The 4th in Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg in summer (especially July 4th week) is a city of constant frenetic energy. Even just stopping and watching everything going on can be highly entertaining. Some high points from my last trip? First... Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies was something I was NOT expecting to find in the thick of this countryish town. It was small but still impressive with a great variety of aquatic life to see. Second, Ober Gatlinburg was a recurring pleasure. I took my first (admittedly nerve-wracking) trip up the cable car to the mountaintop in 1996, and had a great time shopping the market, playing games, dining, and taking the slide back down... my return trip in 2002 was not a letdown.

Finally... I'd recommend the Alabama Bar & Grill to anyone with a fetish for music memorabilia. The food there also smelled great (family told me it - in fact - was), but this vegetarian couldn't find much to try except for the fried green tomatoes... which were fantastic!

Quick Tips:

I'd recommend to anyone travelling to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area in the middle of summer (especially July 4th week) to go with a great deal of patience. Traffic through and between both towns are consistently horrific and can try even the most patient driver.

If you need a reprieve, stop in at any of the putt-putt or go-cart courses that litter the landscape in these two towns. I highly recommend Hillbilly Golf in Gatlinburg (the cable car trip up the mountain is worth the descending putt-putt course) or the NASCAR go-cart complex in Pigeon Forge for the serious go-cart afficianado.

If shopping's your thing...try the Tanger Five Oaks Outlet Mall in Pigeon Forge for a HUGE selection of retail goods in a beautiful setting... all for decent prices.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you're staying in a hotel or resort in the thick of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, it might be more expedient for you to walk to the destinations of your choice, if such option is available. Moving from Gatlinburg to PF or vice versa often requires a car, although some resorts and hotels offer shuttles, which I'd personally recommend. If you're staying in one of the many chalets in the mountains surrounding Gatlinburg, a car becomes a necessary evil... the winding roads down the mountains are highly treacherous but far too long to traverse on foot. Best driving tip... BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL WHILE DRIVING!

When my family told me I was going to have my July 4th, 2002, dinner at the Alabama Bar & Grill, I have to admit I had my trepidations. The concept of a country-rock band's personal little restaurant didn't inspire a whole lot of faith that I'd be able to find anything of real interest there.

My first question to my fam: "Do you think they'll have anything I can eat there [i.e., vegetarian-friendly]?"

Answer: "Doubtful."

::stomach sinks::

Ugh. So the mass group of people I was vacationing with left our chalet in Sevierville to make the winding trek into the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. When we got to the restaurant, all I could think was... oh no... what have I gotten myself into? For this little techno and downtempo chic afficianado, the blaring vulgarity of ALABAMA was like entering my own personal corner of hell.

The place is huge. When I stepped into the foyer, I felt like I should have been stepping into a theatre of some kind (and I guess that's part of the intent, really). There was a veritable plethora of Alabama memorabilia sprayed across the walls like buckshot, as well as a great number of bits and bobs from other rock, country, and bluegrass artists. Frankly, the variety surprised me. Even I found a few things that made me point and grin. Show's what I get for assuming this place was going to be four-on-the-floor country style. For anyone interested, there's a gift shop to the left of the foyer, where you can buy all kinds of Alabama, rock, and country mementos, if one should feel so peckish; including a guitar signed by The King himself (I won't even say how much the asking price on that was...it still inspires momentary dyslexia).

Okay, on to the restaurant. As I feared, there wasn't much in the way of vegetarian dining, so I contented myself with a Diet Coke and an order of fried green tomatoes (gotta grudgingly admit they were delicious).

The food flying around the place smelled wonderful, and the critiques my companions were giving seemed to validate that assumption.

There were a slew of delicious-sounding mixed drinks that I would have liked to try, but was not afforded the opportunity.

The bill for the 23 of us came to something close to $500, but when you split that up, it was actually fairly reasonable, even with gratuity added in - which we did gladly; the service was impeccable!

In retrospect, I should not have allowed myself to be so judgmental about the Alabama Bar & Grill. The experience was truly unique and enjoyable, even if I didn't get to gluttonize myself as much as I would have liked!