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 a picture of Highway 321 carving its way through mostly open farmland on its way to the mountains.
Seeing the mostly pristine – or at least less despoiled mountain landscape – is beautiful. And the knee-jerk reaction is to pine for a way of life lost or forgotten. However, it isn’t really lost. From Chattanooga to Bristol, dozens of such small communities, buildings and roads remain. These are the mountains, folks. Want to get away from the crowds? It’s only a matter of driving – or hiking – a little farther than most people are willing.
Nostalgia notwithstanding, the very thing we lament in Pigeon Forge is the actual reason we visit. Pigeon Forge was built upon tourism as much as it was built upon the bedrock of the mountains. And so, when asked what locals do in Pigeon Forge, the real answer is we do what y’all do, we’ve just had more time for trial and error. We know where the good stuff is. Tired of the mini golf and mountain coasters? Here are a few non-touristy things to do in Pigeon Forge:
1. Shop at outlet malls or the new Target
I don’t have hard numbers for this, but when a major shopping occasion arrives on the calendar, like Black Friday or something similar, check the license plates in the outlet malls or the new Target. You’re going to see a lot of Tennessee plates from Blount. Knox, Jefferson and Hamblen counties. Do you want to hit Pigeon Forge like a local? Build some shopping into your itinerary.
2. Eat where the locals do
I promise you, we’re just like you are. We hit the strip for date nights and trips out with the family. Places like the Local Goat and Calhoun’s draw a huge local crowd. We don’t necessarily head for the more heavily themed places. If you want to find the locals in Pigeon Forge, you won’t always find us chasing the new and exciting places. We develop our favorites and lean on them until we are convinced to add to the list.
3. Go for a walk
Do you want to do non-touristy things in Pigeon Forge? Go for a walk at Patriot Park. Or get out of Pigeon Forge. Go to Wears Valley, Townsend, or get up into the mountains and have a picnic. Splash in a mountain stream. Do a little hiking. As a local, the most time I spend in Pigeon Forge – if you don’t count Dollywood – is getting through it to get up into the mountains and find the natural beauty that makes the whole thing possible.
Don’t get me wrong. I do like attractions like mountain coasters and mini-golf and historic “museums” with no connection whatsoever to the mountains. They are all fun and have their place. But if you want to experience the mountains like a local, you have to get away from the neon and see the Roaring Fork, and visit the Cove in the off-season. Just come to the mountains and live a little, that’s what we do.
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