Greenbrier Restaurant

 Going to dinner is a popular activity in the smokies, and Greenbrier Restaurant in Gatlinburg is an unforgettable dining experience. The Greenbrier Restaurant is a log cabin that was built in the late 1930’s and owned by Mrs. Moffet. Dean and Barbara Haden purchased the restaurant in 1980 and Barbara still runs the restaurant today. Greenbrier’s menu has everything from old favorites, like fried cheesesticks, to fancier dishes, such as lobster tails. To see a complete menu, visit their website: http://www.greenbrierrestaurant.com/

Ghost Stories in The Smokies

This October, prepare yourself for bone chilling stories during the Ghost Walk of Gatlinburg. Though this event doesn’t have masked ghouls and chainsaws making you scream throughout the walk, the stories themselves paint the frightening picture of the past 100 years of murder and mayhem in Gatlinburg and The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This tour offers the only ghost detector in town so that you are able to get the whole experience of passing over a supernatural area. The walk runs nightly at 9, 10:30 and midnight. 

 

Experience the fear yourself nightly, but first visithttp://www.ghostwalkofgatlinburg.com/default.html , for prices, directions and more information. 

Historic Elkmont

Elkmont, Tennessee is located in Sevier County in the Little River Valley of the Great Smoky Mountains.  Elkmont  is home to a large campground, a resort and many old structures.  Elkmont used to revolve around a logging company which brought many people and a railroad to the area.  Once the business stopped, the railroad was removed and the area soon became a known ghost town.  There are many old cottages and houses in Elkmont that are being restored as part of the historical preservation in the Smoky Mountain area.

Railroad Days

The final festivities of the Townsend Days Celebration are Railroad Days at Little River Railroad Museum. Activities include museum tours, hand car rides, walking tour of old Townsend and Tremont. The walking tours are both under a mile. Check out Railroad Days to learn all about the Little River Railroad and trains of yester year.

Sam Houston School House

Famed Texan, Sam Houston, who is most known for liberating Texas from Mexican rule, lived in Maryville for a number of years. He was adopted by Cherokee Indians at age sixteen. The Indians called him “Co-lonneh” or “the Raven”. Two years later, he began teaching students in the season spanning from the completion of corn planting in the spring until the harvest in the fall. He charged $8 for tuition., but students could pay in corn or calico, too. Houston’s schoolhouse is typical of field schools of the time. The school is the oldest in Tennessee and was built two years before it reached statehood. Today, the school maintains some of the original logs. The school is located five miles NE of Maryville. School hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 until 5 and Sunday from 1-5. More info can be found by calling 865.983.1550.

History of Tuckaleechee Cove

Townsend is located in the Tuckaleechee Cove, an area with archaeological finds dating to 2000 B.C. The first known inhabitants of the Cove were Native Americans, notably the Cherokee tribe. ”Tuckaleechee” comes from the Cherokee word “Tikwalitsi”, but the original meaning is unknown. The Cherokees fought with other tribes, including the Shawano. By the time the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the 1700s, the Cherokee had abandoned their villages.
In 1900, the Little River Lumber Company was chartered by Colonel W.B. Townsend. The Colonel gave his name to the town that emerged in the vicinity of the lumber mill. Later, the Little Mill Railroad was constructed to link the mill to Walland and Elkmont. By the time the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was founded in the 1930’s, almost two-thirds of the forests in the area had been cut down by the logging company. Pressured by conservationists, Colonel Townsend sold 76,000 acres to be part of the park.

The Mountain Heritage Center

The Mountain Heritage Center, located in Townsend, has several events this Fall. Today, Bill Sheffield brings his folk songs as part of the Fall Concert Series. In October, E G Knight rocks the house with his acoustic blues and roots music on the second and Labron Lazenby & LA 3 bring their rockabilly sensibility to the festival on the ninth. All shoes are at 7:00 p.m. Aside from concerts and festivals, the Heritage Center is a great place for school field trips and event hosting. The center’s mission is to preserve the cultural heritage of East Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains Region. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors, and children 6-17 is $4.

History of Gatlinburg

Want to enjoy a relaxing weekend filled with beautiful sights as well as great shopping and a colorful history? Gatlinburg provides all of the above and more. The Oglesby family from South Carolina was the first family to settle Gatlinburg in the early 19th century. They changed their last name to Ogle and built a cabin, which still exists today. After lending their name to several area landmarks, such as craft shops and hotels, the area in which they settled became known as the White Oaks Flats. With the help of a grant from North Carolina, veterans of the Revolutionary War came to settle and the mountain village began to grow. Eventually, the town of Gatlinburg grew into what it is today. While no one knows the exact story of how Gatlinburg got its name in 1856, many stories involving Radford C. Gatlin, owner of a general store, tell about him being the influence for the town’s name. To learn more about the history of Gatlinburg, visit http://www.smokymountainnavigator.com/index.asp?mid=68&mid2=202

Townsend Artisan Guild Woodcarving Festival

Celebrate East Tennessee & Smoky Mountains’ history at The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center. Located in the serene region of Townsend, this grand festival is centered on the remarkable culture that is preserved till this day. Visitors get a taste of Native American and early settler life through a collection of artifacts, which date back from 3000 B.C. to the 1930’s. Native American displays include ceremonial dress, pottery, hunting weapons, and masks that symbolize each of the Cherokee seven clans. Featuring a historic village, visitors experience the authenticity through the cantilever barns, log cabins, sawmill, smokehouse, underground still house, wheelwright shop, and much more. With interactive exhibits, media presentations, and three-dimensional displays, guests will leave with a better sense of the Townsend culture. Along with the festival’s public showings, woodcarvers are able to compete while putting their carvings on exhibit. For additional information, call (865) 448-0044.

Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum

In 1886, a group of investors from Pennsylvania formed the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company, which logged huge portions of what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Today the site is preserved as museum that shares with visitors the area’s history of logging through photographs, papers, tools and other artifacts. Visitors can also view one-of-a-kind locomotives and logging machinery and learn about the railroad’s operations. The original Walland Depot was moved to the site to house all the artifacts and alongside the depot platform a replica of the Elkmont Post Office was constructed and houses the gift shop.

 

To learn more information about the Little River Railroad and Lumber Trading Company Museum, visit the official site at http://www.littleriverrailroad.org/.