"Where have I heard of Gatlinburg before?"

After ascending Mt. Mitchell, I drove to Tennessee to do the high point of that state, Clingman's Dome, which is located in Great Smoky Mountains State Park. The picture above is on the way to the park. This was outside the park, and just one of the first good views I saw. One could spend a lot of time in the park itself getting even better views, but I was in a rush to get to Clingman's Dome. On the way to the park, I drove through Gatlinburg, which is a town I swear I've heard of before. Like, someone famous is from here, or something happened here (I googled and found a Civil War skirmish, but that's about it), or something. Whatever the case may be, Gatlinburg is a resort type of town, somewhat like a southern-fried, four-lane version of Lake Placid. According to a reliable local source, Gatlinburg is more for the older people, and Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood) is mainly for the children.

I briefly stopped in a gas station, and, while filling my sody cup, saw a 30-something southern belle and asked her, "What's Gatlinburg famous for?" She didn't have much of a response, and seemed a bit shocked that a Yankee - and a Damned one at that - was so forward to speak to her in a gas station. "Where would I have heard of it before?" The answer was "Everywhere." Despite that encounter, Gatlinburg looks to be the place to go for Southern Belles Gone Wild.

BloggingAcrossAmerica · Thu, 10/30/2003 - 20:00 · · Importance: 1