Almost everyone we talked to about Tennessee – “You MUST go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!”
My mom – “I MUST go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!”
Us – “I guess we MUST go to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge since it has the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America!”
Hmmm… The reality was somewhat of a let down.
Pigeon Forge? We didn’t even stop until the way back to grab some BBQ at Bennett’s Pit BBQ.
Gatlinburg? Cuter than Pigeon Forge, but still very touristy.
The SkyBridge? A huge line for what appeared to be much less beautiful or spectacular than we were expecting. Apparently parts of it are still under construction at the top so maybe it’ll be more fun eventually, but I’m not holding out much hope when you can do cool bridges for free in Virginia and West Virginia.
As we stood by the road trying to decide what to do since we’d driven over an hour to get there, I looked up and said “Well, at least let’s do some tastings”. There’s moonshine right here and wine down the road. That, it turned out, was our best decision of the day. It completely redeemed the trip to Gatlinburg for us and you’re about to find out why.
Sugarlands Distilling Company is right in the center of Gatlinburg’s main stretch and when you walk in it’s open, but has a rustic, homey feel. You can just shop, head back to the bar for a cocktail or for only $5 per person you can do a moonshine tasting of 12 different moonshines. In case you haven’t guessed yet – do that moonshine tasting.
We waited until the next group tasting was about to begin and made our way to the center of the room. Annie was our guide for the tasting and she was a hoot! Honestly, that’s really the best way to describe your entire experience at Sugarlands. Here’s a “taste” (pun intended) of what you can expect from your tasting. Language alert – they like to say sh*t a lot at Sugarlands.
Each and every moonshine was smooth. You’d never know you were drinking moonshine if you didn’t see the label. The flavors on the tastings rotate every day through their large selection of moonshines, but you can try any of them in the back at the cocktail bar for an additional $5 for 5. I even enjoyed moonshines that were flavors I don’t care for like coffee and root beer.
After our tasting we headed to the back to enjoy a few more of the flavors not on offer that day (like Blueberry Muffin) and mom ordered a hot apple cider with cinnamon moonshine in it. We tried a drink called the Patti’s Wild Mayhaw (which I thought was a Patti’s Wild MAYHEM!) in honor of our friend Pattycakes who came to Bridge Day with us.
The entire experience and staff were terrific. We laughed ’til we could barely stand and that wasn’t just the moonshine hitting us, although it did make the rest of Gatlinburg a lot more fun! Your tasting “Over 21” bracelet turns into $5 off at the gift shop and you can stack your bracelets. We also used a coupon from the local guide book to get a free shot glass. So our $25 jar of cinnamon moonshine came to $10 with a free shot glass! Please note: Mom and I partied harder since we weren’t driving. Stephen and my stepdad were sober for anytime we were on the road.
Annie suggested a spot down the street for a snack. Maypops offers turkey legs, street tacos and corn dogs. We each grabbed a snack and it was delicious. With our moonshine kicking in, Mom and I posed for some quintessential Gatlinburg tourist photos as well.
With our Gatlinburg adventure vastly improved, we walked (read: stumbled gracefully) down to Gatlinburg Wine Cellars where Abigail helped us try their Cotton Candy Wine. We ended up with a bottle of it – it was so delicious and drinkable. We saved that for another day.
We also wandered into one of our favorite places… The Pepper Palace. You may remember it as one of our first experiences on the road trip in South Carolina. Our photo actually ended up on display in the Pepper Palace in Williamsburg, VA and a friend saw it there and told us about it! It felt like a bit of a mistake to try a bunch of different hot sauces after moonshine, tacos and wine but we’re nothing if not adventurous.
Here we are trying Nasal Napalm (spicy horseradish) with my mom who was surprisingly unaffected.
With Gatlinburg saved, we headed into the hills beyond to see some of the artisan crafters and then made our way back to Knoxville via Bennett’s Pit BBQ in Pigeon Forge which we’d recommend because it was tasty.
Controversial opinion but honestly, if you don’t make it to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge I’m not certain you’ve missed out, but if for no other reason than to go to Sugarlands Distilling Company for a tasting, it’s worth the stop.
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