Visitor’s guide to gatlinburg and pigeon forge

In Sevierville, Elvira’s Cafe serves up the Tennessee Haystack, an open-faced biscuit topped with bacon, ham, two eggs your way and homemade sausage gravy. LUNCH AND DINNER: The blue

Tennessee skies are the limit here. In Pigeon Forge, fortify yourself at the Old Mill Pottery House and Cafe with soups, salads, sandwiches and old-school mains like pecan fried chicken,

then browse through the charming nearby shops. (The restaurant’s bread is made from the spent grains from the distillery across the road, and everything is served on pottery handmade next

door.) Also in Pigeon Forge, Huck Finn’s Catfish is the top place for catfish in the state, according to the readers of _Tennessee_ magazine, and Mama’s Farmhouse fills your table with

Southern classics like homemade buttermilk biscuits, country fried steak and banana pudding, all served family-style. In Gatlinburg, dig into hickory-smoked beef brisket, chicken, pork ribs

and pulled pork at Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que, or try the rainbow trout at Smoky Mountain Trout House, where the kitchen prepares this tasty catch 10 different ways. Off the beaten path, in

Gatlinburg’s marvelous Arts and Crafts Community, the Austrian teahouse-inspired Wild Plum Tea Room is set in a rustic cabin and offers family and seasonal favorites such as lobster pie, not

to mention its renowned hot pimento cheese dip. BREWERIES: Craft breweries, which have popped up in the Smokies like wildflowers in April, make for great places to relax after an active day

or as lunch and dinner destinations. Drop in at the Smoky Mountain Brewery (two locations, in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge) or the Gatlinburg Brewing Company. SWEETS AND MOONSHINE: If you

come to the Smokies and don’t spend time perusing (and purchasing) delicious, nostalgically packaged fudge, taffy and other confections at Ole Smoky Candy Kitchen in its circa-1950s store in

downtown Gatlinburg, then you need to go back and ask for a do-over. As for moonshine, you owe it a try (the commercial stuff won’t kill you like the backcountry homemade stuff). For fun

tastings and shopping, try the Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery (three locations in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge) or the Old Forge Distillery and the more upscale Junction 35 Spirits, both in

Pigeon Forge. George Rose/Getty Images THINGS TO DO It’s a fork in the road, but a fun one. You can head into Great Smoky Mountains National Park to explore the wide natural world on offer

(for our full park guide, go here), or play in either town — with a whole lot to do in both. GATLINBURG: Start by walking the compact downtown, browsing in its many shops. From there,

consider the mountain-style amusements like alpine slides and zip lines at Rowdy Bear Mountain, Anakeesta and SkyLift Park. For some Pigeon Forge-esque fun, check out Ripley’s Aquarium of

the Smokies and the Hollywood Star Cars Museum, where you can ogle rides from hit movies and TV shows including Batman and Ghostbusters, see the Beach Boys’ 1955 Thunderbird, and lots more.

Now grab your car and explore Gatlinburg’s true treasure: the Arts and Crafts Community Loop — an 8-mile country road linking more than 100 shops featuring local arts and crafts. Take your

time (you can easily do this all day), shopping for everything from pottery and woodworks to fine leatherwork and specialty foods. Don’t miss the cutting boards and Tennessee Mountain bow

knives at Foxcreek Woodworking or the richly glazed rustic pottery at Fowler’s Clay Works. You won’t leave empty-handed … nor should you. PIGEON FORGE: Where to begin? At Dollywood, of

course, where you can pay homage to an American treasure and her vision for family-style entertainment. Take in the park’s many shows, enjoy little-kid-friendly areas, go full thrill on the

Lightning Rod wood/steel hybrid roller coaster (max speed: 73 mph!), and make time for Craftsman’s Valley to watch leathersmiths, blacksmiths and other regional artisans at work. To

understand why everything Dolly Parton touches is pure magic, visit Chasing Rainbows, Dollywood’s museum about her life and career, including a replica of the two-room home where she grew

up. For waterpark fun, add on a visit to Dollywood’s Splash Country, where you can cool off and clamber all over Bear Mountain Fire Tower and its seven slides. If you long for the good old

days of raised-track go-carting (or are toting the grandkids), strap on a helmet at Xtreme Racing Center. For something a little slower-paced, get in some Putt-Putt time at Professor

Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf. It’s not all amusements in Pigeon Forge. For excellent shopping and strolling, head to the Old Mill Restaurant’s shopping village for the Old Mill General Store,

the Old Mill Farmhouse Kitchen, Pigeon River Pottery (the first tourist-based business in Pigeon Forge) and the Old Mill Candy Kitchen. Also, if you’re into cast-iron cookery (and you

should be), don’t miss the Lodge Cast Iron Factory Store, the state’s famed cookware company, which has been making skillets, griddles and more since 1896 in South Pittsburg, near

Chattanooga. Dinner shows are big in Pigeon Forge, too. A fun choice: the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, a cornball night of slapstick comedy, over-the-top acting and lots of stunt

action. It’s old fashioned as all get-out, and the family will love it. Tony Sweet/Getty Images GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK: Remember to check out our guide to America’s most popular

national park, but here’s a little advice from Great Smoky Mountains spokesperson Dana Soehn on how not to end up in the park’s biggest tourist lures of Alum Cave Trail, Cades Cove and

Clingman Dome. “In general, if you choose a trail not leading to a waterfall or an iconic peak, as soon as you walk a mile into the backcountry, the sights and sounds you experienced along

the roadway disappear,” Soehn says. Her further advice, especially during peak periods: “Have two to three ideas that day. If you get to a spot and there’s nowhere to park or it’s really

crowded, shift to plan B!” And remember: In the Smokies, you can hike, bike, saunter, fly-fish, birdwatch, float a creek in a tube, river raft or just sit quietly and watch nature. It’s all

here for you, and you’ve made the great decision to base your vacation in its Tennessee gateway towns. _Tracey Minkin is an award-winning writer and editor based in New York’s Hudson Valley.

She is the travel editor at Coastal Living magazine, and her writing appears regularly in publications including _Food & Wine, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure _and _Veranda_._