Great chiropractor @Sunshine Chiropractics! Never found another that compared. The older doctor, Dr…read moreBarry Sunshine was my doctor. I travelled back and forth from central MS, just to see him when I was very sick. He helped me through, and onto the path towards healing. He offered help in removing toxins from the body. Sadly, he is now retired. He was my hero, for sure! I hope he's enjoying his retirement. I'm sure that his son, Dr Brian Sunshine, is just as good! We loved Sullivan's! It was a restaurant on the Main Street downtown, and we went every time we traveled there. They had one or two small tables out front for those who brought their pups. It was a very nice place. Everything we ate was excellent! Sad to see that it's no longer there. The superhero painting is amazing! At one end, it turns to soldiers...heroes who don't wear capes.

You know what? I love Maryville. So much going on here and yet it still has that small town feel…read more Oh my gosh, where to start? Well, we can go back in time and talk history. Sam Houston, baby! Check out the old schoolhouse or the gorgeous bronze statue and try not to feel some connection to this land. Or we can discuss the proximity to the Smokies and Dolly and Crockett. But I'll stop there. Want to catch a show? The local college has tons and tons of plays and music and fine arts to enjoy. The liberal arts college gives this place it's quirky feel in my opinion. Props to the library here. And bookstores. Thumbs up for knowledge, folks. So many shops too. Lots of girly boutiques. Lots of antiquey stuff. Lots of old, worn, dusty buildings. The charming kind. Coffee shops much? The best ones are on this side of town. BBQ much? Oh hullyeah. Try like 4-5 since the best ones are around Maryville. Drive to Townsend for more. Maybe you don't want BBQ. Maryville has arguably the most diverse food available in one spot: Cuban, Japanese, Jamaican, Mexican, German, Thai. Anybody heard of Blackberry Farm or Foothills Milling? You probably just want to chill and nurse a pint. Plenty of that too. The elevation over here is awesome. You just feel the breeze here, man. Clear, crisp, clean air away from the city. Yeah, I'm a fan. Big time.

Awesome trail! Came here on a Saturday around 10:30AM, road leading up to it was a bit narrow but…read morenot too bad. Parking area had a few cars but still had space to park. Hike wasn't too steep, had a few river crossings but all manageable. Trail has snow in some parts but pretty packed, gets a bit slippery at the top but all fine with just good hiking shoes with grip (I forgot my hiking poles and don't have crampons / spikes). Waterfall was super pretty, lots of water. Great hike, would recommend!

The trailhead is difficult to find and off the beaten path. Come early, parking area only holds…read moreabout 8-10 cars. This one is for hikers seeking a trail that doesn't see much traffic. It's very secluded. Trail is well marked. The trail starts rather easy, then gets progressively more difficult. It's a strenuous 8+ miles round trip. Not good for anyone out of shape, not safe for young kids. Must wear hiking boots. Uneven terrain, some climbing required. Make sure you have about 8 hours of daylight left before starting the hike. Very beautiful path, lots of very old, very large trees. You'll hear nothing but the trees and the creek. Incredibly peaceful environment. The falls at the end of the path are beautiful. Dare to put your toes into the cold mountain water. Be sure to bring lots of water, rations, and rain gear. Bring basic First Aid.

Mingus Mill is a very short drive from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. So if you are close by it is…read morecertainly worth a stop to see this gem. Mingus Mill was built in 1886. It is a water powered turbine grist mill that is still operational and in its original location. You can buy corn ground there as well as flour, cornmeal, lye soap and some jams and apple butter. It is cash only. Once you pull into the parking area, it is a short walk to get to the mill. The mill is two stories and you can explore both levels. Restrooms are available at the parking area. If you wish there are some trails you can take to see more of Mingus Creek.

We heard they did tours so we stopped. There was no tours, not sure if they no longer offer them or…read moremaybe just stopped at a bad time. You can still see the outside of the mill which is very cool!

We almost missed this tiny 25' falls on our Little River tour because the falls are tucked back off…read morethe road a bit. There is a parking pulloff area on the east bound side of the road so you can stop and enjoy the river, trees and falls. There are no information plaques to help identify the falls. I was glad to have my Waterfall map from the Park Service to help me identify the falls. We were the only people stopped at the falls, so it was like our own private spot. Meigs Falls is one of three falls in the Park that visitors can drive to without hiking. The drive is lovely with thick dense forest and the meandering river. Parking permits are required for parking anywhere in the Park and cannot be bought at this site. There are no restrooms or other amenities at the site. Just good old Mother Nature.

Meigs Falls is not a waterfall you can easily access, but you CAN easily view it from the pull-off…read morewhen traveling Little River Gorge Road. The 30 foot waterfall is tucked away in the woods approximately 325 feet from the road, which is just slightly longer than a football field. If you're wondering, I use the measurement feature on Google Maps for the best possible accuracy. As far as I can tell, there is no real way to access the waterfall unless you somehow wade through Little River which is easily 30+ feet wide and probably waist deep on high flow days. Once across you would then have to brave the rocky ledges of Meigs Creek from its exit into Little River back toward the falls. YES, from a distance it appears to be an attractive waterfall, but I'm not sure it's worth that kind of effort unless you are a waterfall fanatic hellbent on a close up! NOTE: This area is very active with Black Bears. We literally saw a bear get hit by a passing car just a few miles away near Laurel Falls parking as we drove towards Meigs Falls. So if you do decide to do some Lewis & Clark-type exploring, just know walking these unpopulated areas might give you a different sort of encounter! ~ FINAL THOUGHTS I've included the GPS coordinates in the address or you can use Google Maps to navigate to the Lr Pullout Parking @ Mp 7.838. Other nearby points of interest include: The Sinks (a gorgeous roadside cascade/waterfall) Cades Cove (featuring Abram Falls) Spruce Flats Falls @ Tremont Honey Cove Falls @ Tremont and ultra-popular Laurel Falls 2020 / 72

Red's cafe mural is a downtown Sevierville, Tennessee mural on the side of some commercial…read morebusinesses down the street from the court house and the famed Dolly Parton statue. I'm not sure the history of Red's cafe or even if it was a legit cafe. The mural paints a picture of a 50's/60's sofa fountain car hopper type establishment that you know probably serves burgers and coke floats. Overall the artist from the Smokey mountain mural company does a nice job. Gatlinburg and the surrounding cities like Sevierville have this nostalgic all American feel to them so this mural goes hand in hand with that vibe.

Downtown Gatlinburg public art mural that is located on the popular parkway stretch…read more Nestled on ten main strip between two commercial Businesses this mural is a great photo op for tourists as it features the words Gatlinburg and the ever present bears of the city. Overall fun and nicely done mural that is a perfect representation of what you would think a Gatlinburg mural would want. Maybe the only thing missing is Dolly Parton riding the bear while eating a pancake from one of the many pancake houses In the city :)

When I first visited Maggie Valley thirteen years ago, it was winter. My father had just let his…read moregirlfriend pick out the business that we would own, and, thus, our fate. Thanks a lot, poor visoneer. I remember having bad pizza and trying to be hopeful that there had to be more action than a Burger King and Walmart. Maggie itself was wholesome and hibernating. I still say that Maggie, the town sweetheart, had a colorful nightlife on the side in that there valley. (The present Maggie mascot walks the streets, waving sweetly.) I moved outside of Maggie the following summer. Life plodded on. I worked at the family business. Defying rumors, the petting zoo never reopened. "Ghost Town in the Sky" would open for a month or two, only to be beleaguered by a poltergeist who always caused the main attraction- the roller coaster- to cease producing fun. "Carolina Nights", dinner theatre for seniors, eventually closed and caused a Carolina Blight. No, really, cause Maggie was not the same after that happened. The Eaglenest, a concert hall, was built but failed to soar. The lack of alcohol and Walton-level of fun killed it. The pizza place stopped tossing and closed. Bakeries would pop up from time to time, only to burn out. At least two motels burned out and down to the relief of the owners who then drove away from Maggie in new RVs. I was glad when Joey's got a new owner. The old one had an inflated ego with prices to match. When my grandmother with Alzheimer's walked down the street naked, an outraged citizen called the cops. Nope, brain diseases are not allowed in Maggie. My grandmother was shipped off, never to be free again. So, now the fun part. As I have stated before, when my father died, his wife, T., and her alcoholic brothers who lived (!) at our business threatened my husband, F., at our business within a week of my dad's death. We never returned to our business, and it quickly succumbed under their influence. Neighboring businesses started to complain about drug use and trash. I contacted the health department, but they did not care that the things living at my business had by choice stopped using running water. That is a public health hazard. One neighboring business joined forces with my ex-stepmother by buying stolen business property off of her after F. had asked them to stay away from her. When F. confronted the man that he had spoken to, the cops were called. F. said that the cop put his gloves on. F. was told not to go to our business again. He checked it daily. He was doing more for Maggie than the police were. And without gloves. The police stated that they could do nothing about the property theft. What the...huh? Isn't that your job?! We had also asked for a police escort to the inside of the business so that we could access the safe that was in my ex-stepmother's living quarters. We told them that my brother and I owned more shares of the business than T. They would not provide us with an escort. F. decided to go to the town manager, Mr. Clark. We went to the town center building. We got separated. I went up to the office window to ask for help. The phone rang. The woman that worked the desk looked at me, ignored me, and picked up the phone instead. How rude. I walked away and looked at photos of Maggie, who in her older days was no Ava Gardner. I found F. by wandering the weird halls. (The building has several ill-placed additions.) Our meeting with Mr. Clark seemed promising. F. asked Mr. Clark if he could evict T. and co. from our business premises. He said that he would contact people, and that it had been done once before, when addicts had resided in front of "Wheels Thru Time", the central cog of Maggie. We told him about the accumulating trash, and how we were not sure if we had enough business funds for to be picked up promptly. Oddly enough, Mr. Clark said that Maggie Valley would remove the dumpster, and F. had to tell him that that could be viewed as theft. Mr. Clark's rude secretary appeared and announced that Mr. Clark had a meeting. We left. My kid and I went to a playground that was built for listless toddlers. It is behind the town center building. I suddenly saw Mr. Clark on his cell phone outside, done with his "meeting" within seven minutes of us leaving. Yep, that's what you get when you try to be positive. Self-important announcers and fake meetings because real ones require too much effort. In the end, no one helped. We reached out to numerous entities to no avail. A naked woman walking down the street caused more concern than drug addicts living at a local business. Maggie is still there, despite one cop stating that it was dying. A dollar store was added. Gift shops are the main breed. Frankie's is doing great. Mini trucks are still truckin' at a yearly event, along with leather and cycles. Spirits- the drinking kind- have ben added to add new spirit. There are new sidewalks, but I will never walk down them and into the sunset.

What a great little town in western NC just outside of Cherokee. It is quiet and laid back with…read moregreat views of the Great Smoky Mountains. They have some nice shops and restaurants around and of course Ghost Town in the Sky. It is very close to Soco falls and like I said it is not far from Cherokee. It is a great place to spend a couple days with lot of places to explore.

The Pigeon Forge Rod Run is a large, semi-annual automotive event held in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,…read morefeaturing thousands of classic cars, hot rods, and muscle cars. The event takes place twice in 2026: the Spring Rod Run is scheduled for April 16-18, and the Fall Rod Run for September 17-19. It includes a massive swap meet, car corral, awards, and a significant cash giveaway, drawing car enthusiasts from all over the country.

Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total…read morepopulation of 5,875. It's just 5 miles north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Pigeon Forge is a tourist destination that caters primarily to country music fans. The city's attractions include Dollywood and Dollywood's Splash Country as well as gift shops, outlet malls, amusement rides, and musical theaters. I visited Pigeon Forge on a road trip with my daughter. We had a great time at Dollywood. I became familiar with a business in Pigeon Forge and continued to purchase by mail order. It was a lady that sold beautiful Teddy Bears. After she passed away I'm not sure what happened to her lovely store. Her family told me she passed away. They tried to keep up with the online orders. I eventually stopped ordering from them. I love everything about this place and recommend you take a vacation here. There's so much to do you couldn't possibly be bored. Bring lots of cash and credit cards!!