Pigeon Forge or Bust

I was going to title this Dolly World or Bust but that would have been redundant.

It going to be a sunny day and we're wearing shorts again so it must be road trip time, we thought that we would drive down to Pigeon Forge and see how things have changed since that last time we were there. That was before Dolly World or anything else was built here, the last time we drove through there the only thing was the old mill and the Pigeon Forge Pottery Company and nothing else.

But first we found a nice little restaurant just down the road from the campground, Amber's (½ mile east of I-75 at exit 117) breakfast special 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, two biscuits with either a bowl of grits or sausage gravy for $2.99. After the repair bills on the car we need a little bargain now and then, plus the food was great, and now back on the road.

Well as soon as we got off of I-40 we discovered that things have definitely changed, we drove through all the tourist traps and figured that we would just go down to the old mill, walk around take a few pictures and check out the Pottery Company. We never found the old mill it must have been hidden behind one of the outlet malls or bungee jumping towers or may be the three level go cart track, where every they hid it they did a good job. We drove south until we hit the National Park and decided to turn around and take the first road we saw heading west and worry about where it took us later. Five minutes later we're away from traffic and and heading through the foothills, Cathy punched Maryville into the GPS and we're on our way.

When we were in Texas last winter we both became big, I mean huge, really monstrous fans of Sam Houston, The Sam Houston School house is near here so that is now our quest.

The school house was built two years before Tennessee gained statehood and when Sam was 18, in 1812 he took a job as a teacher here. The schoolhouse has been restored on its original location, it's a typical one room school but they have a very nice little museum with so unique artifacts worth seeing






After restoration and Before







Original desk that Houston studied law at in his home.



Brass Knuckles found during the restoration, notice Sam Houston scratched in them.



Houston's First wife a long mysterious story behind that marriage.



One log was left out on each side to provide light and ventilation, these were able to be blocked in the winter.






We got back on the road leading to Knoxville but Cathy spotted one of those brown signs that read, “Home of John Sevier – First Governor of Tennessee” next exit, guess where we went.


Marble Springs was John Sevier's plantation and where he lived when the state legislature was not in session. There are about five building here that have be restored on their original foundations.

Back through Knoxville and on the road home but just to make it a really great day we made a stop at Five Guys Burger and Fry's for a late lunch.