At the gateway to the Smokies, which attract 9 million visitors a year, are Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, two distinctly different mountain towns on U.S. 441, which bisects the national park.
At the park entrance, Gatlinburg has tourist shops and waffle houses, but nature takes center stage: A stream rushes under footbridges and along parks and paths of the walk-able town, while the Ober Gatlinburg tram skins the top of the Alpine-timbered town for a bird's-eye view.
Pigeon Forge is the Reno of the Smokies: Neon signs line a six-lane main thoroughfare dotted with speedways, arcades and fast-food chains. But with the opening of RiverStone Resort in late April, things are looking downright upscale in Pigeon Forge.
Set off the hustle and bustle of the main strip, between the Little Pigeon River and Gatlinburg Golf Course, the resort is adjacent to Dollywood, an Appalachian-themed amusement park drawing 2.5 million visitors from April to Christmas each year.
Ideal for families, RiverStone's one- to four-bedroom condominiums sport a generously sized living/dining room, a river rock fireplace, and a deck or screen porch with patio tables and chaises. In the larger rooms, the master suite opens onto the deck and has a spa tub in-suite. The glam kitchen has granite counters, full-size stainless steel appliances and cooking utensils and dishware. The extra bedrooms have either twin beds or a king and their own bath.
On-site recreation includes a spa, lazy river for tubing and atrium pool. Or choose a muscle-easing soak in the hot tub or bask on the sundeck over the Little Pigeon River.
Five miles away in Gatlinburg is what several locals say is the best restaurant in eastern Tennessee, the Peddler Restaurant. On summer weekends, the wait for a table can stretch up to two hours, so call ahead and snag a bench in the shady grove along the riverbank to wait. Inside, the dining room overlooking the rapids has a cozy cabin vibe with knotty pine paneled walls hung with trout prints. Food is simple: hefty steaks hand-cut tableside and a 40-item salad bar -- including smoked oysters. The steak was buttery and seared perfectly.
Set into 130 acres the Smoky Mountains, Dollywood is lush with green spaces, waterscapes -- and even an eagle preserve. The park features 24 master craftsmen who come from all over the nation to preserve these traditional Appalachian crafts. Don't miss the Southern home cooking: corn bread, pulled pork and ribs -- even kettle-fried pork rinds.
And don't miss the original amusement ride, a classic 1860s steam engine train that journeys five miles into the Smokies that was the original attraction at Rebel Railroad. Dolly Parton became a partner in the park in 1986, and it was renamed Dollywood from Silver Dollar City.
Courtesy of Cincinnati Enquirer