A Smoky Mountain local reveals his top picks for the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Gatlinburg In a world filled with chain restaurants and expensive dining options, sometimes you find the best restaurants where you least expect them. We call them hole-in-the-wall restaurants for lack of a better term. However, we use it with affection. Often, the best places to find
We took a journey to track down the restaurant that is believed to be frequented by Dolly Parton herself There’s a spot on the Parkway in Sevierville that is built almost entirely in anticipation. You’ve come through downtown and past the China Town restaurant, which has been serving the exotic cuisine of the Far East since Moses was a boy.
Do your best to avoid these common mistakes during your next trip to the Apple Barn With its shops, restaurants, hotels and stores, the Apple Barn Cider Mill & General Store essentially becomes its own little village on weekends, especially in the fall. Parking spaces are a premium commodity. The waits for both of the Apple Barn complex restaurants can
A local breaks down the times to avoid when booking your Smoky Mountain vacation While I generally hold with the belief there are no bad times to visit the Smokies – with the exception of during natural disasters and the like – I will admit there are times that a Smoky Mountain vacation is less optimal than others. When are
The Sevierville Buc-ee’s just lost its accolade for being the biggest in the world Well. It was good while it lasted. After roughly 11 months at the top, the Sevierville Buc-ee’s is no longer the largest convenience store in the world. That’s right, there’s a new largest Buc-ee’s in town. Although, I say that as more of an expression as
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
A local’s guide to the Best Drives in the Smoky Mountains One of the great things about the Smoky Mountains is that just about any drive you take can be a scenic drive. For instance, there are spots on I-40 as you climb up into the higher elevations where the river cuts a path down through the truly breathtaking valleys, especially
Where Is the Best Place To See Bears in Gatlinburg? What’s the number 1 question from visitors to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? Is that bathroom locked? No, but I like what you’re thinking. The most popular question is: Where is the best place to see a bear in the Smoky Mountains? Honestly, we don’t know. If we did,
Cumberland Gap National Park Is a Must-Visit for Anyone Who Truly Loves the Majesty and History of the Appalachians Where do we start? Well, in a literal sense we start in a massive tunnel that runs under the mountain at the Tennessee-Kentucky Border. The Cumberland Gap Tunnel is a two-bore, four-lane work that carries U.S. 25E under Cumberland Gap National