A local reveals his picks for the best wings in Pigeon Forge, TN I’ve dined in Pigeon Forge eateries for nearly 40 years. I certainly know the nature of the beast. Change is the buzzword in the mountains. Except for the rare few, popular restaurants come and go. One day, a restaurant can be in high demand, it’s impossible to
I’ve dined at dozens of eateries in Gatlinburg, these are the best mom-and-pop restaurants in the area Nowadays, the term “mom and pop” is code for a restaurant that isn’t a chain or is owned by a single restauranteur or family instead of a restaurant group. But we’re still attached to the idea of a certain kind of place. Take,
Come for the food, stay for the … singing animatronic chickens? I’ve been around these mountains for a long time. I’ve seen the hooks, the gimmicks, businesses use to entice tourists to spend their dollars with them. Usually, I get it. Our go-karts are faster. We’ve got Pirates. Hey, remember the infamous Kentucky family feud that caught national attention 160
Local offers tips for spending spring break in the Smoky Mountains When visitors plan a vacation to Gatlinburg, most of them don’t realize that spring break can be just as busy as the summer months. I live here in Gatlinburg and I can tell you that it’s quite a shock seeing the flock of tourism during this time. This year
The little European village in the Smoky Mountains you need to see As someone who has visited Gatlinburg since the middle ’80s, I’ve never known a time without The Village. But what is The Village? It’s a collection of shops featuring European-style architecture. Along with the Pancake Pantry, The Village Shops has set the mood for anyone coming to Gatlinburg
A Smoky Mountain local ranks his favorite seafood restaurants I’m a bit of a seafood snob, a habit I picked up at my grandparent’s house in Florida. With his next-door neighbor being a professional crabber, my grandfather and a connection to the shrimpers and the fishermen as well. We got used to eating the freshest possible seafood at the best
I’ve eaten at dozens of restaurants in the Smokies, these are my picks for the best burger joints in town In my over 30 years living in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, I’ve sampled dozens of local restaurants, everything from chains to hole-in-the-wall restaurants, in search of the best burger in town. Until recently, the best burger I’d ever
Local reviews Gatlinburg’s first pancake eatery In 1960, a pair of tourists from Indiana decided to bet their futures on a specialty pancake restaurant in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. I think of June and Jim Gerding as visionaries determined to start a hotcake revolution. When the Pancake Pantry opened, it was Tennessee’s first and only pancake house. And
A local shares his picks for best restaurants in the Smoky Mountains The times, they are a changing. Not long ago in Sevier County, there were only a handful of good restaurants. The key was low price, high volume and acceptable taste. But today, visitors will find the mountains full of delicious and interesting dining options. What are the criteria
Move over Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg – There’s a new foodie scene in Sevier County There is a movement afoot in Downtown Sevierville, a changing of the culinary guard. It is a movement of artisanal burgers, of top-shelf barbecue and homemade bacon. It is a movement of locally sourced, high-end elevated mountain cuisine. And it is a movement of lobster. As