Oak Ridge, a secret city, was key to developing technology that ended World War II Gatlinburg was born when flatlanders from South Carolina found their way to a mountain paradise. Knoxville was born as a fort and a handful of cabins at the headwaters of the Tennessee River. Likewise, Chattanooga’s founding can be linked to its location on the Tennessee
Following the trail to abandoned cabins and forgotten history in the Smokies There is an alternate history of how things might have been different if the National Park had not been created. In the decades before the park, there were a variety of groups that changed the future of the park. Logging companies – to the chagrin of naturalists campaigning
Want to explore Gatlinburg the way the locals do? Here are three suggestions When I was young, my wife Leslie and I were lucky enough to go to France and England a couple of times. We’d go in late March and early April and hope to catch an unseasonably warm week. We were lucky more than we weren’t. But warm
Tired of the mini golf and mountain coasters? Here are a few non-touristy things to do in Pigeon Forge Every once in a while, one of those old photos catches fire on a social media platform and dances around the internet drawing waves of nostalgia for how things used to be. “Pigeon Forge circa 1950,” the caption will read alongside
Crews will be renovating the 2.3-mile-long entrance from SR 32 to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Big changes are coming for one of the lesser visited entrances to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The Cosby entrance, located off State Road 32, carries visitors up to the Cosby Campground to explore the scenic – and under-visited – Cosby Creek. The
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
A local reflects on his least favorite winter-related experiences in the Pigeon Forge area Winter in the Smoky Mountains is split – as it is in the rest of the world, I suppose – into two segments: Pre-holidays and post-holidays. To the naked eye, there might not be much difference as the festive holiday lights stay up throughout the season.
Here’s how to enjoy Cades Cove without the annoying crowds, according to a local Cades Cove is among the most popular tourist spots in the country, if not the world. With its wide sweeping vistas of the mountains across the valley, wildlife viewing, historic settlements and trails, the Cove offers all that is great about the mountains in one, condensed
Dollywood is a hot spot for celebrity sightings – here’s a roundup of some of the biggest stars known to frequent the park The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding area are among the most visited tourist destinations in the world. In the mountains, there are surely few places that are more popular than Dollywood. I’ve watched over
A Smoky Mountain resident talks about experiences he won’t revisit in Pigeon Forge, TN I like to like things. When it comes to movies, TV shows, books, food and experiences, I go in with a pretty optimistic viewpoint. I want to enjoy them. The only real place where I am an especially discriminating consumer is music. I have enough songs