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There are no restaurants on national park property, but if you're staying in Gatlinburg , or just passing through, here are a few options. Rustic log and stone construction, taxidermy specimens and servers dressed as park rangers lend to the lodge-style ambience of The Park Grill , within walking distance of the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A large salad bar features more than 40 items; entrées range from barbecue ribs and pan-fried rainbow trout to chicken marinated in moonshine and citrus juices. A piano player provides evening entertainment.
With its festive décor, No Way Jose's Cantina will make you feel like you're in Mexico, even while you're sitting on the covered patio beside the Little Pigeon River, with the Smoky Mountains for a backdrop. Ample portions of chimichangas, burritos and fajitas go well with the potent margaritas.
Flapjacks any way you like them are available all day long at Pancake Pantry, but the menu also includes traditional breakfast items and a selection of soups and salads. Don't get discouraged by the usual long line—the staff at this bustling chalet-style pancake house knows how to keep things moving.
Restaurants are almost as plentiful in Pigeon Forge as the multitude of attractions, theaters and outlet shops. You haven't tasted Tennessee country-style cuisine until you've been to The Old Mill Restaurant , on the banks of the Little Pigeon River next to a historic gristmill in Old Mill Square. The mill has operated since the early 1800s and produces flour, grits, cornmeal and other ingredients used at the restaurant. Southern-fried meats, fish and poultry are menu favorites, along with farm-fresh vegetables, scratch biscuits and scrumptious desserts. The Old Mill Pottery House Café and Grille offers lighter fare—soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts. Handcrafted pottery from local artisans serves as dinnerware and decorative accents.
As the name implies, Bullfish Grill is all about surf and turf. Expect hearty portions of fresh, flavorful meat and fish entrées in a contemporary steakhouse with high ceilings and spacious booths. Socialize over drinks or enjoy dining-room fare at the bar.
As you make your way north along Parkway through Pigeon Forge, you'll be in Sevierville before you know it. Here, in an expanded 1921 farmhouse with a wraparound porch and wooden rocking chairs, Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant serves old-fashioned comfort food like chicken and dumplings, country-fried steak and homemade vegetable soup. The property was originally a cattle and tobacco farm, later converted to an apple orchard.
Salty Dog's Seafood & Grill is an informal family-operated restaurant specializing in fried and grilled seafood. Don't be surprised—or offended—if your soup or salad comes out from the kitchen in a dog dish. Eclectic, humorous décor includes a gallery of snapshots and a ceiling covered with children's artwork, business cards and vacation memorabilia.
Bryson City , N.C., is a popular village with white-water rafters and passengers of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad . Open since 1924, the dining room at the historic Fryemont Inn has guests who return year after year. The mountain views from the porch are breathtaking, and a large hearth adds warmth to the restaurant and fireside bar.
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