It only means we scratch our heads a little as to why they represent East Tennessee. Now, just because they don’t seem to logically go in the mountains, it doesn’t mean these are bad attractions. Over the years, that means a wider variety – branching away from outlet malls, go-cart tracks and mini-golf.Īnd that has led to some decidedly non-East Tennessee attractions deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. If the people paying the bills wanted cornpone and banjo music, then that’s what the good people of Sevier County were gonna give them.īut the ultimate arbiter of what exactly Pigeon Forge and the surrounding area will be is what the tourism dollars will support. They trafficked in bear-related knickknacks and the (often stereotypical) traditions of the mountain people.

In the early days, much of that stimulation came in forms native to the area. It was the Great Smoky Mountains that turned Sevier County into a tourist mecca.īut, the locals found out early on that tourists needed more than motels, restaurants and the great outdoors.Īs it turns out, there’s only so much nature one Midwestern family can absorb before they need a different level of stimuli.

Pigeon forge tennessee