An Evening Touring the Sights and Sounds of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
We only made a slightly better effort to locate another establishment for dinner than we had the night before. We reviewed the options along the parkway as far north as Bon Air Lane (about a block), but an urgent desire to locate sustenance and consume the same, caused us to quickly detour back to the Great Smoky Mountain Brewery. Everything else in the immediate vicinity seemed either too touristy or over-priced. We knew the food would be good there, and reasonable.
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| Mellow Mushroom Pizza in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
We both decided on the Brewmaster’s Club Salad , an immense salad based on the Club Sandwich; along with that, to wash it all down, a few of the local beers. The fair of the day was Black Bear and Cherokee Red Ale, and we bought a small supply of the latter to accompany us on the remainder of our journey. If we make it out here again, we will have to replenish our supply, as it was rather tasty.
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| Fannie's Corner Kitchen in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
Out on the street again, without any sort of agenda, we joined the wandering herd as it migrated north along the parkway. Various themed restaurants and sweet shops littered the landscape, and it was nearly impossible to take a step without bumping into some sort of trinket or t-shirt shop. Confederate flags appeared on nearly every panel of every shop window, proclaiming thoughts about rights and a war nobody alive remembers, much less the motivation behind it.
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| Confederate T-Shrit in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
Concerns in South Carolina did not seem to reach quite this far north, or with as many flag supporters as we saw, nobody seemed interested in broaching that argument, not that anyone really noticed anyway. Other bizarre and fantastic displays were more than abundant, and demanded attention, exaggerated with all the lights and sound necessary to lure in the unsuspecting tourist.
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| Oddity in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
The town is quite a carnival, similar in scope to Branson, but not quite the same layout, and not nearly as much of an assault on the senses as Pigeon Forge. Buildings and streets more closely packed make it easier to move from one novelty to the other. Little alley galleries injected into the scenery, fill every possible space between structures, causing the town to lean towards the picturesque traditional European towns of yore.
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| Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
Many of the same attractions hosted in Branson are also in Gatlinburg. Apparently, museums-of-the-fantastic are quite franchise-worthy, given the right setting. We did not linger very long at any of them, but found ourselves mesmerized by the animatronics a few times. It may have only been all of the flashing neon. We also amused ourselves with a portrait alongside Herbie the Love Bug at the Hollywood Star Cars Museum, but found no cause to attempt access to the entire show. After a day in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, it all seemed so trivial.
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| Davy Crockett's Distillery in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
There is one sort of shop that Branson has not yet adopted, the Moonshine Shop. There seemed to be one around every corner in Gatlinburg; indeed, at least four within a mile of each other. We stopped in on the first we passed on the same side of the street, Davey Crockett’s. Tiny shot glasses lined up in front of a few customers indicated the Bar was open.
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| Sugarlands Distilling Company in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
Stepping up, we inquired about the festivities, and were immediately presented with the opportunity to sample. The various flavors intrigued me, so I felt obligated to compare them all, which were mostly unremarkable. One flavored towards Maple syrup was particularly interesting, but overall the moonshine was the usual flavored lighter fluid; the liqueurs, dangerously sweet and candy-like. After twelve micro shots , it was time to leave before things got out of hand.
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| Marketplace in Gatlinburg - June 2020 |
With not much more to see, and feeling the warm afterglow of sampling, we decided to begin the trek back to the hotel. Another full day loomed in front us, though not quite as pressing in urgency as preceding two. The 4.5 hour drive to Fayetteville would leave left plenty of time for the southern slope of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and a stop at Tallulah Gorge along the way.
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