Felice and Boudleaux Bryant were legendary songwriters, responsible for multiple hit songs in multiple genres. But it wasn’t always easy. Like many songwriters, they struggled in their early years, writing and attempting to sell dozens of songs while living in a mobile home. Then in 1948, the song “Country Boy,” which was recorded by Little…
A new attraction has opened up right down the street from the Historic Gatlinburg Inn, and if you grew up in the 80’s (like the author of this review) then you are going to LOVE this place! It’s called the Red Rocket Retro Arcade. This place is exactly what you would expect from its name:…
Recently I had lunch at Ole Red, a restaurant and live music venue in Gatlinburg owned by country music superstar Blake Shelton. The place has a tremendous atmosphere, and it looks like Blake’s designers did a fantastic job blending high end with red neck (ala, a vintage International Harvester tractor suspended upside down from the…
We have begun the task of digitizing some of the photos in our archives. We think it is absolutely fascinating to look back at old photos like these, especially if you compare them to what Gatlinburg looks like today. You could say the town has changed a little bit! While we’re at it, we are…
Jerome (Jerry) Lederer (1901-1963) was a former guest of the Historic Gatlinburg Inn. Kentuckian Lederer entered the restaurant business in Shelbyville, Kentucky in 1929. He established a chain of hamburger stands under the name White Tavern (inspired by the chain known as White Castle). World War II wiped out 10 of his 13 restaurants, however,…
Looking for something different for dinner on your stay in Gatlinburg? Then let me tell you about the Greenbrier Restaurant. The name of the restaurant derives from the Greenbrier area of the Smoky Mountains. It sits on a ridge overlooking a steep slope of thick, green forest. You get a great look at that beautiful…
Floyd Crosby checked into the Inn on June 6, 1942. Crosby was a renowned cinematographer. He had begun his career at the New York Stock Exchange, but in 1927 he left to do film work on an expedition, which launched a multi-decade career in the film industry. When he checked into the Inn in 1942,…
Recently I stopped in at Puckers Sports Grill, located at 745 Parkway in Gatlinburg. The astute observer will make note that that is literally right next door to the Historic Gatlinburg Inn parking lot. If you walk out of our front door to Parkway and look to your left, there it is, nestled neatly into…
In the video below, recorded in Gatlinburg on June June 13, 2019, you can see bluegrass band Kenny Stinson and Perfect Tym’m perform in the Ole Smoky Moonshine alley.
The city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee has quite an interesting history. Here is an abbreviated discussion of how we got where we are. The Ogle Family The Oglesby family were the first individuals to settle the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. The family moved from South Carolina in the 1800’s and would later change their name to…
