Page 96 - Cityview_July_Aug_2015

smok y mountain treasures
Story by Katy Koontz • Photography by Colby McLemore Additional reporting by Jessica Carr and Alexandria Rodriguez
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CITYVIEWMAG.COM JULY AUGUST 2015
Millions of eager visitors flock to the Smoky Mountains every year. (In fact, the park
had more than 10 million visitors last year for the fourth time in its 80-year history and for the first time since 2000.) And while the wildlife, the his- toric buildings, the visitor centers, the campgrounds, the hiking trails, and the stunning views of layer upon layer of purple mountain ridges are indeed truly special, the surrounding commu- nities are equally famous for the fabu- lous family fun they offer.
The Classics
The multitude of family attractions in the three main Tennessee gateway towns of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevier- ville include some true classics that have been around for generations. Ober Gat- linburg is perhaps the biggest and best example, since the ski resort (which later expanded to include an amusement park
that operates in the summer) recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Other seasoned attractions include the funny (the Comedy Barn and Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre), the spooky (Gatlinburg’s Mysterious Mansion), the zany (Hillbilly Golf ), the starstruck (the recently relocated Elvis Museum), the historic (the Old Mill), and a few that offer some amazing views (the Space Needle and the Gatlinburg Sky Lift).
The area also has some classic restaurants, too, from the tony Peddler Steakhouse (where they famously carve the loin right at your table) all the way down to the folksy Frank Allen’s Mar- ket (where you can still get a fried bolo- gna sandwich at the lunch counter). Generations of kids have eaten break- fast at the Pancake Pantry and pressed their noses to the front window of the Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen to watch the mesmerizing taffy-pulling machine in action.
Notable Newcomers
As great as those classics may be, some major newfangled attractions have put a whole new face on the Smokies over the past few years. Their huge, colorful, and imaginative facades all compete for attention on the Parkway
in Pigeon Forge. It’s impossible to miss the Titanic museum (contained in a half-size replica of the front half of the fateful ship), WonderWorks (the upside- down house that looks like it simply
fell from the sky), Hollywood Wax Museum (with a ferocious King Kong, biplane in hand, hanging off the Empire State Building), and the hilarious hill- billy-style exterior of the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show.
Two more relatively new show-stop- ping attractions offer amazing views of both the Parkway and the mountains beyond—the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel (a cross between a 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel and a gondola, dominating