Food Finds in Pigeon Forge

Dixie Stampede is the brainchild of country music legend Dolly Parton. And here in Pigeon Forge is where she first started her dinner and show extravaganza.

The show portion of the night is centered on the civil war. You see brave soldiers battle it out on the field and on horseback. Then they return home to their lovely southern bells. Now when you order your tickets you can choose between being on the southern side or the Yankee side. Now no self respecting southerner would be caught dead in Yankee territory so make sure you purchase your tickets well in advanced so you may dine on the correct side! When we were here it was off season so the place wasn’t full. But the southern side was full and only maybe 100 people on the northern side!

You are also treated to a rodeo featuring terrific trick rider with glittery costumes and cowboy hats. This rodeo features only horse riding tricks. Bull riding and calf roping which are usually associated with rodeos are not performed since many people (myself included) find this cruel. They also have ostridge racing, magic tricks, and musical performances. Which unfortunately tend to be country musical performances.

The food here isn’t gourmet, nor is it meant to be. It is quite tasty and hits the spot. Your 4-course meal starts off with soup followed by a half a chicken, corn, and potatoes, and if you actually have room you can finish up with cake. They can arrange for a vegetarian option if notified in advanced. Also contact them early if you have any dietary requirements. They do have special menus during the holidays.

The Pigeon Forge location is the first of 4 locations for Dolly. The other 3 include Orlando, Branson, and Myrtle Beach. They do offer group discounts. They also offer a really unique meeting space for 20 to 1000. They do have themed meeting spaces and set ups for audio visual equipment. They are handicapped accessible.

About an hour before the show you can come by and see the animals featured in the show and they have a reception room set up. They do have a gift shop on the premises. You can make advanced purchases on-line and are encouraged to do so during peak times and holidays. They have a combo ticket at the Pigeon Forge location with the Ripley’s aquarium.

During Christmas they do have a special Christmas show which includes a live nativity, choirs, angles, elves, and an appearance by the big guy himself, Santa.

Current prices are $38 (a) $28 (c). For more information and to order tickets for any of the 4 locations just go to www.dixiestampede.com.

Since we just got married at the small Smoky Mountain Wedding Chapel, we didn’t have a place to hold a reception. The wonderful people at the wedding chapel suggested Santo’s as a nice place close by with great food and they even had a piano player. They offered to make a reservation for our party and we were all set.

When John and I arrived in our limo we were promptly greeted by a small group of employees with balloons and an enthusiastic cheer! The gesture was quite surprising and very welcomed. We were soon ushered into the lovely and charming restaurant.

The atmosphere is defiantly a little more upscale than your typical Italian restaurant. White linen tablecloths instead of a plastic checkered tablecloth, fresh bouquet of flowers, and crisply dressed waiters all added to the air of sophistication. The menu here is typical of just any Italian restaurant no matter what their level of poshness is. A variety of pasta dishes, steaks, and seafood rounded out the appetizing menu.

Our group started out with mozzarella sticks with marinara and pizza appetizers. Several of us also ordered their divine minestrone soup and fresh salads for everyone with a homemade Italian dressing that was to die for. Our family tried the lasagna, baked manicotti, T-Bone, and the rib eye. All claiming it was delish it between the "um..this is good" and the "this is heaven".

I went with the pasta pesto which blended fresh basil, spinach, olive oil, and garlic onto of a bed of vermicelli noodles. Oh my indeed. John ordered the shrimp scampi. His shrimp was sautéed in olive oil, butter, garlic, and green onions and served with a side of marina. He must have enjoyed it as he didn’t say word until he finished. The wedding chapel had already delivered our small wedding cake. When we were nearing the end of our meal our wonderful server, Kim, brought out a bottle of champagne, compliments of the restaurant. But no one in our party drinks so we thanked the owners but politely declined explained we didn’t drink anything alcoholic. So in lieu of not taking the champagne, they sent over some Tiramisu since our cake was on the small side. Let me tell you it was pure heaven on the end of the fork.


They do offer a piano player nightly after 6pm. They serve both lunch and dinner. Most entrées range from $10 to $20. Reservations are suggested during peak times and if you have a large party. Especially if you want a private room like we had. For more information try www.thesmokeymountainsparkway.com.

When you step inside this gleaming silver restaurant with its throwback to the 50’s, you will feel like you have stepped onto the set of Happy Days. The decor here is typical of places that hearken to a simpler time. Liberal use of neon and vintage advertising with the main focus on the large jukebox at the back are found throughout the diner. Which still belts out tunes from classic 50’s groups as The Beach Boys, The 4 Tops, and the Temptations. Mel’s plays the tunes and serves the food that has held up to the passage of time.

They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Emphases here are on classic comfort food with offerings of soups, salads, classic comfort food mainstays, and sandwich and burgers. Of course this being a 50’s dinner you have your share of malts, sundaes, shakes, and home made dessert. Classic appetizers such as Joanies chips and salsa, potsy’s potatoes skins, and fonzarelli cheese sticks plus the poodle skirt waitresses leave little doubt as to what to expect here.

After perusing the menu John and I decided to stick with the tried and true burger offerings. These are listed under Jukebox Heroes, which that title to me harkens to my time with Foreigner. I went with the Little Deuce Coupe Cajun Burger (after all I am a Beach Boys fan) and John went with the Marilyn Mushroom Burger. All burgers are 1/2 pound of fresh prime sirloin served with lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomatoes. Side offerings of chips, fries, pasta salad, or onion rings for an extra charge round out the meal. Though our tummies were almost at full we managed to squeeze in a strawberry short cake and hot fudge cake and just spilt them.

The food here is delish and tummy filling. The wait staff not only looks adorable but takes very good care of you. We walked away happy and very full. They do offer a child’s menu. To see their full menu and hours go to www.thesmokeymountainsparkway.com.

Waterside dining set along an 1800’s grist mill makes the Old Mill Restaurant perfect for a romantic evening. Not to mention the mouth watering food and heavily made-on the property desserts.

For more than 170 years this picture perfect grist mill has served the owners and is still being used today. The mill itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The area of the mill is known as the Old Mill restaurant and shops. In addition to the incredible restaurant they have a creamery, bakery, pottery shop, candy shop, and pantry. The mill is still used to grind the corn which is used in their ingredients in the restaurant and shops. They also have an on-line shop in case you can’t get there in person or if you get home and declare…"oh if I only had some of their pie".

They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a child’s menu. On the menu you will find soups, salads, veggie plates, from the water, southern delights, and class comfort offerings which should cover anyone in your party. All full meals include a cup of their corn chowder (which will make your taste buds grateful), fritters, salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, and desserts. I went with the hearty pot pie. The dough from the pie is made from the ground flower the mill produces and is thick and flaky. Big chucks of chicken, carrots, celery, and peas served in their own containers, what a meal! John went with the chicken and dumplings. Again the dumplings are made from the flour produced on site. The portions are more than generous. For dessert John went with pecan pie while I stayed with chocolate cake. We needed a stretcher to roll us out when done. The food was just a party happening in your mouth... to borrow from Emeril Lagasee.

The food exceeded our expectations as well as the service. The old worn boards from an almost 2 centuries old building add to the ambiance making it a romantic spot while enjoying our honeymoon. With most meals under $15 including everything but your drink, the place is also very budget friendly. We did hit their shops before our meal and I brought home some of their great mixes to make my own magnificent meal at home. And we hit their bakery on the way out so we could stop on down the road for more pie and cake.

You can go to www.old-mill.com to order from their stores or go to www.thesmokeymountainsparkway.com to check out their menu.

The cute white building with its grand wrap around porch is the home to the Country Kitchen. Keeping up to its name, the food here is what you would find in the country kitchen of your grandma.

The decor is country Kish. Full of rosters, cows, and pigs of every description as well as old and replica kitchen decor. The building itself is rather large and can easily accommodate large groups and buses loads of passengers. They also have special parking just for buses.

When we arrived we were promptly greeted by the hostess and quickly taken to our seats near a roaring fire. This, as cold as we were, was a welcome relief. The food here is a mixture of soups, salads, sandwiches, and hearty meals. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While mulling over their taste temping menu we were treated to a basket full of homemade biscuits and honey. All meals come with your choice of soup or salad and a roll. Since we needed some warmth in our tummies we went with their heartily and rib sticking potato soup. After heating up our insides I went with their divine pot roast. The roast was tender and just fell apart and was covered in rich thick gravy with potatoes, green beans, and carrots. It hit the spot. John went with the equally scrumptious country fried steak. The steak is breaded and flattened out with a generous portion of homemade country gravy on top. John let me try some of his and I can attest that the steak was as equally wonderful as my pot roast.

Their dessert menu is sinful. With calorie laden and tempting names like Chocolate Mountain Cake and Colossal Carrot Cake, you know you have a tough decision to make. But as tempting as those may sound when trying to decide a waitress came by carrying another customer this grandiose piece of apple pie with cinnamon wafting through the air. I was hooked and had to have a piece..a la mode..of course. The crust was flaky and buttery and the filling was chocked full of big slices of apples. If I had died then, I would have died a happy and very full woman. John went with their pecan tart, also a la mode. When we were done we just wobbled out of the restaurant.

They also have a gift store on the premises so you can take home your own apple pie or just buy the mix to make it your self when you get home. To see their menu go to www.thesmokeymountainsparkway.com.