John Sevier

Outside of Dolly Parton, you have to go back quite a ways to find the next most well-known Sevier County native. It isn’t too hard though as his name is found on most official documents and the county and town bear it as well: John Sevier.

Born on September 23, 1745, John Sevier lived until September 24, 1815 and was an American soldier, frontiersman and politician, and is considered one of the founding fathers of the state of Tennessee. He played a leading role, both militarily and politically, in Tennessee’s pre-statehood period, and was elected the state’s first governor in 1796. Sevier served as a colonel in the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780, and commanded the frontier militia in dozens of battles against the Cherokee and Chickamaugas in the 1780s and 1790s.

Sevier arrived on the Tennessee Valley frontier in the 1770s. In 1776, he was elected one of five magistrates of the Watauga Association and helped defend Fort Watauga against an assault by the Cherokee. At the outbreak of the War for American Independence, he was chosen as a member of the Committee of Safety for the association’s successor, the Washington District. Following the Battle of Kings Mountain, he led an invasion that destroyed several Chickamauga towns in northern Georgia. In the 1780s, Sevier served as the only governor of the State of Franklin, an early, unsuccessful, attempt at statehood by the trans-Appalachian settlers. He was brigadier general of the Southwest Territory militia during the early 1790s.

Sevier served six two-year terms as Tennessee’s governor, from 1796 until 1801, and from 1803 to 1809, with term limits preventing a fourth consecutive term in both instances. His political career was marked by a growing rivalry with rising politician Andrew Jackson, which nearly culminated in a duel in 1803. After his last term as governor, Sevier served two terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1811 until his death in 1815.

Sevierville Auto Dealers

So you’ve decided that it’s time to purchase a new car. Possibly even a brand new car. Well, if you live in Sevierville, there’s no shortage American-made, as well as foreign new and used automobile dealerships in the Sevierville area. Each of these dealerships and their associates will be more than happy to help assist you in finding that new car you’ll love to drive and show off to your friends.

What’s more exciting than a brand new ride? All of these dealerships have a quick turn around – bring in your car, let them check it out and they’ll tell you how much they can offer in trade. Or, if you’re just looking at buying something straight up, they’ll be at the door as soon as you pull into the lot. Take what you like for a test drive and try it out on the road before buying. Then come back and get their best price on a new or used car. You’re the customer, so these dealerships are going to work for youand try to earn your business by offering you their best price. Hey, if you have to go back and forth a few times, don’t worry. A new car at the price you want is worth a few more minutes.

What about service? Most of the larger dealerships also have their own service department. So, say you need an oil change. Just bring it back to the dealership, drop it off and pick it back up in an hour or so. Most times, you can get things like an oil change done over your lunch break. Although, if it’s engine work or something major, they may have to keep the car overnight. Not to worry, many offer loaner cars so as not to inconvenience their customers.

Auto dealers in Sevierville, TN:

Larry Hill Pontiac-GMC
1040 Dolly Parton Pkwy
Sevierville, TN, 37862
Phone: (865) 453-4651

McNelly-Whaley Motor Company
750 Dolly Parton Pkwy
Sevierville, TN, 37862
Phone: (865) 453-2833

Volunteer Chevrolet
Highway 66
Sevierville, TN, 37862
Phone: (865) 428-6655

D and R Auto Sales
709 Old Knoxville Hwy
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 453-7988

P F Auto Sales
1579 Ridge Rd
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 774-3148

Allen Auto Sales
2814 New Center Dr
Sevierville, TN 37876
(865) 428-8175

Parkway Motors
2364 Pittman Center Rd
Sevierville, TN 37876
(865) 453-0727

Thomas Chrysler Dodge Jeep
325 W Main St
Sevierville, TN 37862
(423) 562-3210

Drive 4 Less Auto
1472 Catlettsburg Rd
Sevierville, TN 37876
(865) 366-7150

Perrys Auto
1137 S Fork Dr
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 908-0805

Lmn Motors
632 W Main St
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 908-8898

Sunset Auto Sales
602 Dolly Parton Pkwy
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 428-5281

Think we’ve missed some? Let us know in the comments section below if we’ve left you out or know of a new business getting ready to come to Sevierville.

Sevierville Trolley Info

Want to have some fun on your Sevierville vacation without having to worry about driving, or trying to find a parking spot in town? Take a trolley!

Sevierville trolleys run from 8:30am until 12 midnight from early March through October. During November and December trolleys run daily 10am – 10pm with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, on which they do not operate.

So where can you pick up a trolley? Some of the more convenient and popular trolley stops are located at Governor’s Crossing, the Sevierville Events Center, River Place Shopping Center, Sevierville Municipal Complex, Sevier County Courthouse, Wal-Mart, Tanger Five Oaks Factory Outlet Center and the Apple Barn as well as several other spots along the Parkway.

The city of Sevierville currently offers two trolley routes (North Parkway Route and Court House Route), which originate at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge and extend into Sevierville. The routes currently operate from 10am – 10pm, 7 days a week (fall schedule). Trolleys will be scheduled to operate at approximate intervals of 30 minutes. Heavy traffic and rider numbers may affect this schedule.

Each trolley stop location will be marked with a sign (including a black bear at the top) and route map. 

NORTH PARKWAY ROUTE stops in Sevierville are as follows:

  • Wal Mart (1414 Parkway)
  • Oak Tree Lodge (1620 Parkway)
  • Apple Barn (230 Apple Valley Road)
  • McDonalds (1831 Parkway)
  • Tanger Five Oaks (Between Chop House and Conner’s Restaurant)
  • Nascar Speedpark (1545 Parkway, Near Entrance To Mini Golf)
  • Books-A-Million (In Governor’s Crossing)
  • BB&T Bank (Collier Drive in Governor’s Crossing)
  • Fairfield Resorts (320 Collier Drive at end of Governor’s Crossing)
  • Governor’s Palace (179 Collier Drive in Governor’s Crossing)

 

COURTHOUSE ROUTE stops in Sevierville are as follows:

NORTHBOUND:

 

SOUTHBOUND:

  • K-Mart Shopping Center
  • Landmark Inn/Riverview Inn
  • River Place Shopping Center
  • Parkway at South Blvd. Way
  • Wal Mart Supercenter
  • Tanger Five Oaks (Between Chop House and Conner’s Restaurant)

The trolley fare is $0.50/person. Trolley drivers will accept exact fare only.

For additional trolley service information (including maps), please call Pigeon Forge Fun Time Trolley at 865-453-6444 or click here to link to the Fun Time Trolley website.

A Sevierville Valentine’s

People come to Sevierville to celebrate all kinds of occasions from holidays to family reunions, to even romance. For the month of February, and Valentine’s Day in particular, Sevierville is the place to be for you and your special someone.

Women love chocolate, and in Sevierville there is plenty to be found. We’re talking about specialty chocolate here. Businesses like The Chocolate Ladies is a local, custom chocolate business owned and operated by Rita and Susan Key.

“If you’re looking for a unique gift, you can order our fresh, hand-dipped chocolate strawberries,” Rita Key said. “We get our biggest, most flavorful berries from Florida and the price we pay to get them depends on the weather and the available crop each year. We’ll have the berries available in half-dozen (in a red tin) or a dozen in a glossy box. Prices will likely range between $12 and $20, depending on how many you order.”

The Chocolate Ladies business has over 2,000 different molds in which they can prepare their homemade chocolates. It’s almost like a different style chocolate for each order. Those interested in sending some of their specialty chocolate for Valentine’s Day can visit their web site at www.thechocolateladies.com to view some of their delicious work. With as much chocolate as they can whip up, you’re likely to be eating their treats well after Valentine’s Day has come and gone.

Nothing says romance than a cozy fire overlooking the Smokies in a luxurious Sevierville cabin rental. Places like Sugar Maple Cabins and Majestic Mountain Vacations offer romantic Valentine’s cabins with everything from stone fireplaces to heart-shaped jacuzzis.

Sevierville cabin rental companies like Sugar Maple Cabins and Majestic Mountain Vacations have been the setting for many a romantic Smoky Mountain getaway, especially for couples searching for that perfect Valentine’s Day cabin nestled on a ridge overlooked the stars and the national park.

Visit www.sugarmaplecabins.com or www.majesticmountainvacations.com to make your reservation.

What says romance more than a candlelit meal for two? How bout a little ’60s fun to go along with it? Consider THE DINER’s annual Valentine’s Dinner on February 14 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Their special menu includes wild-caught fresh Atlantic salmon, prime rib, ribeye steak or beef tips and special shared Valentine desserts for $39 per couple. Enjoy a booth or table with the lights dimmed, Elvis’ Love Me Tender on the jukebox, plus all the ladies receive their own flowers. For reservations, call 865-908-1904 or visit www.thediner.biz.

If that’s not enough, how about a tour of the Rocky Top Wine Trail. The Rocky Top Wine Trail takes it’s passengers on a tour of local wineries where they can enjoy a free tasting of award-winning wines at each stop. Once you finish the trail and get your “passport” stamped, you can receive a free wine glass marking the occasion.

Start off at any of the trail locales: Mountain Valley Winery (Traffic Light No. 1 in Pigeon Forge) , Apple Barn Winery (Traffic Light 12.6 in Sevierville), or Hillside Winery (Collier Drive in Sevierville). (Though not on the trail, you can also visit Sugarland Cellars in Gatlinburg and Eagle Springs Winery at Exit 407.)

Where you start and where you end up are all up to you. Visit www.rockytopwineries.com.

Fuel Cost in Sevierville

When planning a trip to Sevierville and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are a lot of things to consider. Where are you going to stay? What do you need to pack? And especially, how much is it going to cost to get there?

Over the past 5-6 years gas prices have been all over the map and it’s no different in Sevierville, TN. Currently, gas prices for regular unleaded are just over $3.00 a gallon. Within the past year they’ve fluctuated from just over $2 to near $4 a gallon. And prices seem to go higher the closer it gets to peak travel/vacation season.

A recent sampling of area service stations indicated that there were 14 regular gas price reports in the past 5 days in Sevierville, TN. The average regular gas price in Sevierville, TN was $3.25, which is $0.21 lower than U.S. national average Regular gas price $3.46. The lowest regular gas price was reportedly $3.18 at CITGO, 2060 Pittman Center Rd, Sevierville, TN 37876. Meanwhile, the highest regular gas price was $3.30 at Exxon, 2720 Newport Hwy, Sevierville, TN 37876.

Either way, getting to Sevierville costs less than you may think. The AAA Fuel Cost Calculator is a great tool you can use to estimate the fuel cost of your trip to the Smokies. The calculator  combines regional gasoline averages along with your vehicle’s make, year and model to provide the best possible estimate.

Regional Gas Prices
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Waffle House in Sevierville? Quite Possibly.

Between Flapjacks, Log Cabin Pancake House, IHOP, and even Cracker Barrel, it would seem Sevierville has it covered when it comes to popular breakfast joints. Not so fast though. For that select crowd that considers breakfast a delicacy, there’s one place that seems to be missing: Waffle House.

But for how much longer? Not much it seems after a recent meeting of the Sevierville Regional Planning Commission who tossed around the idea of bringing the popular breakfast chain to the county seat. Apparently the spot picked out would be located right on Winfield Dunn Parkway.

The Waffle House restaurant would be in the lot just south of the Murphy Express gas station according to members.

Besides waffles, the Waffle House establishment is known for their coffee and world famous hash browns. It’s a popular spot no matter what time of day for people traveling in and out of town, or just people looking to grab a quick bite to eat on break during the day.

As mentioned, while there are many pancake restaurants in Sevierville, as well as Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, but there is no Waffle House.

Waffle House was founded in 1955 and is based out of Norcross, Ga. The company operates more than 1,500 restaurants in the United States.

Sevierville Bistro 109 to Expand

A favorite Sevierville restaurant looks to be expanding to other Smoky Mountain towns. Bistro 109, located just off courthouse square in downtown Sevierville, is opening up at another location, this time in Maryville, Tn. According to the current owner, Dustin Trent Manning, the new locale with be part restaurant, part floral/design shop.

The former Tomato Head restaurant in downtown Maryville is marked for the new Bistro 109. Plans are for an early April opening if their state liquor license goes through. If not, then later in the summer.

The decision to open up a new place came about because of the number of Maryville customers Manning sees at both of his places, not just the restaurant.

“We have been delivering floral arrangements there (Maryville) for the last 5 years,” he said.

He also operates a design office in downtown Sevierville on Court Avenue. The restaurant and floral design shop first opened in that locations right across the street from the courthouse.

The old Tomato Head building in Maryville has 4,800 square feet to operate in and will have seating for about 150 people, both inside and outside on the patio. He said plans are for the new restaurant to employ around 40 people.

As far as the menu goes, it will be primarily the same one that people have ordered from at Bistro 109 in Sevierville, but there will be an espresso bar to order from.

New plans also call for a wine bar at the Maryville, TN locale. There will be a number of local as well as international wines to choose from. Currently, Bistro 109 in Sevierville offers 40-50 types of wine from vintage to recently bottles from locations around the world.

The interior of the Maryville store will have the same upscale ambiance as the Sevierville restaurant.

There will be a live pianist every night. “We’re looking at a baby grand at this time,” Manning said.

New Downtown Parking Lot Approved

People driving around trying to find parking downtown will have an easier time following a decision by the Sevierville Planning Commision to build a new downtown parking lot.

The lot will face Bruce Street between Court Avenue and Parkway. Its design, which was approved by the city’s Public Building Authority in December, features 77 parking spaces, as well as a landscaped area featuring a brand new gazebo.

The topic was brought about recently as the city and the Public Building Authority debated remodeling the Bruce Street at Court Avenue parking lot.

The PBA actually went ahead an approved the design as presented with the idea of encouraging more downtown weddings and so forth. In recent years, the parking lot has been used for large events like the Bloomin’ Bar-be-Que and Bluegrass festival, but that’s primarily it.

Plans call for the lot’s availability, if the city proceeds, to be scheduled for May 1, which is 16 days before the 2013 Bloomin’ BBQ & Bluegrass festival.

Construction could run anywhere between $334,000 and $342,000.

Following the city’s Bloomin’ Barbecue & Bluegrass festival, the lot will receive finishing touches including a top coat of pavement, striping and landscaping.

Speaking of the Bloomin’ BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, the town’s 9th annual festival dedicated to all thing BBQ and bluegrass is coming up quick. It is a family oriented event marking the oncoming of Spring in the Smoky Mountains, championship barbeque and world class bluegrass music. Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass takes place each year during Smoky Mountain Springfest in historic downtown Sevierville, Tennessee. The Barbeque Cook-Off is an official barbeque championship of the state of Tennessee and is coordinated by the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.

During the meeting, it was reiterated that the lot would serve as the site for the town’s Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass festival, which the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce annually stages in May.

Dolly Parton

Sevier County’s favorite daughter Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Locust Ridge, Tennessee, just outside of Sevierville in the Smoky Mountains.

One of 12 children, she moved to Nashville to pursue music following high school and has won numerous Country Music Awards, Grammys and starred in hit films like “9 to 5,” and “Steel Magnolias” in the years since. In 1985, Parton opened her Dollywood theme park in Pigeon Forge and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

Born Dolly Rebecca Parton, she grew up in a poor family and made up songs to escape every day struggles. Her talent showed as by the time she turned 11, she was already singing on local radio stations.

Parton launched her solo career in 1967, and though she partnered with Porter Wagoner for his television show from 1967-1975, she remained primarily a solo act. (It was for Wagoner that Parton dedicated the ever-popular “I Will Always Love You.”) She won the Country Music Award for female vocalist in 1975 and 1976.

In 1987, she recorded Trio with Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. In 1993, she put out another collaboration with Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette titled Honky Tonk Angels. In 1999, she returned to acoustics with The Grass Is Blue, which won a Grammy for best bluegrass album. Parton was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000.

In addition to music, Parton also became interested in acting, starring in 1980’s 9 to 5, 1982’s Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and 1989’s Steel Magnolias. She also opened the Dollywood theme park in 1985, which continues to be one of the South’s most popular vacation destinations. Parton is married to Carl Dean, who runs an asphalt-paving business. They married in 1966.

Parton launched Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in 1996 to benefit children living in Sevier County. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month. By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, she wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.

Dolly’s Imagination Library became so popular that in the year 2000 she announced that she would make the program available for replication to any community that was willing to partner with her to support it locally. Since the initial program launch in the United States, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gone from just a few dozen books to nearly 40,000,000 books mailed to children in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

City of Sevierville

Situated at the footsteps of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevierville is a thriving East Tennessee city and the county seat of Sevier County. Its downtown county courthouse can be seen as you drive south into town along Winfield Dunn Parkway or east coming into town via Chapman Highway.

Sevierville itself is named after John Sevier, a frontiersman and politician who served under George Washington during the American Revolution. Sevier was also Tennessee’s first governor and served terms from 1796 to 1801 and again from 1803-09. He was also a state senator from 1809-11 and a member of the United States House of Representatives in 1811.

Today, Sevierville, along with Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, make up a tourism triangle in the Smokies that is unlike any in the South. Sevierville and its neighbors can point a great deal of its success to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its 10 million or so yearly visitors that are lured in by the promise of the park’s majestic beauty.

The city of Sevierville is headed up by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which meet  the first first and third Mondays of each month at the Sevierville Civic Center. Current members of the Sevierville Board of Mayor and Aldermen include Sevierville Mayor Bryan C. Atchley, Vice-Mayor Devin Koester, Alderman Wayne Helton, Alderman Dale Carr, Alderwoman Maxine Ownby, and Alderman Travis McCroskey.

Town boards and committees are appointed by the BMA and include the Beer Board, Board of Adjustments & Appeals, Board of Public Utilities (Power Board), Board of Zoning Appeals, Citizen Advisory, Committee/HRO, Golf Course Advisory Committee, Industrial Development Board, Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, Public Building Authority, Sevierville Housing Authority, Sevierville Convention Center, Sevierville Regional Planning Commission, Transportation Board, and the Trees/Trails & Beautification Board.

The town administration is headed up by City Manager Russell Treadway who oversees all city departments and implements policy set by the BMA. He also directly oversees the human resource and risk management offices.

The city of Sevierville Police Department is guided by Chief Don Meyers. Chief Meyers and the department show a roster of 58 full-time officers, 15 support staff and 12 reserve officers. They provides 24-hour police protection to all areas of the city.

Sevierville City Hall
120 Gary Wade Blvd.
Sevierville, TN 37862
Phone: 865.453.5504
Fax: 865.453.5518