The third slowest month in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park might surprise you As someone who has lived in East Tennessee for many years now, I was surprised to learn the third slowest month in the Smoky Mountains. The first was not surprising. But the third least visited month? I was mildly surprised, to say the least. According to
How to order the former ‘secret menu’ items from Pal’s Sudden Service Somewhere out there, fast-food test kitchens are cooking up wonders to present to the rest of the world. That’s how KFC delivered the Double Down – a questionable chicken sandwich that used breaded chicken breasts instead of bread. But those of us in the know don’t need to
East Tennessee local shares list of best food and snacks at Pal’s Sudden Service Pal’s Sudden Service – the regional fast-food chain in Northeast Tennessee with a cult-like following – is an institution for some and a total mystery to others. It was founded on an ideal of rapid service – hence the name. There’s a fairly basic menu with
Local weighs in on one of the most popular restaurants in the Smokies Located on the Pigeon Forge-Sevierville line, along the waters of the Little Pigeon River, sits Applewood Valley, a series of orchard-related stores, shops and restaurants with consistent themes built around the on-site orchard. In a region known for neon excess, it’s certainly a nice change of pace
Dual-location shop and stand in Gatlinburg serves up decadent waffles all day It’s a bold choice, I would think, to open a pair of waffle shops in the shadow of the iconic Gatlinburg institution the Pancake Pantry. But, in the Smoky Mountains, where there are pancake palaces stacked on top of each other – see what I did there? –
This massive general store in Tennessee allows guests to see live bears How the times have changed. Back in 1979 – when the store that would become the Three Bears General Store opened – the treatment of animals in zoos and circuses and the like was very different than today. How different? Somewhere in my grandmother’s picture collection is a 5-year-old
Local compares two popular Southern-style restaurants in the Smoky Mountains One of the truisms of life in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge is that if you find business success with a new or unique idea, it won’t be long until someone else is moving in on your territory. I’ve been around these mountains for nearly four decades. I recognize that imitation
Roots to Dolly Parton’s early career can still be found throughout the Smokies When you have lived around East Tennessee as long as I have, you start to play a little game I like to call “Six Degrees of Separation, Dolly Parton Edition”. For instance, if you live in Morristown, maybe you’ve met Dr. Gregg Perry. He graduated from the
Local weighs pros and cons to two popular family-style restaurants in Pigeon Forge The wonderful world of wrestling introduced us to the concept of the Royal Rumble. In other words, a bunch of wrestlers get in the ring for a free-for-all. Allegiances form and are broken as necessary through the course of the scripted Donnybrook. At the end, the last
Efforts are being made to reintroduce the endangered population to North Carolina Of the countless amazing experiences visitors can find in the Smokies, perhaps one of the most unique and memorable are animal sightings and encounters. Watching a mama bear cross the road with her twin cubs was certainly one of the highlights of our recent trip to the Smokies.