionally eschewed the idea that outsiders can come here and tell us what to do. Especially up in the mountains where we are free and hard to find.

pines theater in sevierville with a photo of young dolly parton

Reopened After 70 Years: You Can Now Visit Where Dolly Parton Got Her Start

You can now eat, drink, sing and play in the same theater where Dolly Parton performed her first-ever paid gig in this cozy, historic town in Tennessee In 1956, a then-unknown 10-year-old with a uniquely beautiful voice named Dolly Parton stepped onto the stage at The Pines Theater, a small music and entertainment venue in Sevierville, TN, with seating for

upside down buc-ee's billboard

What’s the Deal With Buc-ee’s Upside-Down Billboards?

A Buc-ee’s fan investigates the bizarre, sudden appearance of upside-down Buc-ee’s billboards Buc-ee’s massive gas stations broke through the Texas border years ago and now the company is expanding beyond the South. As Buc-ee’s grows, new people are exposed to the Buc-ee’s way. That goes from massive stations with dozens of gas pumps, to spacious and clean bathrooms. It also

buc-ee's entrance in sevierville, tennessee

Buc-ee’s Etiquette: You Might Be Annoying Others if You’re Breaking These Rules

Hey, we didn’t make the rules. Actually, we did. Here they are… Whether it’s your first or 100th time inside a Buc-ee’s, it’s always the same dose of sensory overload. There’s so much to do, so many bathroom stalls, so much to see and eat. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget that we live in