Top 10 Things Smoky Mountain Visitors Want To Know.....So here it is!

Planning a visit to the Smokies or its surrounding areas?  We know what you are looking to do so here are our honest and unbiased suggestions!

#1  Shopping:  Tanger Outlet Mall for serious bargain shopping and they have coupons on their website.  But for unique boutiques and in a beautiful setting, don't miss the Village in Gatlinburg.

#2  Scenic Drives:   Well, it really just depends on what you want!  The best way to figure that out is to go to Sugarlands visitors center and get information on all of the roads in the park.  Or click here for the park's day planner.

#3 Eating at Unique Restaurants:  The Greenbriar Restaurant is rich with history and has great views in the evenings.  The Park Grill is always a favorite.  It has the cabin feel with murals on the walls and great atmosphere.  The food is good and they have an incredible salad bar.  Both are open for dinner only.

#4 The Smoky Mountains:  Well, I always suggest staying somewhere that you will have a good view of the mountains (shameless plug for our resort......every site has a great view!).  If you are interested in getting into the mountains and being in nature, the park has many walks or hikes and they vary from easy to difficult.  If you have children and/or you have a stroller, several of the walks and hikes are still available to you.  Click here for trail maps.  Please note many of the trials do not allow pets, please don't feed the wildlife and be sure to take all trash to an appropriate container. 

#5 Historic Sites:  The Park is home to nearly 80 historic structures—houses, barns, churches, schools, outbuildings, and grist mills that have been preserved or rehabilitated. The best places to see them are at Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Oconaluftee, and along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Self-guiding auto tour booklets are available at each place so you can understand the history behind every historic site.  

#6 Live Music:  In the evening during the summertime you can listen to live bluegrass at Settlers Village in a little white gazebo in the parking lot.  Occassionallly street musicians can be found among the Gatlinburg shops, and mostly perfom bluegrass as well.  There is no charge to listen but if you appreciate what you hear be sure to let them know.  Dollywood is also a great place to find a variety of music and they are home to the Kingdom Heirs.                         .

#7 Dollywood:  Pretty self-expanitory.  Just jump on thier site and you can see everything that is going on and plan your visit with show times, what the rides are and where they are.  They have a "Play Another Day" offer where you actually get two days at Dollywood for the price of one day.  And offer "Splash and Play" where you have three full days at Splash Country and Dollywood; and you can combine the two parks however you like.  (We do offer these tickets at our office, and you can purchase ahead of time to avoid waiting in line!)

#8  Antique Shopping:  Rebecca's Thyme, Yesterdays Antiques, and Bears Valley Antique mall.   These are only a few and an attraction in itsself is the Flea Market where you will find lots of antiques and anything imaginable.

#9 Hiking and Biking:  See numbers 2 and 4.  In Townsend they have a bike trail that is really nice and easy, click here.  And there is Cades Cove which is a little more challenging.  The smokies offers all levels of hikes and trails to explore on foot just click here for a day planner.

#10  Art Galleries:  Paul Murray, Alewine Pottery, G Webb, and definitely Arrowcraft gallery; all in Gatlinburg.

And there you have it!   If you have any questions just give us a call or send out an email, we will give you the best answer we know.  We hope you enjoy our beautiful back yard!

Did you know Dolly is a avid RV'er? Sure enough........

Our favorite celebrity loves to take off in her RV.  Click here for the clip from the biography channel where she tells all about it.   The RV you see in the video clip is not her actual RV, but click here to see a tour of her class A from an avid fan.  We would love to have her stay with us! 

Gatlinburg in the snow last week

Our Great Local Legend: Dolly!!!

It's not surprising that we have an affinity for Dolly Rebecca Parton.  The singer, actress, writer and philanthropist is the darling of our area.  Not only is she talented (writing over 3,000 songs in her lifetime) but she posseses a unique wit and charm.   She hasn't forgotten where she came from and continually gives to the communities of Gatinburg, Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.  She began the Imagination Library to provide books for children from birth to kindergarten.  Her inspration for the Imagination Library was her father who couldn't read or write, not from a lack of desire, but from a lack of opportunity.  She stated that she wanted to “put her money where her mouth is – and with such a big mouth that’s a pretty large sum of money”, and so she did.  Tennacious, intuitive and gracious she continually gives to the community in ways that aren't announced or read about.  Her affiliation with Dollywood and Splash Country and her own Dixie Stampede creates thousands of jobs and is a major economic contributor for the area.
  
So, enjoy just a few quotes from our "Book Lady" Dolly listed below.  Let us know your favorite or send us one we may have missed!

 If you time your vist just right you may get a glimpse of Dolly, she regularly returns to her Smoky Mountain Home and stars in the yearly kickoff parade for Dollywood each spring.  

1. I still close my eyes and go home - I can always draw from that.

2. I'm not going to limit myself just because people won't accept the fact that I can do something else.

3. If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.

4. If you talk bad about country music, it's like saying bad things about my momma. Them's fightin' words. 

5. I look just like the girls next door... if you happen to live next door to an amusement park.
 
6. Storms make trees take deeper roots.

7. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.

8. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.

9. You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try. 

10. You'd be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap!

11. I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.