October 2014
The Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee are a popular fall vacation destination. The main draw is the colorful fall foliage. The foliage was less than colorful, although I suppose green is a color. However, it was still a fun trip. We spent a lot of time walking around downtown Gatlinburg visiting various stores and tourist destinations, dining at great restaurants, sampling moonshine and just people watching. We also took the aerial tram up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort for their Oktoberfest and spent a day visiting the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair. We spent one morning in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg's slightly more obnoxious and touristy neighbor. The trip was rounded out by some time in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

We stopped at Draper Mercantile in Draper, VA for lunch and some very eclectic shopping on the way to Tennessee

Finally made it to Tennessee!

Last time I was in the south this was called Mr. Gatti’s Pizza. Still no relation though.

Wonderworks’ upside-down building is one of many outlandish tourist attractions in Pigeon Forge

The Titanic is one of many outlandish tourist attractions in Pigeon Forge

King Kong welcomes you to the over-the-top city of Pigeon Forge

Our room at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn is reminiscent of the hotels of days past

Our room at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn is reminiscent of the hotels of days past

Gatlinburg’s Space Needle provides a great view of the city

We stayed at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn

The Sky Lift is a chair lift that takes you to the top of Crockett Mountain

Corn mash on its way to becoming moonshine at Sugarlands Distilling

The thumper keg at Sugarlands Distilling is an impressive sight

The still at Sugarlands Distilling puts any backwoods still to shame

At Sugarlands Distilling, the back porch is home to bluegrass performances

When’s the last time you saw a mechanical key to a hotel room???

Just a horse riding a man.

The Ole Smoky Holler features great bluegrass performances

The Ole Smoky Holler features great bluegrass performances

Ole Smoky Moonshine

We didn’t try Mellow Mushroom Pizza, but mixed with moonshine, that could be a dangerous combination

Nothing says Fall in East Tennessee like a still made of corn stalks

I’d never pay to eat at Dick’s Last Resort, but watching those who do is pretty entertaining

Gatlinburg is all about the free moonshine samples

The Park Grill was one of many great restaurants we ate at

Gatlinburg is all about the free moonshine samples

We found Sugarlands Shine to be our favorite distillery

Gatlinburg’s Space Needle provides a great view of the city

The Historic Gatlinburg Inn is a cozy old place

Gatlinburg’s Space Needle provides a great view of the city

Rocking chairs on the front porch… so relaxing!

My mother getting ready to ride the Sky Lift

Wow, a chair lift that doesn’t make me afraid of heights

Riding the Sky Lift to the top of Crockett Mountain

Riding the Sky Lift to the top of Crockett Mountain

Looking down on Gatlinburg from Crockett Mountain

Looking out over the Smokies from Crockett Mountain

Looking out over the Smokies from Crockett Mountain

Just some Amish people riding a chair lift down a mountain. I’ve never seen them doing that in Lancaster.

Looking down on the Gatlinburg Space Needle from the top of Crockett Mountain

Looking down on Gatlinburg from Crockett Mountain

Looking down on Gatlinburg from Crockett Mountain

The back of the Historic Gatlinburg Inn

Crossing the Little Pigeon River on the Sky Lift

We stayed at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn

Davy Crockett's Whiskey and Moonshine

Gatlinburg goes all out with the Fall decor. It’s hard not to be in good seasonal spirits.

The corn mash smells delicious at Davy Crockett's Whiskey and Moonshine

Gatlinburg goes all out with the Fall decor. It’s hard not to be in good seasonal spirits.

Clearly, we are in the south.

Gatlinburg goes all out with the Fall decor. It’s hard not to be in good seasonal spirits.

Those scarecrows are actually crows

Dukes of Hazzard action figures in action at Cooter’s Place

Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia at Cooter’s Place

Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia at Cooter’s Place

It’s the General Lee!!!

It’s the General Lee!!!

Little Pigeon River

The Smoky Mountain Trout House has the most incredible rainbow trout. It’s the only place we ate twice!

Doc Collier Moonshine was another stop on our moonshine sample tour

Doc Collier Moonshine was another stop on our moonshine sample tour

Cooter’s Dukes of Hazzard museum and store

Sugarlands Shine was our favorite

Sugarlands Shine was our favorite

Sugarlands Shine was our favorite

Moonshine as far as you can see

The Ole Smoky Holler was a lot of fun

The Ole Smoky Holler was a lot of fun

Redneck wines

The Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway departs the Gatlinburg station

The Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway departs the Gatlinburg station

The Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway departs the Gatlinburg station

The Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway heads up the mountain

Davy Crockett’s Whiskey and Moonshine has samples to offer too

The Smoky Mountain Trout House has the most incredible rainbow trout. It’s the only place we ate twice!

The Smoky Mountain Trout House has the most incredible rainbow trout. Here it is grilled.

The Smoky Mountain Trout House is small but their amazing rainbow trout is worth the wait for a table.

The Galinburg Craftsmen’s Fair takes nearly a day to see and has many talented artisans selling their wares.

You never know when someone will pull up in their Delorean and need film

Wow, the $5 weddings are on sale today. What a deal!

Homes seemingly hang onto the side of the mountains

Talk about living in peace and quiet

My mother checks out the view from the top of the Space Needle

We stayed at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn

Daytime view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Space Needle

Sugarlands Distilling had the best moonshine

View of the Smokies from the top of the Space Needle

View of the Smokies from the top of the Space Needle

Daytime view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Space Needle

Nighttime view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Space Needle

The Sky Lift is a chair lift that takes you to the top of Crockett Mountain

Nighttime view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Space Needle

The sidewalk is never empty outside Ole Smoky Moonshine

Nighttime view of Gatlinburg from the top of the Space Needle

The phone in our room harkens back to a bygone era

The Sky Lift is a chair lift that takes you to the top of Crockett Mountain

The Sky Lift is a chair lift that takes you to the top of Crockett Mountain

The aerial tramway to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort is quite an impressive ride

The people in these homes need to keep their curtain closed or be part of the show for riders of the Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway

Carousel at Ober Gatlinburg

Indoor ice rink at Ober Gatlinburg

The Ober Gatlinburg scenic chairlift takes you up to the top of Mount Harrison

My mother made a new friend

The altitude might be starting to get to my mohter

Riding the Ober Gatlinburg scenic chairlift up to the top of Mount Harrison

Alpine sleds race down the mountain

We finally saw some Fall colors as we rode up Mount Harrison

Mount Harrison. 3590 feet above sea level.

The view of the Smokies from Mount Harrison is incredible

Mount LeConte

The view of the Smokies from Mount Harrison is incredible

A touch of Fall color

The view of the Smokies from Mount Harrison is incredible

A bluegrass band entertains on top of Mount Harrison

Riding back down the mountain

Oktoberfest at Ober Gatlinburg

The Oktoberfest band was… ummm… different.

The Oktoberfest band was… ummm… different.

Ole Smoky’s charred moonshine isn’t whiskey but has a similar character

Don’t support those pesky moonshiners!

The food at No Way Jose’s wasn’t so great, but their parking sign was kind of cute

I think the fake fog really adds some drama to this shot

This haunted house was right outside our hotel room door. We knew the sequence of the show by heart before we left Gatlinburg

Sugarlands Distilling had the best moonshine

We spent a few evenings at the Ole Smoky Holler listening to great bluegrass bands

We spent a few evenings at the Ole Smoky Holler listening to great bluegrass bands

We spent a few evenings at the Ole Smoky Holler listening to great bluegrass bands

Riding the aerial tramway up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort

Riding the aerial tramway up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort

Riding the aerial tramway up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort

Riding the aerial tramway up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort

I wouldn’t want to stumble out of this house in the dark

Riding the aerial tramway up to the Ober Gatlinburg ski resort

Fall is starting to color the Smokies

Ober Gatlinburg ski resort was having their Oktoberfest celebration

This house is owned by the founder of Dunkin Donuts

The machinery that drives the Ober Gatlinburg aerial tramway

Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a beautiful place

Headed out of Gatlinburg into the tunnel toward Pigeon Forge.

Entering Pigeon Forge

The Island in Pigeon Forge

Corn stalk guitar and parrot outside of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Hotel

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel is a giant air conditioned ferris wheel

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and its smaller festive twin

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and fountains at The Island

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and fountains at The Island

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and fountains at The Island

Ole Smoky Moonshine has a location in Pigeon Forge too

The Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival celebrates all things Fall

Pass the jar indeed

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel at The Island

Cornstalk turkey

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel features enclosed air conditioned gondolas

The view of Pigeon Forge and the Smokies from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

The view of Pigeon Forge and the Smokies from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

A view of The Island from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

A view of The Island’s fountains from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

A view of The Island’s fountains from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

The view of Pigeon Forge and the Smokies from the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel

The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel and fountains at The Island

The Island’s fountains

Cornstalk horse

Corn mash at Ole Smoky Distillery in Pigeon Forge

The still at Ole Smoky Distillery in Pigeon Forge

A wheel of mums

Christmas Place

A scarecrow gathering

The Old Mill District in Pigeon Forge

Old Forge Distillery in Pigeon Forge

The still at Old Forge Distillery

Even the barrels are ready for Halloween

The Old Mill is a restaurant and a working grist mill

The Old Mill is powered by the Little Pigeon River

The Old Mill is powered by the Little Pigeon River

I have no idea what kind of flower this is

Heading back to Gatlinburg

A moonshine sign greets you to Gatlinburg

Sugarlands Shine was so good we went back for another sampling session

Yes, that’s a bacon maple donut!

The traffic lights in Gatlinburg are numbered and all directions are in reference to them

We spent some time in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The Noah "Bud" Ogle Trail is a nice short hike

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Ogle Barn in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Ogle Barn in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Ogle Barn in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

This looks like a hole in the ground but it’s actually a natural spring

Mountain streams are everywhere in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Hiking in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Mountain streams are everywhere in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Mountain streams are everywhere in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

It’s not hard to get lost in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The trees are starting to change

Ogle Tub Mill

Ogle Tub Mill

Plumbing for the Ogle Tub Mill

Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin

Fall colors start to appear in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Fall colors start to appear in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Fall colors start to appear in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Fall colors start to appear in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Driving the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Mountain streams are everywhere in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Mountain streams are everywhere in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Jim Bales Place

Jim Bales Place

A fence at the Jim Bales Place

Jim Bales Place

Jim Bales Place

My mother sees what it was like to be an animal at the Jim Bales Place

Jim Bales Place

People were clearly much smaller when this place was built

My mother would get a lot of concussions living here

Even the animals get log cabins

Jim Bales Place

Albert Reagan Tub Mill

Albert Reagan Tub Mill

Albert Reagan used “all 3 colors that Sears and Roebuck sells” on his cabin

The porch is held up by some sturdy Appalachian engineering

The second floor of the Albert Reagan Cabin is spacious

Albert Reagan used “all 3 colors that Sears and Roebuck sells” on his cabin

Roaring Fork powers the Reagan Tub Mill

All of these crystal clear mountain streams make for good photo ops

Dolly is watching over you in Pigeon Forge

The roses at the Historic Gatlinburg Inn were planted in the 1950’s

Calhouns was one of many places we dined along Parkway in Gatlinburg

Listening to Monroeville perform at the Ole Smoky Holler

Some improptu dancing at the Ole Smoky Holler

Listening to Monroeville perform at the Ole Smoky Holler

The dobro is apparently a bluegrass specific instrument

Listening to Monroeville perform at the Ole Smoky Holler

A guy from a neighboring room paid us an accidental visit by climbing over this wall one night

We stopped at the Pink Cadillac Diner in Virginia on the way home

We stopped at the Pink Cadillac Diner in Virginia on the way home

We stopped at the Pink Cadillac Diner in Virginia on the way home