Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland opens at Smokies Stadium on November 11.

Just in time for the Smoky Mountain holiday season, Shadrack Watersports and RV will bring their Christmas Wonderland to Smokies Stadium in Sevierville, Tennessee during the 2012-13 Winterfest Celebration.

The lighting spectacular, which kicks off November 9 and runs through January 6, is one of America’s largest drive-through, fully computerized LED light shows. Hundreds of thousands of lights are included in this perfectly synchronized show filled with holiday tunes done by the Shadrack crew themselves.

Like at other Shadrack Wonderland sites of the past, this will be a drive-through event nearly one mile in length and running approximately 20 minutes. “Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium presented by Shadrack will be a great addition to Sevierville’s Winterfest Celebration this year,” said Amanda Marr, Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Marketing Director. “There are already millions of people who come to our area during Winterfest but having a new attraction like Christmas Wonderland will give those visitors something new and exciting for this year as well.”

New this year is Santa’s Village with a petting zoo, pony and camel rides, photos with Santa, a Christmas tree lot, and festive refreshments including hot cocoa, apple cider, funnel cakes, Christmas cookies, pizza, and kettle corn.

Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland at Smokies Stadium will continue through January 6, 2013. Hours of operation are 6-10 pm daily. Admission is $20 per car (excluding Holidays and Dec. 20-23), $35 per Activity Van / Mini Bus, $75 per tour or school bus. Rates include tax. Proceeds will benefit area charities. For more information, call (423) 652-0120. Located at the Smokies Stadium – 3540 Line Drive – Kodak, TN 37764. www.shadrack.com

Sakura

Chinese Buffet, Sushi Buffet & Hibachi Grill

One question you will hear people when they first move to town is:  “Where is the best Chinese food?” Well, there is certainly one place that tops that list:  Sakura.

Sakura is located right after you make the turn out of Sevierville proper.  This turn puts you on the Parkway in Sevierville and at this point you are headed toward Pigeon Forge.  You don’t have to go very far.  Sakura, is located across the Parkway from the shopping center that contains Outback Steakhouse and Belk.  Go up past the traffic light in front of Popeye’s and then turn back down to Sakura.  Hopefully you brought your appetite and a love for Asian cuisine because you are in for a great meal.

Sakura has basically three different buffets all for one price under one roof:

  • Chinese Buffet – This buffet has all of the typical things that you see at a Chinese buffet.  Sesame chicken, General Sao’s chicken, broccoli beef.. all of the staples and of course somethings that you don’t see everywhere:  stuffed mussels, frog legs, coconut shrimp and at lunch, peanut chicken which, if you haven’t had you need to try.
  • Sushi Buffet – If you love sushi then this is the place for you.  They keep the sushi coming and they make it fresh.  The sushi moves fast enough that you won’t end up with a piece that has been sitting there for a long time.  From the normal rolls like the California Roll to the more complex and the tempura rolls there is sushi to fit every taste and it is all done with flare, style and speed.
  • Hibachi Grill – If you have ever been to a hibachi grill style restaurant but really wished you could pick what they cooked for you, then you have found a new favorite place to eat.  You pick the raw, uncooked ingredients, put it on a plate and hand it to the chef.  The chef then cooks it to your taste, using the right amount of sauce and the right amount of heat to meet your taste.  You are left with an amazing meal that will fill you up and probably have you coming back for seconds or maybe even thirds.
Sakura is a local hangout and sometimes weekly visit for those people that live here that love Asian style food.  For the tourist that is looking for the place where the locals tie on the feed bag, this is the place to end up.  They even have specials during thr week (usually Wednesday and Sunday night) so that you can eat for a little less – of course, the locals know this as well so you can expect a crowd.

Sakura Japanese Buffet
624 Parkway
Sevierville, TN
865-429-2268

Sevierville Visitors Center

What’s going on in Sevierville? Find out at the Sevierville Visitors Center.

What is there to do in Sevierville, Tennessee? Ever wondered, or asked someone that question? There’s an easy answer. Actually there are many answers and they can be found in one place: the Sevierville Visitors Center.

If you’re wondering what to do, who do you ask? New things to do are being scheduled all the time. Stop at the Sevierville Visitor Center located at 3099 Winfield Dunn Parkway just 1.5 miles from I-40 Exit 407 when you arrive in town to find out if there have been any great events scheduled recently or any new attractions that you can add into your trip.

Spend the day visiting exciting attractions and the nights attending spectacular shows. Eat everything from home cooking to exotic dinners at a wide variety of restaurants and shop at the best malls in the Great Smoky Mountains. Relax for a day with a massage and body wrap at one of our full-service spas or say “fore” on the 18th hole at the Sevierville Golf Club. Sevierville even offers outdoor adventures from fishing and hiking to trail riding and whitewater rafting.

While there are always exciting things to see and do in Sevierville, there are also special events that add extra fun to any visit. Stop by the Sevierville Visitors Center on your way into town and find out what’s going on today.

You can also call ahead to 1-888-SEVIERVILLE (738-4378) and speak with an information specialist.

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is a great place for good, southern cooking in the Great Smoky Mountains and Sevierville, TN.

Like most people who come to the Smokies every year, you start to come up with a list of places you want to visit, stops you want to make, etc, when you’re back in the area. As you’re traveling to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, passing through Sevierville, many people make the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant their first stop once they hit town. Over the years, Applewood has become a popular stop for breakfast, lunch and dinner for thousands of people vacationing in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Located in a turn-of-the-last-century farmhouse, you’ll find some of the best Smoky Mountain fare at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.  With the wait staff in period dress, the Applewood staff serves down-home southern cooking, family style, in the traditional way with lots of fixins’ and plenty of flavor.

The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant isn’t tough to locate.  Before you get to the bridge at traffic light #0 in Pigeon forge (this is the city limit) you’ll pass Wendy’s and a Walgreens. That’s right, you didn’t read that wrong, I did say traffic light #0. Take a right on Apple Valley Road directly after Walgreens.  Follow that road and Applewood is the last building in the Applewood complex on the right. It’s a hard place to miss. Just look for the giant white farmhouse with a parking lot full of cars in front of it.

At one time, this was the only road to Gatlinburg. During those days, another farmhouse stood there. Following a fire that burned down the original structure, a six bedroom house was built on the site in 1921.  This 6 room farmhouse still houses the restaurant and has seen a number of additions over the years as the business has grown. Still, you’ll feel like the years haven’t yet passed as the wait staff continue to dress as they would in the early 1900s. It’s pioneer dress throughout the whole restaurant as food and drinks are delivered to each table.

When you’re talking about restaurants, obviously you’re talking about food and Applewood has some of the best home cooking in the Smokies. At the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant it’s a menu full of family favorites. Every meal starts out with a serving of fritters and the Applewood Julep. With a hint of cinnamon and a touch of apple the fritters are a great addition to each and every meal. Each batch is served piping hot and ready to dip in homemade apple butter. The Applewood Julep is a refreshing drink everyone will love. If you’re there for breakfast you’ll find the following: pancakes, waffles, country ham and red eye gravy, and pork chops. Lunch and dinner the choices make the mouth water even more: chicken pot pie, meatloaf, beef liver and onions, fried chicken, pot roast, trout cakes, and much more. Whatever you choose, the offering will leaving you talking about your experience for weeks and months to come.

Next time you’re in the Smokies, make breakfast, lunch, or dinner plans at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. Just picture yourself eating apple fritters and some of your favorite home-cooked foods against the back drop of the Smoky Mountains – it’s the beginnings of a perfect family vacation.

Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant
240 Apple Valley Rd
Sevierville, TN
865-428-1222 option 3
http://www.applewoodfarmhouserestaurant.com

Apple Valley Creamery

The Apple Valley Creamery in Sevierville doesn’t claim to make homemade ice cream, but they will tell you that their ice cream is as close to homemade as you’ll find. For the past 11 years, they’ve been making some of the finest deserts in the Smoky Mountain area and they’ve even doubled up with a great bakery.

The demand for the Creamery’s icy products has steadily increased over the years with the addition of the Apple Barn, Applewood Restaurant, and several other local restaurants continuously depending on the Creamery to provide them with delicious ice cream. Right now, the creamery is producing anywhere from 700 to 1,000 gallons of ice cream per week during the spring summer seasons and offer 40 different varieties of ice cream from Smoky Mountain Fudge to French Vanilla Bean. This not only takes care of their parlor but other restaurants ice cream distributors around the Smokies area.

If you’re looking to start your own little ice cream making venture, the Apple Valley Creamery has the goods to get you started and on your way. They have a great selection of Amish and White Mountain Country freezers from which to purchase.

As for the Apple Valley Creamery’s bakery, they make everything from delicious fresh baked bread to cookies, brownies, and apple cobbler. They make 30,000 loaves of bread per year to compensate for their ever-growing demand, and each loaf is made from scratch with no preservatives or artificial ingredients. A few of their best selling varieties include Apple Cinnamon, Apple Coffee Cake and seasonal favorites like Apple Pumpkin Pecan. Guests can even sample the bread before they buy, just to make sure it’s good. But trust us, it is!

Apple Valley Creamery
230 Apple Valley Road
Sevierville, Tennessee 37862
Phone (865) 429-4113
Fax (865) 774-4286

Joe’s Crab Shack

Earlier this year, Sevierville really ingratiated itself to seafood lovers with the opening of Joe’s Crab Shack at the Tanger Five Oaks outlet mall. The popular seafood palace is located right on parkway and judging by the people flowing the establishment seems to be doing fairly well so far.

It’s no wonder with the seafood offerings at Joes, from steamed crab legs to buckets of shrimp, there’s something for the beach lover in all of us. Looking at the menu, the buckets of crab stand out at first with selections that include snow daddy, lobster feast, dungeness crab, king crab, and the crab daddy feast. In all reality, each is a feast in and of itself. And it’s some of the best crab you’re bound to find in the Smoky Mountains.

Shrimp platters abound along with your choice in fish from mahi-mahi to salmon to blackened tilapia and snapper. Want some of the old steady like crab cakes, steak and shrimp, or even crawfish? Joe’s has all of those too. And there are a few steak and chicken meals as well for those land lovers who want to tag along.

If you’re looking for something to get you started before delving into the big menu, let us suggest the mussels, calamari, or crab stuffed mushrooms. They’re a meal by themselves for some of us.

For those who choose to stop by for lunch, Joe’s has a few sandwiches that are worth noting including the crab cake sandwich and the surf ‘n turf sandwich. Both are served on a brioche bun and are more than a mouthful.

Just because they’re a seafood place, don’t think they don’t have great deserts to go along with your sea-faring meal. Whether it’s the crabby apple crumble, sea turtle sundae, key lime pie, big cheesecake, or chocolate stack attack, you’ll leave Joe’s Crab Shack with a full stomach and a giant smile on your face. Come to Joe’s, grab a drink and feel like you just stepped out of the sand into a great little seafood shack.

Joe’s Crab Shack
1605 Parkway
Sevierville, TN 37862
(865) 774-3023

Sevierville Farmer’s Market at the Co-op

It’s still a little known fact, but some of the best produce and home-grown eats around here can be found at the Sevier County Co-op Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 am till noon. That’s when local farmers and the like get together for the Sevier County Farmer’s Market. And while word has spread about their offerings, it’s still relatively new to most people.

On a given Wednesday or Saturday you’ll find anywhere from 5-10 tents set up in front of cars in the parking lot adjacent to the Co-op. From peaches from the Gist Creek area in the summer to apple products from the Mountain View Orchards in the summer and fall, you’re bound to find something you like. It’s all locally grown and skips the middle man or any processing factory that may spoil the freshness.

The Galyon Family Farm is another proud local farming family whose fruits and vegetables always bring a number of customers to the market. From cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash to peaches and blackberries, their offerings are better than anything you’ll find in the local supermarket. Our farming families offer up their peppers, spices, herbs, and even plants at the farmer’s market. Basically, if you can grow it on a farm, you’ll probably end up seeing it at some point during the year at the Sevier County Farmer’s Market.

During the fall, a favorite are the dried apples sold in small bags. It makes for a great snack and they are oh so good.

Mountain Mist Farms in Pigeon Forge is another local grower you’re bound to see at some point during the year. Their specialty is growing blueberries and blackberries. They’re also a pick your own blueberry and blackberry farm, which means exactly that. You won’t find berries more delicious than the ones grown at Mountain Mist Farms.

 

Sevierville Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving

A number of Sevierville restaurants will maintain operating hours on Thanksgiving Day.

There are plenty of options in and around Sevierville on Thanksgiving day if a big spread at home isn’t to your liking, or you just want to get out of the house for a while. A number of local restaurants will open Thanksgiving Day in Sevierville, some taking reservations for parties larger than your normal dining crowd. Here is a list of local establishments and their operating hours Thursday, November 22:

  • Applewood Grill (865) 429-8644 Reservations Only
  • Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant (865) 428-1222
  • Big Daddy’s Pizzeria (865) 908-1123 11AM-9PM
  • Bistro 109
  • Corky’s (865) 453-7427/436-8972 11AM-Close
  • Damon’s Grill (865) 428-5297 11AM-6PM
  • Flapjack’s – Sevierville (865) 774-5374 7AM-Noon, Hwy 66 (865) 932-3598, Pigeon Forge (865) 908-6115, Gatlinburg (865) 430-3966, Gatlinburg (865) 436-2387, Gatlinburg (865) 436-6473
  • Golden Corral – Sevierville (865) 453-8859 11AM-7PM, Pigeon Forge (865) 453-1827
  • Happy Jack’s BBQ (865) 365-1511 9AM-Noon
  • IHOP (865) 429-3925 6AM-2PM
  • Mr. Gatti’s (865) 428-8817 4PM-10PM
  • Shoney’s ( 865) 690-6331
  • TGI Friday’s – Sevierville (865) 774-8004 4-10PM, Pigeon Forge (865) 453-1750, Gatlinburg (865) 436-8443
  • The Diner (865) 908-1904 11:30AM-5PM
  • The Farmer’s Table (865) 453-5519
  • The Roaming Gnome Pub (865) 774-3336

If you’re looking for a place to stay in Sevierville over the Thanksgiving holiday, check out our listing of luxury Sevierville cabins. Sevierville is also a great place for local festivals and events, whether it be Winterfest or the annual Christmas Parade, we’ve got the dates and times here. Also, check out the latest Pigeon Forge Calendar of Events for fun things happening just down the Parkway.

Sevierville’s Hottest Shopping Destinations Offer After Thanksgiving Sales Aplenty!

If you’re looking for great deals, numerous Sevierville locations will be holding After Thanksgiving Day sales beginning as early as 12:01 am Friday morning.

Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Sevierville, TN, has quickly become known as a shopping destination that offers a wide range of merchandise and price points from outlet center deals to one-of-a-kind art and quality antiques. This Thanksgiving, some of Sevierville’s most popular shopping destinations are offering Thanksgiving and After-Thanksgiving sales, making this a great time to visit.

Tanger Five Oaks Factory Outlet Center, in Sevierville, is changing it up a bit this year with sales starting at 10 pm Thanksgiving night, Thursday November 22. All the stores at Tanger Five Oaks will also offer Black Friday specials until 10pm on Friday with sales and specials running through the weekend. Check out all the Moonlight Madness specials going on at Tanger Outlet here.

As an added bonus, beginning at 10pm on Thursday November 22, the first 250 people to visit the Customer Information Center at Tanger Five Oaks Outlet Center will receive a $10 gift card compliments of Chase Freedom. Another giveaway will happen at 2am at the Customer Information Center.

Another popular Sevierville shopping destination, Smoky Mountain Knife Works, will open its doors at 7am on Friday morning, with great deals on knives, kitchen accessories and bakeware. Their Black Friday sale runs Nov. 23 through Dec. 12. www.eknifeworks.com

Bass Pro Outdoor World’s five hour sale, from 6-11am on Friday morning, will also offer lots of great specials. www.basspro.com

Sevierville, Tennessee, is conveniently located just off Interstate 40 Exit 407 in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Within a day’s drive of over half the nation’s population, Sevierville is annually visited by millions of people who enjoy the shopping, attractions, restaurants and shows this quaint town has to offer.

Rose Glen Historic Site

Rose Glen is on the Register of Historic Places in Sevier County.  Located just outside of Sevierville, this home has been called the most significant antebellum structure in Sevier County.  A former plantation this once working farm now gives you an idea of the living and working conditions in Sevier County before the 1860s.  This house was once part of the Bush Farm and after many years it became one of the most valued farms and plantations in Sevier County.

Rose Glen was the home of Robert Hodsden and his second wife, Mary Brabson-Shields.  At this point, Mary’s father built the home – which became known as Rose Glenn – and the couple started to expand the land around Rose Glen and turn it into a profitable farm.  In 1860, it is known that Rose Glen – the plantation – was made up of 2,377 acres.  They were a farm and ranch.  They had hundreds of animals living on the farm and they produced tons of hay, butter, wool and many more crops each year.  These crops were sold to people in Knoxville and the surrounding communities.

Rose Glen is known not only for the fact that it was a huge plantation and a huge piece of the East Tennessee economy during the mid-19th century but it also is known for the architecture and design of the home itself.  This Greek Revival structure has a two story central block with one story wings.  The opulence of the house is a testament to the wealth that the people that ran the home brought to the area.  The two-story central block has a porch at the front and the back.  The house was large for the area but not as sprawling as plantation homes in the deep south.  Still, this home boasted three cellars and outbuildings, including a loom house and an office for former doctor and now owner Robert Hodsden.

Though Rose Glen is not open to the public, it is easy to find.  In Sevierville, get on Dolly Parton Parkway and head toward Newport.  About 4 miles outside of town you will come to Pittman Center Road.  Take a right on Pittman Center and find the campus of Walter State Community College.  Right across from the campus you will see a fence enclosed property.  The home is in a slight state of disrepair but you can still see what it once looked like.  Take some pictures and get an idea of the past in Sevier County.  Look at the countryside as it looks now and see what it might have looked like in days past.