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Bogeys Ahead: Sky Pirates of Mermaid Bay For years, the quality of mini-golf courses in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg – to a lesser extent, Sevierville – were on the decline. Other than the Ripley courses, most of your options were afterthoughts, mediocre destinations that existed only to give a little “added value” to the arcade ticket bunder. Recently, we’ve seen some significant investment in the mini-golf space. There are a couple of nice new places on Teaster Lane. One of which is Sky...

Going Whole Hog on this Historic BBQ Shake A lot of the mountain BBQ places are good; many are very good. If you’re a visitor to the mountains and want a good barbecue meal, chances are you’re going to find one. But, if your job is to rank or to compare? Then sorting out the many BBQ places of the Smoky Mountains is a Herculean task. So, where does Boss Hogg's BBQ Shack rank on the list? Read More 🍽️The Foodie Guide to The Smokies🍖 🍔 Blue Moose Challenges Calhoun’s Blue Moose takes on...

8 Best Times To Visit the Smoky Mountains, Ranked Vacation days are precious. So how many days should you allocate for your Smoky Mountain vacation? Of course, that’s really only a question you can answer. Factors like distance, personal preferences, and drive time have to be weighed, as well as cost. You also want to pick the best time of year to visit. Read More 🍽️The Foodie Guide to The Smokies🍖 A steak lover's dream: Peddler vs Alamo Rating two of the top steakhouses in the Smoky...

Annual Controlled Burns in Cades Cove are Good for the Environment Fire in the mountains – as we’ve learned – is dangerous. It can level homes and communities. It can destroy historic landmarks and large swaths of ancient forest. And as we know all too well, take innocent lives. When you’re in the mountains, and you see large amounts of white smoke drifting upward, it certainly gets your attention. But, over the years, we’ve learned – well, I’ve learned, some people knew it all along – that...

Off the Beaten Path Dining in the Mountains Is it bad that the first thing I think of when I think of Holston’s Kitchen – part of the KBS Family of Restaurants – is the design of the building? Holston’s looks like a good place to eat. Strong brick design on a building that doesn’t look like somebody put a façade on a box, even though that’s probably what it is? I guess Holston’s just looks like a comfortable place to dine, especially the Sevierville location with its outdoor seating. You want...

The National Park Service Announces Four New Species The Great Smoky Mountains were already home to more than 13,000 known species of animals. And it turns out that number is still growing. As part of its ongoing All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and Discover Life in America initiatives, the park is working to identify the many and mini species within the park. Case in point, the National Park Service recently announced that... Read More 🍽️The Foodie Guide to The Smokies🍖 🍔 Blue Moose...

A Guide to not Getting Attacked, Eaten, or Arrested There are certainly times the bears are more frequently seen in town, but they’re almost always just out of sight. Recently, bears were spotted walking through the center of town before the Christmas parade, on the Roof of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and teaching someone to keep their hands to themselves near the Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen. Why are there so many bear sightings... Read More 🍽️The Foodie Guide to The Smokies🍖 🍔 Blue Moose...

Battle of the Burgers in the Smokies: Graze vs Blue Moose If you take a nice hunk of beef, season it, cook it, and top it on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and mustard, it’s hard to mess that up. But you can elevate a burger beyond the norm. You can make a burger special with toppings – bacon jam is very popular now – or you can make it special with the quality of meat, an attention to seasoning, and then use toppings on top of that. We’re pitting two burger joints against each other and let the...

Great Smoky Mountain Murder Mystery Dinner Theater Theater shows in the mountains – by and large – have been overpackaged, produced, and homogenized to the point that they are nearly interchangeable. They even serve the same bland meals at which the soup – somehow – is consistently the best part of the dinner. Maybe the most interesting entry into this wide genre is the Great Smoky Mountains Murder Mystery Theater... Read More 🍽️The Foodie Guide to The Smokies🍖 11 Best Places to Eat in...