The real story behind the legend of the Gatlinburg BMW
There is a mystery in the mountains of Gatlinburg. But it doesn’t have anything to do with haints, haunts, or wild people. We won’t be talking about Big Foot or spooky hollers. This mystery is much deeper than any of those fly-by-night mountain legends. It involves something at the very core of Gatlinburg, maybe the most Gatlinburg thing that ever Gatlinburged.
This mystery, my friends, is about parking.
IN THIS ARTICLE
The Location
If you’ve ever been to Gatlinburg on a busy summer day – or maybe at the height of leaf-peeping in the fall – you know the horror that is trying to find a good parking spot. Of course, I’m old. I remember the days before the garages when you’d first do a lap down River Road to see if something streetside had opened up before pulling out your wallet to park in one of the pay spots.
Today’s young drivers don’t know anything about those trials because the two main parking garages usually have enough spots to accommodate downtown traffic. But when they don’t it’s an automotive “Lord of the Flies” where the competition gets fierce and decorum often goes out the driver’s side window.
I think that’s why our parking mystery first came to everyone’s attention. The mystery? For years there’s been a very nice car wedged into a triangular spot beside the iconic Parton’s Deli. It is located right at the proper entrance to the Parkway not far from Hillbilly Golf. Is it a parking spot? If you didn’t see a car there, you’d say no. There’s a big stone wall there. In the summer there is green brush and trees that form a triangular space there not much bigger than the car.
It is maybe the most exclusive and possibly the worst parking spot in town. I wouldn’t pull my beat-up Ford Focus into that spot much less a nice, more expensive car. Also, I wouldn’t park there because it’s private property and I wouldn’t want to get towed. But for years, a local lawyer has been parking his very nice car right there. And somehow inadvertently created an internet sensation.
The Car
It’s a black BMW. But I couldn’t tell you what kind because he always backs into the space. It would be a violation of both the real world and internet society to try and get back there and find out. Seriously, whatever you do leave the car alone. We don’t want to be responsible for ruining the internet’s fun.
The Internet Sensation
On the internet, where things go viral for seemingly no reason, the Black BMW that parks in the odd spot beside Parton’s Deli became a sensation. There are YouTube Videos, Reddit threads, TikToks and more dedicated to the car. It has become known as the unofficial Welcome to Gatlinburg sign. There are multiple Facebook groups dedicated to the celebration of the car – or at least that’s how they started. The founder of the Gatlinburg BMW group – with nearly 15,000 members – writes that it started as a joke. However, the group has become a community that shares a love of Gatlinburg and has made a difference in supporting local charities.
Who owns the car? Is it the person who owns Partons Deli?
No, but it’s not far removed. Parson’s Deli was founded in 1974 by Henry Parton who was joined by his teenage son Dennis and older son Darrell. For generations, the deli served some of the best deli sandwiches – famously steamed – in town from its fairly nondescript location. The idea for the sandwiches came from a third brother, David. He grew an appreciation for them from delis near the University of Tennessee where he was going to school.
Henry retired in 2021 at the age of 81 and Dennis worked the place solo for the next 12 years. He retired to work on his farm in 2022 and told the Mountain Press that he was selling the business to a local restaurant group.
So, does the car belong to Dennis? Nope. It belongs to David – the man who suggested the steamed sandwiches – who graduated from law school and has an office above the deli.
Is the owner related to Dolly?
No. While the deli was decorated over the years with East Tennessee iconography that included Dolly Parton images and the like, the family is not related to Dolly, per the Partons Deli website. I do suspect that if you went far back enough in the family trees, you might find a branch that crosses another here or there. But it would be a distant cousin situation at best.
Is the owner bothered by the attention?
Reportedly, the Parton family has been bemused by the internet fame of David’s car. There is a YouTube video of someone walking by just as David is locking his car. The person with the camera asks to shake his hand and he seems good-spirited, but one suspects the whole thing could get very old, very quickly.
Again, let us stress there is no need to bother David or his car. Enjoy the internet phenomenon without ruining it.
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