Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only Ten I See - 03.21.25

Happy Travel Day! As an avid traveler, travel days are always interesting for me. They are filled with excitement, nerves, and tiredness. I have to be highly alert, even at 3 AM, or I might miss my flight. That is how this travel day went, it was a 3 AM wake up, 5 AM car drop off at an offsite airport parking lot, then everyone’s nightmare, an extremely long bag check line. We waited in the Spirit Airlines bag check line for about 30 to 40 minutes, it was as painful as it sounds, and my anxiety was in full gear. The line for security took another 20 minutes and then we hauled it to our gate. We were within the last 20 people to board a full flight. Thankfully, we made it, the flight was fast, and we were in Nashville, Tennessee before Avery, my boyfriend and travel partner, and I knew it. 

After we gathered our luggage, we went to pick up our rental car as the flight was just leg one of our travel day. The second leg was a 4-hour long car drive to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. To fuel this second leg, a Starbucks stop was promptly needed. We got to our hotel, Hilton Garden Inn in Gatlinburg at 2 PM and were unable to check in until 3:30 PM so we took a much-needed nap in the car. Once we were able to check in, the hotel staff gave us an informational sheet about bear safety, which was new to me as I have never stayed anywhere that required this knowledge. Avery and I settled into our home for the weekend and then got ourselves ready for dinner. 

We drove over to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for dinner where we ate at The Old Mill Restaurant. The Old Mill is nearly two centuries old, and it all began when local farmers with sacks of grain traveled to the newly built gristmill along the Little Pigeon River. Those trips to the mill resulted in meal and flour for cooking, socialization, and community building. Today, the Old Mill is one of the oldest continually operating gristmills in the country and one of the most photographed mills in America. Upon check in at The Old Mill Restaurant, we were informed that the wait would be long but in reality, we only waited for 15 minutes. In those 15 minutes, Avery and I walked around, sampled moonshine at the Old Forge Distillery (I tried blackberry and Avery tried coffee), and shopped at The Old Mill General Store. The Old Mill Square was cute and quaint with an old-time feeling atmosphere that was family friendly. There was also The Old Mill Pigeon River Pottery, The Old Mill Candy Kitchen, and The Old Mill Creamery. But, back to the main event, The Old Mill Restaurant. We sat at a table that felt like you were home, in the kitchen, eating a comforting meal made with love. There was a basket of warm hushpuppies on the table, and I adored them. The hushpuppies tasted like donuts, and they were accompanied by butter. For my meal, I ordered the Spicy Broiled Catfish (North Carolina-raised catfish broiled and seasoned with Old Mill Cajun spices and served on a bed of rice) for $24.99. My meal also came with a cup of their signature Corn Chowder, a house side salad, and a baked potato. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the corn chowder, and I liked the little kick that it had. I was served 4 pieces of fish that were really good and had some spice to them. I was served so much food that I was rationing my bites to get to try a little bit of everything, except the baked potato, I completely skipped over that in order to try more of the other delicious foods that I had not had before. Lastly, I ended my meal with the Blackberry Cobbler. I enjoyed eating the sweet berries and jam with the vanilla ice cream. The Old Mill Restaurant was reasonably priced and had efficient service. One thing to note before your visit is that they do not sell alcoholic beverages at the restaurant. Overall, this was an amazing first experience with Southern food and hospitality. I highly recommend this place and if I am ever presented the opportunity to visit again, I would request seats that face the river. 

After a long and exhausting day, Avery and I were knocked. So much so that Avery took a quick nap in the car after our meal before we headed back to Gatlinburg, I can’t blame him, Southern food is no joke.

Stay tuned to hear all about our week down under from the mountains to Music City.