Marc, Ann, and Jane spent three days in Wears Valley, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg celebrating Ann and Jane's birthday. The twins had a list of places they wanted to visit and high on the list was the Tennessee Bible Museum. What an amazing place! The paid tour highlighted the history of the Bible with an emphasis on how it was translated into English. Heartland Cabin Rentals provided an amazing cabin for our stay in Wears Valley. We cannot say enough about the hospitality they showed. The three...
May 22, 2025•31 min•Ep. 12
East Tennessee has a long history of producing moonshine. Until recently, it was distilled in illicit stills (illicit because they refused to pay the tax) in hidden coves of the Appalachian Mountains. In 2009, the Tennessee state legislature passed a law legalizing moonshine in Tennessee. Soon after, in early 2010, Ole Smoky Moonshine of Gatlinburg became the first legal distiller of moonshine in the state. While the area is known, correctly, for family fun, the elephant in the room is that a ne...
Sep 21, 2024•50 min•Ep. 11
Bluff Mountain Adventures maintains one of the largest offroad adventure experiences in the Pigeon Forge area. By that we mean that they own more than 6,600 acres of mountain terrain overlooking Knoxville, Maryville, Pigeon Forge, and the surrounding area. The miles of offroad trails are ready to be explored via UTV or ATV. In this episode, Marc and Ann talk about the offroad adventure they enjoyed while celebrating their wedding anniversary. Bluff Mountain Adventures lives up to its name. My Sm...
Jul 27, 2024•29 min•Ep. 10
NOTE: We recorded this episode in June 2022. Before posting it, two sudden and unexpected serious medical conditions, one after the other, derailed (pun intended) our plans to continue recording and posting new episodes. However, after two years, we are back! We thank God for His continued care for us and allowing us to do this podcast, which we love. Thank you for listening. Bryson City, North Carolina is “small town America,” packed with big outdoor fun. In this episode, Marc and Ann talk abou...
Jul 20, 2024•25 min•Ep. 9
Marc and Ann recently spent four days exploring Cherokee, North Carolina. They visited the Qualla Boundry, the home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Cherokee is a historic location and is a gateway city to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Their discussion includes the outdoor play, Unto These Hills, the longest running outdoor drama in America. More than 5,000,000 people have seen this Cherokee interpretation of the Europeans arrival in America and the stormy relationship that ens...
Jul 13, 2022•27 min•Ep. 8
Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud Show and Adventure Park is on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The show is a live competition between real lumberjacks competing for bragging rights. Audience participation is enthusiastic and a real fun part of watching the show. The jokes are somewhat corny, but that is part of the family fun in this 1.5 hour show. Authentic lumberjacks perform agile stunts throughout the competition. Some stunts include chainsaws while others involve buck saws or 30 feet ta...
Sep 05, 2020•24 min•Ep. 7
When the Titanic sank in the Atlantic back in 1912, more than 1,200 people died in an icy cold sea. The "unsinkable" ship sailed only 5 days on its maiden voyage to New York before slamming into an iceberg. The Titanic Museum Attraction houses the largest collection of Titanic artifacts in the world. John Joslyn, the museum's owner, was the explorer who led the expedition to recover the artifacts from the ship's resting place. The original artifacts, worth more than $4,000,000.00, are beautifull...
Aug 27, 2020•42 min•Ep. 6
Anakeesta is one of the newest attractions in the Smokies. Located in downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee, this 70+ acre, mountain village is not going to disappoint. The Chondola takes you to the top of Anakeesta Mountain where you will experience Firefly Village with its gifts shops, the Cliff Top Grill & Bar, Aunt Pearl’s Pie in the Sky (ice cream and fried pies), and several other shops. For those of you with an aversion to heights, like Marc, you can take the Ridge Rambler to Firefly Village...
Aug 08, 2020•32 min•Ep. 5
Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum in Sevierville, TN is home to more than 90 of the hottest muscle cars in history. Marc and Ann visited recently and talk about their favorites in the collection. Hear about the numerous Camaros, Mustangs, 442s, GTOs, Corvettes, Trans Ams, and a number of other cars on display. The Tennessee Museum of Aviation is a 50,000 square foot building with a 35,000 square foot hanger, housing a number of American war planes from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, ...
Jul 21, 2020•33 min•Ep. 4
Tuckaleechee Caverns is known as “The Greatest Site Under the Smokies.” And why not? It is the home of the tallest subterranean waterfall in America, at 210 feet. Ruby Falls, in nearby Chattanooga, claims to be the tallest, however, it is a mere 145 feet (wink, wink). On the plus side, visitors to Ruby Falls can actually see more of the waterfall there than you can at Tuckaleechee Caverns. Even so, Tuckaleechee Caverns is a wonderful attraction and well worth your time. The cavern is not about t...
Jul 08, 2020•31 min•Ep. 3
The Island in Pigeon Forge is one of the top destinations in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Marc and Ann spent the day there and talk about all the wonderful things you can do. Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Hotel, Paula Deen's Family Kitchen, The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, and Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, are just a few of the great places to visit. The dancing fountain, surrounded by rocking chairs, is one of the attractions where guests love relax. Marc and Ann share details about how to get di...
Jun 28, 2020•29 min•Ep. 2
Ripley Entertainment has been around for 90+ years, creating more than 100 attractions in 11 countries around the world. Gatlinburg, Tennessee is home to eight Ripley's attractions, including the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium, Marc and Ann recently visited both attractions in Gatlinburg then headed to Ripley's Old MacDonald Farm Mini Golf and Fun Zone Arcade in Sevierville, Tennessee. Our first episode is all about Ripley's. Marc and Ann have a good ...
Jun 11, 2020•36 min•Ep. 1
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina is the most visited national park in all of America, drawing more than 12.5 million people in 2019. Each of the seven gateway cities surrounding the park are unique and are beckoning you to come. We're talking about Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Townsend, Tennessee and Cherokee, Maggie Valley, and Bryson City, North Carolina. My Smoky Mountain Guide Podcast brings you all the latest news about upcoming events, inclu...
May 09, 2020•3 min
