Blue Moose vs. Calhoun’s: Who ya got? There are many factors in choosing how to spend your culinary budget in Gatlinburg, not the least of which is geography. Are you, your hotel or your car on one end of the strip? Then it doesn’t make much sense to go past dozens of restaurants to get to the other end. In
What do you do when an emergency strikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park? In early June, a couple of North Carolina teens on a hiking, fishing and camping trip in the Pisgah National Forest found themselves facing life and death. One of the boys stepped over a log and felt a prick on his foot. He turned around
Top six don’ts on your visit to the busiest road in the Smokies I wish that the thought had occurred to me when I was younger to keep a little chart of my time on Highway 321 – aka the Great Smoky Mountain Parkway – in Pigeon Forge. Just a little Excel Spreadsheet that I could have kept up with
Celebrating the legends created by the people of the mountain Not all legends are created equally. For instance, take Lucy of Roaring Fork. It’s the same old ghost yarn we’ve all heard a thousand times in a thousand places. A young man, alone at night finds a young woman in some level of distress. She is in need of a ride
What do the continuing issues on I-40 mean for your mountain vacation? It was déjà vu all over again. A torrential downpour hit the Smokies – right at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line – dumping between 2.5 and 3.5 inches of rain in about two hours. The downpour caused multiple small mudslides. The massive amount of flooding also trapped travelers
These key figures in history crossed paths with the Smoky Mountains The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited places in the world. In fact, the mountains’ natural beauty, tourist friendly towns and interstate friendly location provide the perfect destination for a quick getaway or a longer trip. As such, it makes sense that from time-to-time
Where to eat in the Smokies if you have food allergies I got the call from the school nurse. John Paul – our middle child – had ingested one of the many, many foods to which he is allergic. Luckily for us, JP’s allergies aren’t anaphylactic. They don’t affect his ability to breathe. If he comes in contact with most
The Peddler vs. The Greenbrier vs. The Appalachian: Which Sevier County top end restaurant is the best? This is a contest in which – in the end – everyone walks away a winner. Whether you dine at The Peddler, The Greenbrier, The Appalachian or any of the other handful of fine-dining restaurants in the Smokies, you’re walking away with an
Speaking with the AP, Parton reveals her thoughts on faith in wake of husband’s death In early March, Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, died after what was apparently an extended illness. The death triggered an outpouring support for Parton who asked for understanding as she mourned the husband who’d spent their life together firmly outside of
From exploring the park to dining out to shopping, here are the things you can’t miss in the Smokies The Smokies and surrounding regions are massive. You could spend decades exploring the region and still not see everything. I should know. I’ve been here more than 30 years and keep finding new surprises and places I haven’t yet explored. But