General Information

The Top 10 Smoky Mountain Songs, According to a Local

The Best Smoky Mountain Playlist Building a perfect road trip playlist is part art and part science. But you also need some alchemy. You want the songs to fit around a certain theme to help build the hype. For example, some Beach Boys music for a beach trip. A little Sinatra for New York. Some Disney Magic if you’re heading

The Sevierville Flag Controversy: The Notice To Take Down the Camping World American Flag

Camping World in Sevierville receives flagpole zoning violation notice A controversy is brewing in Kodak that is drawing national attention. The combatants? In one corner, Camping World, the nation’s No. 1 RV dealer and its CEO Marcus Lemonis, who sidelines as a reality TV show star. In the other corner? The city of Sevierville codes enforcement department and Board of

The Passing of a Gatlinburg Legend, Jim Gerding

How Jim Gerding changed the face of Gatlinburg forever … with pancakes, architecture and civic involvement The swallows are called Capistrano. The Manatee find their way home from the wide ocean to the springs of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The people of the Smoky Mountains? They respond to the siren call of Myrtle Beach. And The Hoosiers? They come to the

These Are the 5 Weirdest Snacks, Foods You Can Find at Buc-ee’s

A Buc-ee’s fan shares some of his odder finds from the popular gas station chain Buc-ee’s is an interstate oasis. It’s a place of brightly light wonders. From gas pumps as far as the eye can see to spacious bathrooms with multiple stalls, the Texas-based chain has in the last few years exploded in popularity. With locations ranging across the

A Surprise Mountaintop Restaurant Just Opened in the Smoky Mountains

Smoky Mountain Smash is Now Open at SkyPark in Gatlinburg For years or decades or maybe even generations, the fare atop the SkyPark in Gatlinburg could best be characterized as OK. It would do in a pinch – or prove useful in the zombie apocalypse. Still, offering a handful of snacks, hot dogs and pizza, it was never what you’d

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.

6 Things Not to Do at Biltmore in North Carolina According to a Local

A Local Offers Tips on What Not To Do at Biltmore Estate In the mountains of Western North Carolina stands America’s answer to Versailles the one in France, not Kentucky. An opulent mansion built by the grandson of one of America’s great robber barons, Biltmore stands as a beautiful testament to vision, persistence and the power of obscene amounts of

5 Things Not to Do When Hiking in the Smoky Mountains, According to a Local

A Local Offers Tips on What Not To Do When Hiking in the Smokies There’s something primal about the great, wide places of the world. You feel it standing on a lonely shore, looking out over a great grey ocean. You feel it on the precipice of a canyon or valley, looking across a wide expanse. And you feel it

There’s a New Attraction Slated to Replace the Old Dome in Pigeon Forge, TN

An all-new racing mountain coaster is coming soon to Pigeon Forge, TN Success in the Smokies is often built on the shoulders of those who came before you. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s also a pretty good business model in the Smokies. Often, someone comes in with a new idea like a go-kart track, mini-golf

bucees store with pickled brussels sprouts in front

5 Things Not To Eat at Buc-ee’s, According to a Beaver Fanatic

A Buc-ee’s fan offers advice on what not to eat at the popular travel stop Even in paradise, a little rain must fall. Buc-ee’s, aka the most magical place on the interstate, is a jewel for road trippers, commuters and travelers everywhere. Europeans make the trip over the pond just to marvel at the wonder of a gas station with