Taste Of The Smokies

In this post, I am wanting to cover two of my favorite things to enjoy while visiting the Smokies. Food and Beverages!!! Nothing makes me happier than enjoying some good food, savoring some delicious desserts, and indulging in an adult beverage next to the fire. After all, I didn’t get this belly by eating carrots!

This is the list of our “Must haves” every time we visit the Smokies.  There is no trip to the Smokies complete without eating and drinking at these establishments. Just be warned, you will need to bring cash with you because once you have a taste, you will insist on bringing some home with you!

The Donut Friar

Let’s start off the list the right way, with a dessert. Located at “The Village” in Gatlinburg Tennessee. This small donut shop is the perfect place to stop while you are engrossed with all the shopping that Gatlinburg has to offer. The village is one of my favorite places to visit every time we go to Gatlinburg. 

The Donut Friar originally opened in 1969. It is still to this day a family owned operation. The donuts are made fresh daily and you can taste the freshness and the generations of dedication that goes into each and every donut. I recommend trying the Cinnamon Cake Donut. It is a perfect blend of cinnamon. Not over powering but enough to enjoy the flavor. If you would like something super sweet, you can order the Friar Special. It is the sweetest donut they make, filled with a white cream and topped with the same cream. Everything here is absolutely delicious.

Tennessee Cider Co

When you think about adult beverages in Tennessee, the last thing that comes to mind is hard cider. Tennessee Cider Co is trying to change that. Made with fresh local apples, they have just about any kind of cider you can imagine. You can also go inside and for a small price, you can try most of the ciders that they offer.

Anybody that has read my blog post from the beginning knows that my favorite cider comes from Carib’ (formally called Florida Beer Co) in Cape Canaveral Florida. To me, there are no ciders out there that compare. With that being said, I am always looking for my next favorite! Once I seen Tennessee Cider Co, I knew I had to go inside to compare. Heading inside gives you the same feeling as heading into one of the big moonshine distilleries. It is open and welcoming, a fun environment with a whole lot of people taking samples.

Now I am not going to lie to you. It is my opinion that Carib’ cider is much better than Tennessee Cider Co. With that being said you should definitely check out Tennessee Cider Co. It was good cider and I found the Carmel Apple Cider to be very good. Also, on a side note the merchandise was some of the better-looking merchandise I have seen. If you like cider, it is worth stopping in and getting something to drink. If you decide to buy some, they have a cider daycare, so you don’t have to carry it around with you all day. I love that idea. Wish everyone would do that

Ole Smoky Distillery

What can I say about Ole Smoky Moonshine? This place is amazing. One of the reasons we drive from Illinois to Tennessee every year is so that we can visit Ole Smoky Moonshine. Every year we head here and buy WAY more Whiskey than we need. Yes, I know they are famous for their moonshine, but we love the whiskey.

 In my opinion, Ole Smoky Moonshine is the one that started it all down there. I feel that they hit it big and paved the path for the rest of the distilleries, wineries, and breweries to make a good profit in the Smokies area. I could be wrong by saying that, but that is the way it seems.

Our favorites are peach whiskey mixed with sweet tea. Amaretto whiskey mixed with coke. Apple Pie Moonshine mixed with ginger ale. Salty caramel Whisky in an old fashioned. Peanut Butter whiskey in an old fashioned. I like using the moonshine pickles in a Bloody Mary. The moonshine cherries would work great in an old fashioned as well.  As you can see there is plenty of ways to enjoy all that this place has to offer.

 A great incentive to buy more product is the more you buy the bigger the cooler you get. Yep, they give you a free cooler with your purchase (as long as you buy enough) I may or may not have a pile of them in my garage, never know when you need a good cooler.

Gatlinburg Wine Cellar

So, I really was not looking to do any tastings at any wineries, but heading to our campsite Kaitlin seen a billboard that had cotton candy wine on it and she had to try it. So, while we was walking around Gatlinburg we came across the wine cellar that has this famous cotton candy wine. That would be the Gatlinburg wine cellar.

Walking into the wine cellar gives you a little bit of a feeling of a tourist trap. It does not feel like any winery I have been too. It was bright, bubbly, and colorful. Very strange feeling but this is a place that sells cotton candy wine so I guess that is to be expected. We headed to the main counter and was met with a very friendly staff member offering us some tastings. We decided to try some and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

The cotton candy wine is not something I was going to try, just the sound of it makes my teeth hurt. Seems like something that is going to be way too sweet for me. Kaitlin on the other hand really did like it. She liked it enough to bring some home with us, so take that for what you will. I really enjoyed the midnight blackberry and blueberry blend. It is a sweet wine, but not over the top sweet. It was very blended and defiantly something I would recommend to everyone.

If you are heading to the smokies for your honeymoon. Make sure you head into the Gatlinburg Wine Cellar and get yourself a bottle of the Honeymoon Bears Diamond. It is a cute bottle with 2 bears in love on the label. Take a bottle home with you so you can enjoy a romantic dinner and glass of honeymoon wine on your one-year anniversary.

Old Forge Distillery

I must admit, the first time I seen Old Forge Distillery I was not real interested in trying it out. I thought it was a “copy” of the Ole Smoky Distillery and just wanted to stick with what I knew. Boy was I wrong!! This time we were waiting to be seated at Old Mill Restaurant. Since we had about a hour to kill until we could be seated, I figured I would head next door and try some moonshine. I am so happy that I did

Old Forge Distillery is now my favorite moonshine in the Smokies. There are many different flavors, I guarantee anyone can walking into this distillery and find something they like. My personal favorites are the vanilla bean Moonshine, the peach moonshine, and the blackberry moonshine. There was many more that I did enjoy including oatmeal cookie, pumpkin roll, cola, coffee, elderflower, and French toast moonshine. If you are looking for the original white lightning, you can also get that here. Just be prepared, it is a kick in the pants!

Location of this distillery is perfect. It is located in Pigeon Forge right next to the old Mill restaurant. They even use grain from the Old Mill.   

Old Forge Distillery has a full line of really attractive merchandise. If you want to just come in and have a drink they do have a cocktail bar with a lot of signature cocktails all made with their spirits. You have to come in and try this Distillery. You will not leave here disappointed, it has earned itself a “Must Stop” for us every year going forward!!!

Old Mill Restaurant

The Old Mill Restaurant is another one of those “must stops” we come to Tennessee for every year. I have been coming to this restaurant since I was a young kid. The Old Mill Restaurant is a functioning mill and I encourage you to go and check out the gift shop where you can pickup pancake mix, grits, biscuit mix, etc. all made at the mill. All are excellent!! The mill opened originally in the 1800’s and has a rich history of helping build Pigeon Forge.

There is nothing in this restaurant that is anything less than superb!  I personally love their country fried steak, fried chicken, trout, and pancakes. Honestly, just take a look at the menu and pick something. It will be a large helping and it will not disappoint. You can also get mouthwatering desserts here, made right in house from scratch.

Make sure you get here early and don’t come hungry. I say this because you will have a wait. I cannot think of a time that we have not had to wait at least an hour to eat. No matter what time of day we come to eat there is always a wait. The wait is worth it! Show up and immediately put in your name, then go and check out the general store. Pick up some pancake mix to take home. My favorite is the apple cinnamon pancakes. They are so good!

If you still have time to kill, you can head over to the distillery for a drink. Or you can check out the forge and watch a true artist handmake some knives. There is also plenty of shopping for local handmade pottery and other great gifts to take home with you.

The Old Mill Creamery

Walking over from the Old Mill Restaurant you will come into a small shopping center full of really unique shops. Amon those shops is the Old Mill Creamery. The classic creamery makes all their ice cream the old-fashioned way. They offer great selections of signature flavors in waffle cones, shakes, and sundaes. This is the best place in my opinion to get ice cream in the Smokies. The Old Mill Creamery is delicious and all the ice cream is extra creamy. My personal favorite is the banana pudding. Pair that in a shake or in a waffle cone and you have yourself a dessert that you are not soon to forget.

The Old Mill Candy Kitchen

Once you have some ice cream at the old mill creamery, head next door to the old mill candy kitchen. This candy shop makes their candy in house. It is all your old-fashioned favorites including peanut brittle, fudge, hard candy, caramels, and chocolates. My personal favorite is the handmade taffy. If you get there at the right time, you can watch them make it fresh right in front of you.

They have barrels full of traditional taffy flavors as well as very unique flavors, including moonshine. I literally will make a special trip to this candy kitchen just to get a few pounds of taffy. It makes for a great snack while driving the RV too.

Mel’s Diner

If you are looking for a fantastic American Diner that screams old school Americana, then you need to go and check out Mel’s Diner. Walking into this diner will take you back to a time that is much similar than today. The atmosphere is one of 1950’s muscle cars and motorcycles and it is the perfect place to have a meal. I mean just check out the classic neon sign.

Mel’s Diner is a small classic style diner that serves American food and ice cream. I suggest trying out the Chili burger, with chili cheese fries, and a shake. When you bite into that juicy hand made burger you know that there is high quality in the food served here. The shakes are handmade with real bananas and chocolate syrup. Made the way you would make it at home, but better. If you like to eat a litter later than most, then Mel’s Diner is going to be the place for you. They are open from 7am until midnight. You know as well as I do, food just taste better after 10pm.

Eat, Drink, and Be Happy in the Smokies

These are just a few of my favorite places in the Smokies. All and all anyone can find what they are looking for here. There are plenty of chain restaurants. A lot of small local places. 50’s diners, dinner shows, and country music super star restaurants. All of them are great, but this list highlights my personal favorites. The Smokies are perfect for all members of the family. Come and enjoy a taste of the Smokies, you will not be disappointed.  

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