Hidden Gatlinburg

Amid the spectacle that is the Parkway in Gatlinburg, TN lay many hidden gems, including the Gatlinburg First Methodist Church (above). Gatlinburg also has several city parks. I visited Mynatt Park and found a wonderful, quiet place where families could have a picnic, wade in the mountain stream or let kids run off some extra energy. Right on the Parkway but tucked in behind a major trolley stop and busy intersection rests a major part of Gatlinburg's history - the Ogle Family Cabin.

"In 1807, widowed Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, at age 46 or 47, came to her late-husband's 'Paradise' with her five sons and two daughters, her brother, Peter Huskey, and his family. From William's oral directions, they located his hewed logs, completed the cabin, and started a new life. Great grandson Andrew Ogle and his family were the last of the clan to live in the cabin, abandoning it about 1910."

Probably one of the greatest hidden gem is the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. I have been to Gatlinburg several times and never realized the school and its craft store, Arrowcraft, were right there at stoplight #3. (Hint: look for the driveway next to Cooter's Barbecue.) Another great find is just a short drive east of town. The Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community offers visitors many shops were local craftspeople sell their work. Finally, the greatest find this trip was locating a bypass that takes you from the west side of town up the Historic Nature Trail to Cherry Orchard Road to Baskin's Creek Bypass and puts you out on Gatlinburg's East Parkway. So, the next time you're in Gatlinburg be sure to take in all of the latest attractions on the Parkway, but then, take some time to explore the "hidden Gatlinburg."

Rolling Along Through the Great Smoky Mountains

July 2010 - Shot this video while driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on my way to Gatlinburg, TN and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. I had never taken the route through Lenoir City, Maryville & Townsend, but, per instructions from Arrowmont, it turned out to be a much nicer ride than trying to get through the traffic in Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.

The Ups and Downs of Gatlinburg, TN

Driving into Gatlinburg, TN is like entering a real-world amusement park. You're not sure if the buildings are real or just fake fronts like on a movie set. The lamp posts have carefully tended baskets of bright pink, red and yellow flowers hanging from them. Some of the attractions literally reach out onto the sidewalk to draw you inside. One has to wonder if a team of gardeners, street cleaners and polishers descend on the city during the witching hour to spruce up the place while unsuspecting visitors sleep off their zombie-esque dazes.

There is another side to Gatlinburg, though. First, there is the traffic. Mini-vans, cars and trucks filled with those zombie tourists trying to take it all in while hunting for their hotel. Every time I come to Gatlinburg it seems the traffic gets worse...or am I just getting older...and less patient? Once the zombies get settled and make their way on foot to the Parkway then one enters a whole other world of sudden stops, sidewalk blocks and slowpokes.

Despite all of the traffic - both auto and foot - Gatlinburg is a wonderful place, and one does not need to spend of his or her time on the main strip. You see, this little mountain hamlet has its secrets; back road loops that, if you can find them, let you bypass the Parkway; craft shops, restaurants and lodging to the east and less-crowded part of town; and different routes into the mountains that serve as alternatives to the main roads into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

I'll continue to visit Gatlinburg for its charm, its history and its traditions. Hopefully, I will never get too old or too impatient to appreciate both its upsides as well as downsides.

Photo Favorite: Smoky Mountain Road

A shot from one of the pull-offs in the Great Smoky Mountains. Being just after Christmas, traffic was heavy and slow. It seemed I was spending more time watching out for the car in front of me than enjoying the view, so I pulled off for a few minutes. This isn't one of the "great" pull-offs, but it was enough for me to take in the scenery for a few minutes before creeping on up the mountainside.

Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.

Photo Favorite: Dollywood Express

A shot of the Dollywood Express train at Dollywood. I'll share other photos of Dollywood another time. I just thought this one turned out well. I used the sepia setting on my little Kodak digital.

(Disclaimer: Though I wish it wasn't true, I am not affiliated with Dollywood, in any way, and received no compensation for posting this information.) Copyright 2010 Mark C. Osborne, III. All rights reserved.