By Bonnie Neely
When I was a child my family drove from South Carolina every autumn to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, our favorite place to see the crimson and gold leaves and enjoy the fresh mountain air. Back then Gatlinburg was just a little village in the Smokies with rustic cabins and a few shops along the winding highway through town. This was a place for artists, craftsmen and hobbyists to whittle away the days and nights creatively and have roadside stands from which to sell what they had made. No one dreamed these three little mountain villages, also including Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, would grow into the enormous travelers' mecca it is today.
Thank goodness the mountain scenery and trails, woodlands and streams have been preserved in their natural glory by the National Park Service. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which surrounds this area of Southern Appalachia, is the most visited national park in the United States, with more than 11 million recreational visitors in 2017.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established by Congress in 1934 and dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940. The development of most of the roads, fire towers, park buildings, bridges and other infrastructure was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps, men and women employed by the government during the Great Depression to prevent their families from starving.
The park is designated as a World Heritage Site, and the mountains are some of the oldest on the planet. Thankfully, many of the early structures are still in good condition so that homes of original settlers can be seen in various places, as well as tourist cabins that are replicas of the historic ones.
And the tri-town area has done much to preserve the heritage of the mountain people. Many re-enactment shows are educational as well as fun. Dolly Parton has developed some that include Dollywood and the dinner theaters Dixie Stampede and Smoky Mountain Adventure These provide fun ways to learn the culture and see the crafts, dances and music of her beloved mountains. In 2016 a raging fire destroyed many mountain homes and businesses above Gatlinburg, but thanks to the generosity of Parton's charities and others the town is rebuilding rapidly.
Dollywood Craftsman's Valley is a great place to see today's artisans working in yesteryear's ways to create beautiful and useful items, using skills and tools their grandparents and great-grandparents taught them. The skills were necessary for survival in early days and now provide a fascinating preservation of history. These people often teach visitors how to create their own objects to take home.
Gatlinburg also features one of the most popular places to visit on the eight-mile loop of its Arts and Crafts Community. In Gatlinburg the traffic lights are numbered, and on East Parkway you turn at traffic light No. 3 onto Highway 321 and follow the signs. It is well worth spending a day to visit each of the more than 100 homes and studio/shops to chat with artists of all kinds and watch them at work creating lovely items for souvenirs and gifts. These include glass-blowing, ceramics, baking, weaving, stitchery, woodcrafts, clockworks, floral arrangements, candle-making, painting, photography, metal works and more.
My family always ate pancakes for breakfast at a small restaurant. This happy memory of delightful smells and tastes goes with the mountain atmosphere, and today there are pancake restaurants along the highway through the three towns. But one of the best is Crockett's Breakfast Camp in Gatlinburg.
The decor in the large log cabin is from more than a century ago, with such items as wagons, a huge fireplace, hunting gear and portraits on the walls The menu is made to look like a newspaper from Davy Crockett's time, and the large griddle cakes are different from any we've ever had — light and delicious.
Also on the menu were eggs prepared in many ways and served with delicious smoky bacon or sausage. We could not leave without sampling the other item for which they are famous: their huge and delicious cinnamon rolls.
Alas, they only serve breakfast - but what an experience it is. My husband and I agreed ours was the most memorable we had ever had.
WHEN YOU GO
www.pigeonforge.com/plan-your-visit/dollywood/craftsman-s-valley
www.dollywood.com
www.crockettsbreakfastcamp.com
www.facebook.com/gatlinburgcvb
www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
www.vacationsmadeeasy.com/GatlinburgPigeonForgeAreaTN (case sensitive)
Bonnie and Bill Neely are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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