A Day in Gatlinburg Tennessee [Some things to do]

Welcome back to the road. Today we are headed to Gatlinburg Tennessee. Gatlinburg today is pretty much a tourist trap, but it didn’t start that way. Long before it bore the name Gatlinburg, it was little more than a point on a trail used by native Americans traveling through the area. Though it was eventually used by European settlers, it still remained just a trail until a man named William Ogle attempted, with the help of the local natives, to clear some land for a home. Unfortunately he died in a malaria outbreak when he returned to get his family. Eventually his family did make their way into the area and finished his cabin. His descendants still live in the area to this day. You are probably wondering why its not called Ogleville or Williamsburg, I have the answer for you. One of the settlers who came after Williams family, opened a post office in his general store, his name was Radford Gatlin. He was eventually run out of town over his confederate sympathizing, but the name apparently stuck. Now that we have some history out of the way, lets get started with Gatlinburg’s modern touristy attractions by visiting the Village shops. This is an interesting mall designed to have the appearance of a village somewhere in Europe. I have to admit that at the time I visited the Village Shops I wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be, and was quite surprised to see a shop selling souvenirs from Ireland. I was even more surprised to discover the very refrigerator magnets I had purchased while in Ireland just a couple weeks before filming this video. I guess if you want to trade the foothills of the Great Smokeys for an Irish village for an hour or so, this is the place for it. In either case, its not a bad place to take some photos, or pick up some souvenirs. Continuing our trek through this resort town, we are headed for the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. This is the 60’s era Batmobile. It certainly looks like a product of its time. But where are Batman and Robin? It seems they have abandoned the Batmobile in favor of the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazard. We also found a sprinkling of cars from the Fast and the Furious series, with the ultimate being Paul Walker’s Eclipse from the first movie. This Harley Davidson Fat Boy was used in Terminator 2. Yabba Dabba Doo! Upstairs we find Burt Reynolds Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandits, as well as several famous television cars like this jalopy from Beverly Hillbillies. Along the way we encountered this shrine to the creator of many of these cars, George Barris. It is hard to believe that James Bond drove around in this humble Z3 roadster. It’s a nice looking car, but 007 belongs in a DB5. For some reason this police cruiser makes me want to whistle an old toon. Speaking of toons, here is Elvis’s Cadillac, and a T-bird driven by a Beach Boy. Keeping to the musical theme, here is Micheal Jackson’s Mercedes. Now for the real stars, starting with this time machine made out of a Delorean. And of course, arguably the most famous 59 Cadillac on Earth, the Ecto 1. This thing is much bigger than I expected, I don’t think the average person who has not driven a semi truck could just get in and start going around corners. There is a lot of hood on this car. Continuing with the ultra touristy theme of this town, we are heading to the Museum of Salt & Pepper Shakers. I wonder if old William Ogle could have foreseen that one day his lost homestead would become host to such a vast collection of salt and pepper shakers from all corners of the globe. All joking aside, it is an amazing collection, with a wide variety of categories to explore. There are shakers made of all kinds of materials. They come in all shapes and sizes. They are themed for everything from holidays, to ethnic cuisines. There are animals, buildings, actors, and much more. Let’s take a bit of time to look through all the shakers on display, you will probably find some themed after one of your own interests. Coca Cola Sushi, these two things go well together. Rubber duckies in a tub, I imagine this being used for those ultra luxury occasions when you are served meals in the tub… You must align all the sides of the rubik’s cube to get salt out of the shaker… Toward the end of the tour, you will find several displays explaining where the salt that goes in the shakers comes from. Finally, you can buy salt and pepper shakers here at the museum. Salt and Pepper shakers make me think of eating, and its time for dinner. We decided to enjoy our evening meal at the highly rated Pizzeria of Gatlinburg. We came in a bit early to avoid the rush, and decided on Greek salad with a pepperoni Pizza. The Greek salad appears to be second generation American Greek salad, but tasty just the same. Now for the Pizza. Careful, its quite hot. Lots of cheese, but tasty. Our next stop involves alcohol, so you may want to arrange transportation other than driving. Welcome to Sugarlands Distilling Company. Once inside, you will find a head spinning variety of spirits in all imaginable flavors. You will be directed to one of these counters to begin your tasting experience. Look down for a guide to the flavors you can expect. Next, hand the bar tender your ticket, and let the ride begins. Our last stop on today’s journey is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. This is the most visited National Park in the United States, with around 14 million visitors annually. It is also the largest National Park in the Eastern United States at over 522 thousand acres. The park is full of hiking trails, like this one we found just inside the park entrance. The visitors center is a great place to get some information about the area encompassed by the park borders. This 3D map gives an idea of the massive scale of this park. Be sure to visit this small exhibit displaying some of the wildlife that can be found in the Great Smoky Mountains. There is also a gift shop with all sorts of memorabilia to take home. Moving on from the visitors center, there are numerous pull outs to enjoy nature, or have a picnic along the way. This one seems to have been a favorite for lovers. Just look at all the carvings on this toppled tree. I hope that’s not bad luck for their relationships. We heard that there are some great lookouts to view the town of Gatlinburg further up the road. And we were not disappointed with the first of several fantastic views. Based on these views, it is easy to see why residents of the area wanted to preserve the land in its natural state. Our last lookout offers a fantastic view of the Smoky Mountains, and the town of Gatlinburg below. I hope you enjoyed this visit to Gatlinburg Tennessee, and hope you will join us for other adventures on the road. Be sure to give us a thumbs up and subscribe. Thanks for watching, see you next time.