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Bush's Visitor Center

4.6 (117 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Bush's Visitor Center Photos

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So true...
Alan A.

Everything you wanted to know about beans, but were afraid to ask. If beans are your thang, this is your place. Part museum, part gift shop, part restaurant. I had no idea that Bush's offered so many different types of beans. No idea. It is actually pretty interesting to learn about the history of the Bush family and their beans. Lots of interactive displays, videos to see and watch. We didn't try the restaurant, but if you like beans...

Cindy P.

Very nice well done museum of the history of Bush Beans and the entire family. The museum is laid out well with plenty of information to answer any questions about the beans. The flow from beginning to modern day creations is easy to follow with several videos looping along the way. There's plenty of photo ops and a very nice gift shop with not only Bush Bean souvenirs and food but a lot of kitchen decor and gadgets. The staff is super friendly and welcoming, ready to answer any additional questions you may be able to think up! We stayed about 45 minutes as we were just passing through but if you had more time, it could take a bit longer to watch all the videos and read the history. It's free so you can even take a break and head over to the Family Cafe like we did!!

Brandy G.

Bush's Baked Beans are an American staple of the pantry with their canned bean selections (and one that I grew up seeing on the shelves of our own cupboards) During a recent visit to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area we took a little detour to visit the place where Bush's story began. At this quant visitor center you'll find a museum as well as an adjoining cafe on the site of the original general store where the family got its start in the community (within sights of the original family home that is still on the grounds and open to the public in Decembers). Plan to spend at least 1-2 hours making your way through the free and very in-depth museum and the staff on hand were friendly and happy to answer any questions they could. Every employee I interacted with seemed genuinely happy to be there. Def worth a pit stop to learn more about the history of the family behind these iconic beans!

Elizabeth K.

This place is really neat. It was the perfect pitstop for us to stretch our legs. The museum is child friendly which was great because my child wanted to run immediately. They recently added a partnership with Bluey and even had Bluey Baked Beans for sale in their gift shop! It was interesting to learn about how the company came about and even more interesting to see the wide variety of beans available. I definitely recommend this as a pitstop for parents who need to get out. Although we didn't utilize it, they also have a cafe attached. It appeared to be very popular as there was a line at the time that we visited.

Museum
Luci S.

I love the Bush visitor center and have been twice now. The drive is scenic, the photo ops are fun, the museum is very informative, and the merch is 10/10. I now have a key chain, denim apron, and t shirt. Also it's nice to stock up on beans as someone who does enjoy eating beans. The staff could not be friendlier.

Jennifer D.

A fun experience while visiting Tennessee! Free samples, lots of souvenirs and an informational and educational timeline museum.

Jimmy T.

We stopped here with a large group from our church. I was the bus driver. We had about 40 people in our group. This was a fun and informative place to visit! We love Bushs Baked Beans and often wondered what the process was. On a personal note; I worked for a major grocery store chain for 34 years in distribution as a manager before I retired so I was saw pallets and pallets of Bushs Baked Beans come through our warehouse. Our senior adults loved this tour they gave us. If you are ever in the area I highly recommend you stop in a see the Bushs history!!! All the staff were super friendly and very helpful!

Kayla B.

This place is absolutely freakin' adorable. It's like someone was given a marketing budget to make Bush's Beans relatable/viral for people, and they did a really good job with it. Not only is it free (bonus awesome!), but it's just really fun if you go in expecting a cute, kitschy adventure. If you want to go slowly and explore everything, expect to spend about 2 hours here. You can get the gist of the experience with about 45 minutes, though, if you skip over some reading and don't watch the videos. There are no bean smells or tastes in the musem itself. If someone in your party is very bean-averse, they can still come along with no issue. PROS: -It's free! There is no cost for admission. You can choose to go to the restaurant afterwards or buy anything within the general store. I highly recommend at least picking up a few cans of beans after you're done, though. Not only are they cheaper than the grocery store, but it helps this place stay free. -Really well-staffed. It would have been easy to run this place on bare bones staffing, but they don't. There are 4-5 people manning the general store and even staff members scattered throughout the museum itself. -Lots and lots of videos and audio. If you're someone who doesn't really like reading, you can watch all of their prerecorded videos. Each one of the short movies is on a timer, so you can sit around and wait for them to start. -Tons of cool photo opportunities. There are awesome dedicated selfie/photo spots in addition to really cool museum displays (a gigantic, room-sized bean!) that you'll probably want to take pictures of. Lots of great ways to take photos with your family/group that aren't the standard group photos. The staff always offered to take our group photos for us every time they saw us taking some. -The attached Bush's Restaurant was equally amazing and a great way to top off our adventure, but as it's technically a separate business, I'm leaving that out of this review. CONS: -Literally nothing. It's free, it's fun, it's memorable, and it will end up being a highlight of our trip here. Love that this exists.

Kitchen from the old times
Mike V.

Made it to the bean homeland! This was a fun visit, lots of information about how the Bush family got things started, and lots of fun interactive experiences for the kids! It's a self guided tour, you can get through rather quickly. The staff were amazingly friendly, and incredibly patient with the children. So much history behind one of America's favorite side! At the end of the tour, there is plenty of amazing bean merchandise for sale!!

Old school method
Yochanan H.

First, the video regarding the history of the Bush Brothers and Company and the process of producing the final canned product is captioned! Yes, that's right, it includes closed captioning. You'd be surprised at the number of museums, factories, etc., that don't include them or are not on for the guests. The majority of the time, we're omitted, and with the deaf and hard-of-hearing population in the United States being at 1.8 million people, that's a shame. So, thank you, Bush Brothers and Company. Next, there are other areas of interest, like family photos and a history of collaboration with other companies, but the other attraction is their general store. In it, you'll find plenty of canned beans, several that we've never seen at our local grocery store, like Simmerin Caribbean Black Beans, Southwest Zest Pinto Beans, Organic Soups, and many more. So, stop at the Bush's Visitors Center the next time you pass through to reach the Carolinas or head to the Knoxville region. You might find something you'll like.

Enterence
Christine B.

Drove 30 miles out if the way to come here. Worth the stop. Very informative and the staff was so sweet. Offered to take our picture, gave us a quick rundown on the museum. Was worth the stop

Brigitte L.

What a cool place to visit!! It's a quick stroll through the museum that leads you into the gift shop. You can watch a video of the plant also while visiting! Loved the picture ops available in the front. As soon as we walked in we were greeted with such friendly staff. They even offered to take our group picture in front of the Bush's sign. Saw a few items on the final wall that showed the aisle of all Bush's offerings that we've never seen in stores before! They just released their zero sugar baked beans this past January. Found that they have dips and chili too!? But don't panic, you can purchase these in the gift shop and they are reasonably priced at a little over a dollar. We stocked up on a few :) and the staff member said that if you don't see the items in your store that you can ask your store or you can call the number on the can to ask that they bring to your area.

bean leggings
Debi R.

This was a random stop for lunch while passing through. The cafe is good lunch stop. The museum has the history of the family's start into the business of canning then into beans. So interesting. My biggest surprise was that there are only 3 things going into their can of beans. A piece of raw bacon, then the blanched beans and lastly sauce. The can is sealed and turned to mix ingredients. All of their beans are then cooked in the can. The family home is on site with a huge manufacturing plant, museum, gift shop and cafe. Nice place to visit with very interesting and friendly staff. You can find their bean products that are not found at your local markets and the price is also much less.

BEANS

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Review Highlights - Bush's Visitor Center

The visitor center is laid out by decades of the Bush family's work in the canned goods industry.

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Tuckaleechee Caverns

Tuckaleechee Caverns

4.7
(322 reviews)
30.7 mi

An amazing and unforgettable experience - perhaps the crowning jewel of our entire trip. Olivia was…read morea knowledgeable and personable guide. I loved hearing about how the cave was discovered by little kids - brothers - who spent their childhoods playing in it, and how they later grew up to save enough money to buy it outright and keep it in the family thereafter (and it's still privately owned by the family to this day!) At the start, we were a bit concerned about the amount of walking - and in particular, the steps. Our youngest is at the age where he wants to be independent, but he needs extra time to manage stairs (and some of those passages were narrow and steep enough to where we didn't feel comfortable carrying him) but we needn't have worried. Our large group had some adults who needed extra time with stairs, as well as people who took full advantage of our pace to snap more photos (and I've been on another cave tour where we were rushed through and unable to take many photos at all); nobody seemed to mind. I was also worried about not bringing a sweater, as the cave is 58 degrees year round, but it's a little bit of a workout which keeps you warm. If you have any health issues like a heart condition or anything affecting the function of your lungs it might be too intense (I'm just fat, and it was mildly strenuous: just when your heart starts to pound and you're breath is coming in faster you've reached your next destination and you return to resting state - this happens a couple times.) The cave is like being on another planet. We snapped some amazing photos. When it was time to return to the world above, my kids were sad that it was over.

If you're heading to Townsend. Tuckaleechee Caverns is a must-do…read more This place is absolutely worth the visit. Pricing is reasonable, and the experience is unforgettable. We had Kash as our tour guide and he was fantastic, energetic, kind, and amazing with kids. He kept everyone engaged, answered every question, and clearly knows the caverns inside and out. Even in a large group, you could still hear him clearly throughout the walk. The tour runs about 1.5 hours and covers over a mile underground. Be ready for stairs, lots of them (around 87 steep steps on the way out), and this is not wheelchair or stroller accessible. The cave floor is wet, so good shoes are a must. You'll also duck in a few spots, but not constantly. The views are unreal: a waterfall, a stream, stalactites, stalagmites, and massive natural columns you get to see up close while learning the history behind them. It stays cool inside, but you'll warm up from all the walking. It's well organized even when multiple groups are passing each other, and everything flows smoothly. The gift shop is also a win: well stocked, fair prices, and they accept cards. Bottom line: if you love nature, caves, geology, or just want a unique family experience, this is 100% worth your time.

Photos
Tuckaleechee Caverns
In the "Big Room," behind where the group stands
In the "Big Room," behind where the group stands
(The only rock formation that they allow you to touch, I wanted to make sure I note that. Don't touch the rocks. Lol)

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(The only rock formation that they allow you to touch, I wanted to make sure I note that. Don't touch the rocks. Lol)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

4.7
(432 reviews)
20.1 mi

So incredibly beautiful. So many dang bears…read more Or so I've been told. Fortunately for me, a person who is very much afraid of bears and wants nothing to do with them, I did not see any bears during my visit to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But they're there! Lurking ... somewhere ... in the forest, I'm sure. I visited during the spring, when the bears were waking up from their long slumber, and I'm sure they were just waiting, with growling tummies, to eat someone. Because of the bears, I didn't travel too far away from the visitor center area of Newfound Gap. But there are trails and other things to see that are beautiful if you like hiking and whatnot. As for me, I was satisfied staying close to where there was more concrete and cars than nature. (I know! I'm kind of dumb sometimes.) Newfound Gap straddles both Tennessee and North Carolina, so you can be in two states at once -- literally, you can have one foot in Tennessee and the other in North Carolina! There's also a cool rock structure that you can climb to the top of called the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, where you'll get great views of the mountains. They really do look smoky! They ain't lyin'. The Newfound Gap area of the Smoky Mountains also has a trailhead for the Appalachian Trail, plus restrooms. I saw backpackers who definitely looked like they had been on the the Appalachian Trail for a while. I've since learned that although this is not the largest national park, it's the most visited, and I believe it! There were quite a lot of people at the Newfound Gap area. That said, I visited a few other places around the park where there were zero people, so you might have to change locations, depending on how many people you want to share your park experience with.

The #1 most visited National Park in the USA!…read more We spent three days in Gatlinburg and visited the Kuwohi Observation tower and did the Cades Cove 11 mile drive. Both awesome! Definitely try to get to Kuwohi for sunset. Amazing panoramic views of the blue ridge mountains, and on a clear day you can see as far as four states away! Cades Cove is an early morning must. We beat the crowds by getting there at 6:30am and were done with the 11 mile drive by 9:30am, taking our time to check out most of the stops along the way. Just to note it is closed on Wednesdays to cars when they turn it over to bikes and pedestrians. We also did the Roaring fork motor nature trail which was also very nice and not as chaotic as Cades Cove.

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Babbling brooks
Babbling brooks
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Sugarlands Visitor Center

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Sugarlands Visitor Center
Dollywood

Dollywood

3.9
(1.6k reviews)
14.2 mi

Great rides, pizza was good and live music maybe lower the price on the fast pass thoread more

My family and I recently visited Dollywood Theme Park, and we had a wonderful experience. The park…read moreis absolutely beautiful, clean, and well-maintained. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, as the park is divided into several themed sections, each with about four or five rides. Parking costs $25, so it's something to include in your budget before you arrive. One thing to know before you go is that if you want unlimited fountain drink refills, you'll need to purchase a refillable cup. The cup costs around $30, and you must scan it each time you refill your drink. One of the highlights of our visit was exploring Dolly Parton's museums. They were beautiful, informative, and gave us a deeper appreciation for Dolly's life, career, and accomplishments. I left the park a new fan! We spent about six hours at Dollywood and still didn't have enough time to see everything. There's so much to explore that you could easily spend an entire day or even two there. We didn't have a full meal while we were at the park, but we enjoyed several snacks, including churro fries, a pretzel, and nachos, which were all tasty. Overall, we had a great time and would definitely recommend Dollywood to anyone looking for a fun, family-friendly destination. Just be sure to wear comfortable shoes, budget for parking and drink refills if you plan to purchase them, and allow plenty of time to experience everything the park has to offer! There are a lot of roller coasters if you like roller coasters.

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Cinnamon bread plushies
Cinnamon bread plushies
Dollywood
Dollywood
Rise over the Smokies on the wings of Wild Eagle.

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Rise over the Smokies on the wings of Wild Eagle.
Sunsphere

Sunsphere

4.1
(77 reviews)
32.7 mi

The Sunsphere is an amazing architectural wonder and remnant from the 1982 World's Fair in…read moreKnoxville. My visit to the Sunsphere made my day. The 342' steel structure was designed by Don Shell and completed in 1982. The glass on the 75' sphere is coated with gold dust. During the World's Fair, a small restaurant operated at the top and visitors could visit the observation deck for $2. We were passing through Knoxville and my daughter wanted to visit. Today, visitors can pay to go up to the observation deck of the giant structure. ($10 for adults). You can buy tickets on line or at the Sunsphere. When we arrived, the Sphere was closed until 1:30, so we did not go up in it. But we enjoyed walking around and taking photos. There is parking a block south and the walk through the park is lovely. There is a drop off circle near the Sunshpere as well. Let's are not allowed in the structure.

Knoxville wanted to do something truly special for the 1982 World's Fair. The result was the…read moreSunsphere. The theme for the fair was "Energy turns the world" and Knoxville showcased solar energy by creating a replica of the Sun. I was fortunate enough to visit the Sunsphere during their "free local days" and all you need to show is your license to prove you're local to Knoxville. More free local days will be announced throughout the coming year, so stay tuned. Definitely recommend elevating your view of our little city by visiting the Sunsphere. Know Before You Go: ~ $10 tickets per adult and also annual passes can be bought in person. $40 for an individual annual pass or $120 for a family pass. Both passes are good for a calendar year. ~24 kt. gold panels are actually glass layered with gold dust. ~The Sunsphere observation deck was re-opened on February 22, 2022. The floor offers a 360-degree view of the Great Smoky Mountains, World's Fair Park, the Tennessee River, and the UT Campus. ~There is a small gift shop offering everything from Sunsphere Christmas ornaments, tee shirts, Sunsphere coffee tumblers, stickers, postcards, and more.

Photos
Sunsphere, 200 ft plus to the observation level. Event space and a few offices up top
Sunsphere, 200 ft plus to the observation level. Event space and a few offices up top
Rainbow bridge
Rainbow bridge
Sunsphere

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Ober Mountain

Ober Mountain

2.5
(805 reviews)
18.3 mi

I visited Ober Mountain in early January of this year and spent 2 days enjoyng activities…read more The first day consisted of participating in the fun pass, which gave us a list of activites we could do on the mountain like going to the zoo, ice skating, ice bumper cars, scenic lifts, etc. As an adult, the pass felt a little underwhelming but I can imagine a kid enjoying their time with this pass. I would recommend that you find a groupon/deal to get it at a cheaper rate rather than the usual $50/ticket they offer it for because I genuinely do not think it is worth the $50. I would definitely NOT recommend the fun pass for adults, but would for children (at the discounted price). Our second day on the mountain, we went snowboarding and that was a very fun time for my group and I. Ober has snow machines, so it is not real snow and instead is icy, artificial snow. I can imagine during the colder season, it may be softer and covered much more. I went in early January for reference. The employees are very nice with helping you strap in boots and understanding how to strap into board as well. I decided to do a lesson, which I would recommend for anyone who has not snowboarded before. Although I enjoyed my time, I do agree that it is fairly pricy, considering the size of the mountain compared to other resorts I have seen. I understand the weather determines which lifts are avaliable but the "snow" was ice, no where near snow texture. I think a day of snowboarding would cost roughly $150+ here for day pass and gear rental. My downsides for Ober are the price, the fun pass, and the snow.

We visited Ober Mountain and had a really fun and memorable experience as a family. We had already…read morepurchased our Fun Pass tickets, and redeeming/printing them at the kiosks was quick and easy. One of the highlights was riding the Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway up and down the mountain--it was truly an experience in itself with amazing views. Once at the top, there was plenty to do. The kids loved the carousel and rode it multiple times every time we passed by. We also enjoyed the ice bumper cars, the wildlife habitat, and visiting Gatlinburg SkyLift Park. One of the most magical moments of the day was when it started snowing during our SkyLift ride--it was absolutely beautiful and something we won't forget. It was definitely very cold, but the scenery made it completely worth it. Unfortunately, the mountain coasters were closed due to the rain turning into snow, but there were still plenty of other activities to enjoy. The only thing I wish we had gotten to do was ice skating--the line and wait time were just too long before we had to leave. Overall, it was a very fun experience that everyone in our family enjoyed. We would definitely visit again!We visited Ober Mountain and had a really fun and memorable experience as a family. We had already purchased our Adventure Pass tickets, and redeeming/printing them at the kiosks was quick and easy. One of the highlights was riding the Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway up and down the mountain--it was truly an experience in itself with amazing views. Once at the top, there was plenty to do. The kids loved the carousel and rode it multiple times every time we passed by. We also enjoyed the ice bumper cars, the wildlife habitat, and visiting Gatlinburg SkyLift Park. One of the most magical moments of the day was when it started snowing during our SkyLift ride--it was absolutely beautiful and something we won't forget. It was definitely very cold, but the scenery made it completely worth it. Unfortunately, the mountain coasters were closed due to the rain turning into snow, but there were still plenty of other activities to enjoy. The only thing I wish we had gotten to do was ice skating--the line and wait time were just too long before we had to leave. Overall, it was a very fun experience that everyone in our family enjoyed. We would definitely visit again!

Photos
Ober Mountain
The top of the scenic sky chair lift.
The top of the scenic sky chair lift.
Ober Mountain

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Bush's Visitor Center - visitorcenters - Updated July 2026

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