Destination: Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

The best things to do in the Pigeon Forge area are to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park, attend some of the many shows (comedy and country music), and shop at the many outlet malls. And let us not forget Dollywood. There are also many souvenir shops, go-cart tracks, miniature golf courses, and other tourist attractions located in Pigeon Forge.

As a trivia item, at the turn of the century (this one), the tallest building in Pigeon Forge was a barn -- the comedy barn theater. There may be a high-rise motel there now that is taller, but then again it may still be the tallest building in town.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Pigeon Forge is really spread out, so walking is not a good option. An auto is your best bet, but within Pigeon Forge itself, the shuttle bus (trolley) system is a good option. They run every 10 or 15 minutes, and costs you 25 cents every time you get on. Also, you will probably want to see sights outside the confines of Pigeon Forge, and a car will definitely be a necessity for this.

Best Things Nearby:
Smoky Mountain National Park, Dollywood theme park, outlet malls.

Best Things About the Resort:
The resort located about a half mile from the main road through Pigeon Forge so that the road noise is not a problem, but it is very convenient to get in and out of.

Resort Experience:
A relatively small resort (seven buildings, 148 units), the staff is friendly. I would describe the units as small and cozy, but not so small as to feel cramped. The units are clean and well furnished, and the kitchens, while small enough to definitely be a one-person kitchen, are well-equipped with pots, pans, dishes, utensils, and appliances. The master bath in each unit has a whirlpool tub, and there are gas grills located just outside each building. There are outdoor and indoor pools, a fitness center, sauna, hot tub, a putting green, and a playground on the resort grounds.

There is a lot to do in the area, so we do not usually spend a lot of time at the resort, but the activities staff does do a good job. Discounted tickets to various local attractions can be obtained through the activities department.

We usually attend the Monday meeting, where representatives of the various attractions in the area make presentations. We also usually attend the weekly pot-luck dinner, where the resort provides the meat and the owners bring a passing dish. The resort also has a local musician come in to provide entertainment during the pot-luck.

• Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
• Activities: Excellent
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

The food is a mixture of standard American fare and regional dishes. Their standards include corn chowder and corn fritters, both of which are served with every meal. The restaurant is built on the bank of the Little Pigeon River, with large windows overlooking the river.

Turn off the Parkway onto Old Mill Street at traffic light #7. The Parkway is the main street through Pigeon Forge, six lanes wide except where there are also turning lanes, and the traffic lights have numbers on them. Many businesses use the traffic light numbers to tell potential customers where they are located. One block after turning, as you cross the bridge over the Little Pigeon River, you will see the Old Mill to your right with the restaurant immediately behind it.

The primary main course at this establishment is, of course, catfish. There are also other varieties of seafood available, as well as chicken. Until recently, each table had a small crock containing green onions. Since the health department told them to remove the crocks from the tables, you may have to ask your server to bring you some green onions, but they are available if you ask. You are also provided with a bowl of beans with your meal.

This can also be a good place for big eaters who like catfish. They have an "all you can eat" catfish dinner, and most times that I have been there there's been at least one person chowing down.

This is not fine dining, but the food is good and you do get good value for your money here.

Pop's is located on the Parkway between traffic lights #7 and #8. The Parkway is the main street through Pigeon Forge, six lanes wide except where there are also turning lanes, and the traffic lights have numbers on them. Many businesses use the traffic light numbers to tell potential customers where they are located.

Just as the name implies, this is a barbeque restaurant -- Memphis style barbeque (far western Tennessee), not eastern Tennessee style barbeque. The meat used for the barbeque is pork. The food is good, and you get good value for your money here.

The theme of the decoration inside the restaurant is the blues, with many old posters advertising appearances by various musicians.

Corky's is located on the Parkway between traffic lights #7 and #8. The Parkway is the main street through Pigeon Forge, six lanes wide except where there are also turning lanes, and the traffic lights have numbers on them. Many businesses use the traffic light numbers to tell potential customers where they are located.

Just what it sounds like -- an American diner, with a stainless steel exterior, with a menu that includes burgers, burger baskets, dogs, etc. The juke box has fifties music on it, and the walls have decorations on them that date back to the '50s -- an example is framed front covers of magazines such as "Look" and "Life".

A few of the selections from their menu:

Beach Boy Baskets
Regular Baskets are served with chips; Deluxe Baskets are served with fries and slaw. Old Fashion Burger Basket Reg $ 3.95 Deluxe $ 4.95 Chili Cheeseburger Reg $ 3.75 Deluxe $ 4.75 Hamburger Basket Reg $ 3.25 Deluxe $ 4.25 BBQ Sandwich Basket Reg $ 4.50 Deluxe $ 5.50 Fish Sandwich Basket Reg $ 3.95 Deluxe $ 4.95 The Platters
Served with mashed potatoes or fries and a tossed salad and bread. Pork Chop $ 8.95 Grilled Chicken $ 8.95 Open Faced Roast Beef $ 8.95 Country Style Steak $ 6.95 Meatloaf $ 6.95 The Temptations Banana Split $ 3.95 Hot Fudge Sundae $ 2.95

This is located on West Wears Valley Road, a block off the Parkway -- turn west off the Parkway at traffic light #3. The Parkway is the main street through Pigeon Forge, six lanes wide except where there are also turning lanes, and the traffic lights have numbers on them. Many businesses use the traffic light numbers to tell potential customers where they are located.

This was an excellent restaurant with many regional specialities on the menu, and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Examples of lunch and dinner menu entreess are smoked salt-cured country ham with red eye gravy, country fried steak, fried chicken, Smoky Mountain trout, and fried catfish. You are served apple butter, apple fritters, and a glass of their Applewood Julep with every meal.

Apple Valley Road, where this restaurant is located, is off the Parkway just north of the boundary between Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. There are two similar restaurants on this road: the Applewood Farmhouse Grill, the first one you come to, and the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, the second. The food is the same -- the Restaurant meals tend to be all-inclusive and more expensive, while the Grille meals are less expensive but some items such as dessert must be purchased as extras. Child-size portions are available.

This is that good old American standard, a drive-in restaurant such as was common in the 1950's. You drive your auto into a covered spot, read the menu mounted on a roof support, and place your order using the speaker next to you. Shortly your order is delivered on a tray designed to hang from your partially closed driver's side window. When you are finished with your meal, you signal the carhops and they remove the tray, and you back your auto out of the space.

The menu includes the expected foods for a drive-in: hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dog baskets, burger baskets, fish baskets, etc. I happen to like their coney dogs and their root beer.

They are located on the east side of the Parkway just north of the boundary between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, and just south of the Tanger at Five Oaks Factory Stores.

This is not just a dining experience, although the meal is definitely part of the experience. You are seated facing an indoor arena where the show, involving horses and riders, will be going on while you eat. Every so often your server will disappear from your area, and turn up out on the arena floor as part of the show. You do not select your meal from a menu; you eat what the server brings you. And I almost forgot: you are given no eating utensils for your meal -- you use your hands. The servers do bring around wet cloths after the meal, so that you do not leave with greasy hands.

While they are not always sold out for every meal, it is best if you make reservations.

This is one of those things that everyone should experience at least once -- I will probably go back every five years or so.

A large national park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, it includes a wide range of features and potential activities.

Must-see areas include Cade's Cove, a mountain valley that is maintained as it was in the 1920's, when the residents were moved out to create the park. Plan on spending most of a day taking the auto tour through Cade's Cove -- this park has the greatest number of visitors of any park in the national park system, and most of them want to see Cade's Cove. The auto tour route is a single-lane one-way road that circles the valley, and usually the traffic is bumper-to-bumper. There is no good way to escape the traffic.

Another good drive is the Roaring Fork motor nature trail, which begins and ends in Gatlinburg. You can also drive across the park to Cherokee, North Carolina with a stop at Clingman's Dome, the highest point in Tennessee. There are many hiking trails in the park as well -- the Applachian trail also crosses the park.

A large, fully enclosed, outlet mall, with the normal mix of shops. There are also two nearby annex buildings, not fully enclosed, each of which have several shops.

A large, not fully enclosed, outlet mall, with the normal mix of outlet stores. This is the first of the outlet malls to be built in Pigeon Forge, and now has many vacant store fronts. It is still a good place to shop.

A medium-sized, not fully enclosed, outlet mall, with the normal mix of outlet stores. This was the third of the outlet malls to be built in Pigeon Forge, and as of June 2002, had very few vacancies.