Wonder Works Pigeon Forge

 

Wonder Works, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at 100 Music Road, Pigeon Forge, TN, 37763. 

Do you see the parking lot? It looks packed, only a few parking spaces available. I wondered why! I mean I have driven by this establishment maybe one hundred times and never did it dawn on me pull in, park my car, and see what wonders the attraction had to offer. 

(Side note. I will be there in early November, and I will take the tour. A report with plenty of photos will follow.)

Anyway, as you look at the building, you immediately notice that it is upside down. The entrance is in the center of the bottom. 

Inside the Wonder Works, it offers hundreds of exhibits, plus laser tag, a rope course, and a 4D motion ride. I have to believe the exhibit is well planned and entertaining. 

However, there is one exhibit I was told about inside the building. It is attached to the RMS Titanic disaster sinking from 1912. Of course, the exhibit had photos of the Titanic ship, both inside and outside. But one part of the exhibit, there is a vat of water. The inscription simply read, inside this vase, this is the temperature of the ocean water the night the Titanic sunk after ramming into an iceberg. A sign states that the water temperature that night was 28 degrees. It also dares you to put your hand in the water to see how long you can keep it under the cold water.

Las Vegas Luxor also has a Titanic exhibit with the Big Piece of the ship that they raised. It also has the cold water exhibit with eh cold water. And, I did put my hand in the water. My hand lasted just about ten seconds. I pulled my hand out and rubbed it to warm my hand up. 

Second Side Note: By the way, although the Wonder Works building appears to be upside down on the outside. On the inside, it is not. 

When in Pigeon Forge, try the Wonder Works exhibit and let us know how it was for you.

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The Peddler Steakhouse Filet Mignon - Gatlinburg

When in Gatlinburg, you must make time to eat at the The Peddler Steakhouse. Yes, it is always crowded, but the wait is worth it.

Tip #1: To avoid a potential long wait period, simply go into the bar / lounge area and take an open table. Usually there is a table or two open. From there, simply place your dinner order when the waitress comes by.

We took the lounge option and and found a table upstairs. The view is nice, overlooking a small river running beside and under the restaurant.

Peddler Salad Bar

As on cue, the waitress asked if we were here for dinner or just drinks. We choose option dinner and drinks. After we ordered, we headed downstairs to the salad bar. And when I say salad bar, I mean amazing salad bar. As you can see by the pictures, I had of course lettuce as a base, several types of cheese, carrots, celery, hard boiled egg halves, green olives, real chopped bacon, (Not the cheap fake bacon bits from other salad bars) and about another half dozen items piled high on my salad plate. The salad was tremendous.

Peddler Filet Mignon

As if on cue, as soon as we finished our salads, our steaks were delivered. I order the Filet Mignon well done and butterflied and a baked potato. The steak was cooked perfectly and it tasted fantastic. No doubt the best steak in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The baked potato was well cooked and smothered with butter which was perfect.

Peddler Cherry Cheesecake

For dessert, we shared a piece of cheesecake covered with strawberries. It was the perfect topper for a splendid meal.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends The Peddler Steakhouse for dinner.

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Apple Barn Chicken Plank Dinner - Gatlinburg

Apple Barn - Gatlinburg - Chicken Dinner
The Apple Barn, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is one of my favorite restaurants. The reason are simple. Excellent home style cooking food. Reasonable prices. Good service. Cheerful and nice employee's. As you can see, I ordered the chicken planks dinner with mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese, fresh rolls, plus a diet Coke.

The chicken was hot, crispy, and excellent tasting. The mashed potatoes were real, not the fake flakes from a box. The mac and cheese hot and good. And the roll, fresh, hot, and tasty. All for about 12 bucks.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends Apple Barn for dinner.

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Old Mill Restaurant - Gatlinburg

Old Mill Restaurant

I have been going to Gatlinburg for over 20 years and finally stopped for dinner at the Old Mill. I had heard good things about the Mill, good food, good service, fair prices.

Being November, of course this was a 20-30 minute for a table, but no problem, the air that evening was warm and the Christmas lights were on. The wait wasn't as long as expected and we were seated in less than 20 minutes. Rolls, butter, and an assortment of breads were brought right out along with menu's. So far so good.

Old Mill Soup And Salad

I ordered one of the popular house entree dinners, Southern fried chicken. Soup, house salad, mashed potatoes and corn came with the meal. I asked the waitress if I could have macaroni and cheese (Which was a side order on the menu) but she flatly said that no substitutions were permitted with the dinners. I politely pointed out that it was on the menu as a side but she again said no substitutions were permitted.

No big deal. Odd, but no big deal. My soup and salad were delivered to my table in minutes. Not bad service and not a bad salad either. The soup, chicken noodle, was bland, edible at best.

Southern Fried Chicken

As you can see, the fried chicken was golden brown and the pieces were average sized. And it tasted OK. The batter was crispy and the chicken juicy, as expected. The potatoes were all right but the corn was horrendous. (Now I understand why there were no substitutions, they were pushing the corn.)

The cost was just under $20 without tip.

The Grassy Knoll Institute awards 2.5 out of 5 shots as the food was average, nothing special, and points deducted for not being able to substitute a side dish and with that does not recommend the Old Mill for lunch or dinner.

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1. 
   

   Gumby said

   February 26, 2008 at 12:52 pm e
   Serious, that doesn’t sound good to me. The chicken looks dry and old. From the looks, I would rate below a 2.
   Reply
2. 
   

   Uni-Verse said

   February 26, 2008 at 2:12 pm e
   The proverbial shit on a shingle dinner.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Lolo said

   October 30, 2011 at 8:11 pm e
   the mill is something my family and i go to eat at everysingle time we come to gatlinburg. Ya’ll don’t know what u r talking about.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     October 30, 2011 at 8:18 pm e
     Lolo.
     I call them as I see them. Perhaps the waitress was having a bad night or whatever but, the fact is that she was border line rude and I really never heard that you couldn’t substitute one of the side dishes from your main course.
     Reply
   • 
     

     Deeroddy said

     February 17, 2012 at 1:12 am e
     We eat at the old mill everytime we are in the area. Always great service and great food. We love it !!!!!
     Reply
     • 
       

       LOTGK said

       February 17, 2012 at 8:44 am e
       I’m glad you have a great experience when you dine there. Perhaps our waitress was having a bad day.
       Reply

The Smoky Mountain Brewery - Large Pizza

Smoky Mountain Brewery Cheese Pizza

As you can tell, the Smoky Mountain Brewery and Restaurant is one of my favorite places in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This trip, I decided on their famous home made pizza. I choose BBQ chicken as the topping. During football season, it is better to get to this restaurant early lest you want to wait a while. We got lucky and got squeezed in before the crowd came to watch the many college football games on the numerous flat screen television sets positioned around the restaurant.

As you can see, the pizza was a large, a 12 inch pizza. It was delivered in about 20 minutes, which is pretty damn quick as it takes about that time for the pizza to bake in the oven. The crust was thin and crunchy, the cheese plentiful and  the sauce zesty and good. And oh yea, the BBQ chicken topping was generous and tasty.

The cost was fair, about 14 dollars without tip. The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 4 stars out of 5 to the Smoky Mountain Brewery Pizza and recommends them for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Ohio J said

   January 10, 2008 at 8:33 am e
   Damn that looks good. Maybe pizza from The Elmton tonight for dinner. BTW the secret ingredient in thier fab pizza……Swiss Cheese!
   Reply
2. 
   

   Jungljim69 said

   January 10, 2008 at 8:47 am e
   The Elmton! YUMMY. Don’t forget to have a few chicken wings to go with the pizza
   Reply
3. 
   

   LOTGK said

   January 10, 2008 at 11:43 am e
   Yes, I have to get those pictures up. So far behind.
   Reply
4. 
   

   Valdunagan said

   January 10, 2008 at 1:08 pm e
   I don’t see the chicken. Is it under the sauce. Looks good, I love thin crust pizza thats crunchy.
   Reply
5. 
   

Peddler Steakhouse - Filet Mignon

Peddler Salad

The Peddler Steakhouse has a reputation as being the best steakhouse in the Gatlinburg Smoky Mountains. We are all about to put that reputation to the test.

Yes, the Peddler has already been critiqued, but the steak was so good last time, it would merit a second visit. As usual, the Peddler was packed, all the tables occupied and about 100 people waiting to get a table. Knowing the little secret to secure a table we moved to the cocktail area overlooking the scenic stream. (You see, there is usually an hour to two hour wait for a table down stairs but if you go to the cock tail area, there are tables scattered about and you can order dinner and sit there.)

Our waitress came over and asked us what we wanted to drink. I went with the diet Coke and said we would also like to order dinner as well. (In like Flint) I began with the salad, one you make yourself from the salad bar down stairs. Notice the huge chunks of ham and hard boiled egg halves plus real bacon, not those cheap baco bits. The salad is a meal in itself. There were dozens of choices to select from. No two salads are the same.

Peddler Filet

The Gatlinburg Peddler is famous for steak, so of course I ordered the filet mignon and a baked potato. For the restaurant being so crowded, the service was quite peppy. In less than 20 minutes our steaks were delivered to our table plus another round of diet Cokes. Of course the filet was prepared perfectly. The taste was exquisite, yes, I said exquisite. Zero fat and juicy and tender and bursting with flavor. One of the best steaks I have ever had.

The only setback for the Peddler is it's own popularity. No matter when you go, no matter what day, you will always wait. Always. A one hour wait time is the average to get a seat.

The cost for the dinner is around $45.00 without tip but you get a fabulous salad, great steak, big ass baked potato, hot fresh rolls with butter, and the soft drink, (Coke) of your choice.

Yes, the Gatlinburg Peddler Steakhouse reputation does exceed expectations. With that, The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 4.75 out of 5 shots to the Peddler and recommends the steak house for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Chica said

   January 23, 2008 at 12:05 am e
   It’s taking a day or more to recieve your alerts in my email for your posts. :/ Shame on you for posting such delicious food, I’m fighting not to gnaw at my monitor..LOL
   Reply
2. 
   

   LOTGK said

   January 23, 2008 at 8:52 am e
   Do you mean the Yahoo alerts? if so, there is no problem. I just don’t update it as I should.
   However, if you subscribe to the feed…
   http://lotgk.wordpress.com/feed/
   Either through Feedburner or Google reader, you will receive updates as they happen.
   Reply
3. 
   

   Chica said

   January 23, 2008 at 10:26 am e
   WEll I have since done that, because I did finally realize it was slow. 
   Reply
4. 
   

   LOTGK said

   January 23, 2008 at 10:31 am e
   Thank you.
   Reply
5. 
   

   Kathy said

   January 23, 2008 at 1:22 pm e
   The salad is an entire meal in itself. Looks yummy.
   Reply
6. 
   

   Lead Scientist said

   January 24, 2008 at 6:21 am e
   and its only a 5 minute walk away.
   Reply
7. 
   

   LOTGK said

   January 24, 2008 at 8:31 am e
   Everything in Gatlinburg is a five minute walk away.
   Reply
8. 
   

   Paul said

   December 25, 2008 at 7:16 pm e
   Metal plate looks good.
   I am Paul.
   I love steaks and steakhouses around the world!
   Reply
9. 
   

Aunt Mahalia's Chocolate Confections

Chocolate Heaven

Walking on the Parkway, (The main drag in Gatlinburg) I happened by Aunt Mahalia's Homemade candy store. A huge picture window dominated the store showcasing all the sweet confections.

I decided on the artery busting cluster confection of chocolate, cashews, and caramel.

In a word, it tasted delightful. However, the cost was $2.49 for this one piece of delightful. Not so delightful anymore. (Do you think I can squeeze the word delightful in this post one more time?) The cashews were fresh, and whole, (Whole cashews just seem to taste better than pieced cashews) the chocolate was divine, and the caramel nice and thick. It was very good tasting for sure.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 2.5 shots out of 5 and only recommends Aunt Mahalia's delightful (Ding, ding, ding) convection only if you got money to throw out the window.

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Apple Barn - Potato Soup

Apple Barn Potato Soup

I have already critiqued several meals from the Apple Barn in Gatlinburg, Tennessee so tonight it's all about the soup. As in potato soup.

When you order an entree at the Apple Barn, you get your choice of soups and I always selected the chicken noodle but just recently, potato soup was added to the mix.

The broth was thick with bits of bacon and plenty of cheese melting on top. Of course, big generous chunks of potato wedges were swimming in the cup.

And the taste, absolutely wonderful.

The Grassy Knoll Diner awards 5 shots out of 5 and recommends the potato soup at the Apple Barn.

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Side Walk Cafe - Ober Gatlinburg

Ober Gatlinburg Sidewalk Cafe

The city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee is nestled at the foothills of the great Smoky Mountains. There are an endless number of restaurants to tempt your appetite. But there's more. Take a right hand turn on Ski Mountain road and it will twist you through the mountains and take you to the top where Ober Gatlinburg stands.

At the top of the mountain sits of course many elaborate ski slopes but also a small amusement park, an ice rink, carnival games, a black bear habitat, and several food stands and restaurants.


The Side Walk Cafe over looks the ice skating rink with several retail shops dotting it's surroundings. We had just spent several hours at the amusement park and came inside for a quick bite.

Ober Fries And Corn Dog

Since we were there in the off season, it was not very crowded so there was no line and placed our order. I ordered the corn dog and fries. You are looking at $6 dollars of food here. The corn dog was readily available but the fries were cooking in the fryer. My order was called out in a matter of minutes.

The corn dog was standard fare as corn dogs go. Well cooked, fresh, hot, and good taste. The fries were of fresh cut variety but as you can see, not to plentiful. However, they were fresh, well cooked, and hot and tasted good. It was a good fast food meal that filled me up and got us on our way to our next Ober Gatlinburg adventure.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.25 out of 5 shots and recommends the Side Walk Cafe in Ober Gatlinburg for lunch and dinner.

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1. 
   

   LOTGK said

   September 23, 2011 at 3:34 pm e
   Moominboy
   One of those days I’ll taste a corn dog 
   LOTGK in reply to Moominboy
   If you like hot dogs, you will love corn dogs. Trust me….
   Reply

Blaines Restaurant - Chicken Parmesan Penne

Blaine's Grill And Bar - Gatlinburg

Blaine's Grill And Bar located in the heart of Gatlinburg has a unique restaurant atmosphere. When entering, you quickly notice it's a multi-level restaurant with distinct sections for dining. The wood decor is very "Country Western" type. Very nice.

The hostess at the entrance radioed ahead to have us seated. after walking up two flights of stairs our table server greeted us and led us to our table.

Blaine's Loaded Potato Skins

In a minute, our waitress returned and asked for our drink and appetizer order. I ordered the loaded potato skins for an appetizer. in less than 10 minutes, our appetizers were delivered. As you can see, there were plenty of them and they were loaded with bacon and cheese. The potato skins were well done, not burnt, and very good tasting. The cheese was plenty as well as the well-cooked bacon. So far, so good.

Blaine's Chicken Pasta

For my dinner, I ordered the Chicken Parmesan Penne. I was expecting penne pasta in tomato sauce and a slab of breaded fried chicken covered with cheese and tomato sauce. I received this. I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of a slab of chicken, it was cut up into small strips and chunks and mixed with the penne and sauce. It was surprising good.

The chicken was juicy, hot, and plentiful, and smothered in a cheese and tomato sauce that was very good. The penne was well-cooked, and the aforementioned sauce was just zesty enough to bring the taste home.

The cost was very reasonable. The loaded potato skins were $5.95 and the main course was $9.95 plus diet drink. Total cost without tip was $18.00 dollars. For Gatlinburg, and for the portions served, it was a great bargain. The excellent service of the hostess and waitress only added to the good experience.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Blaine's Grill And Bar of Gatlinburg for dinner.

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Texas Roadhouse Restaurant - Filet Mignon

Texas Roadhouse Of Gatlinburg

The Texas Roashouse Restaurant, located on the Parkway in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is famous for its steaks and BBQ ribs. It was packed with about 75 people waiting outside for a table. It took about an hour before our beeper activated signaling our table was ready. The waitress took us to our table, took our drink orders and returned quickly and promptly took our dinner orders.

Texas Roadhouse Dinner Rolls

I have been to the Texas Roadhouse before and I remembered the rolls. Our waitress brought them to our table as we were being seated. They were hot, fresh, very good tasting especially with the cinnamon butter that came with the rolls. Clearly, Texas roadhouse knows how to do rolls.

Texas Roadhouse Filet

I went with the advice of our waitress and went with the Filet Mignon with a loaded baked potato and steak fries. (You get two sides) After eating about 25-30 shelled peanuts supplied to our table, (There are two tin buckets on every table, one empty, one full of shelled peanuts) our dinners arrived.

As you can see, the steak looked delicious and the loaded potato and steak fries were generous. The waitress asked me to check my steak to see if it was cooked to order. I ordered it well done, and informed her that they could butterfly the filet if necessary. (Butterfly steak, cutting the filet in half making it easier to cook thoroughly through without burning the outer steak) It was not to my order. It was almost bloody red and I asked her to please return it and butterfly the steak and cook it to well done.

About ten minutes later our waitress returned with the filet looking exactly the same. It was not butterflied. I could see that the steak was not cooked more as the red blood was now oozing out onto the plate all over the steak fries. I sent it back once again asking that it be cooked to well done. Once again, it was returned and I could tell that the chef did not cook my filet further. In fact, it was now cold. So was the potato and fries.

At that point, I refused the steak and asked to speak to the chef. I was denied. The waitress said they were to busy and the chef was very busy and behind in his cooking. That explained everything right there. The chef never attempted to recook my steak and figured that I would accept what was served to me. I did not!

Since everyone was already finished with their dinners, I completely rejected my steak and stated I would not be paying for it. The manager agreed after coming over to my table and inspecting the steak. He apologized several times and offered any other entree for free. I declined and we left.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 0 out of 5 shots and DOES NOT recommend Texas Roadhouse restaurant Filet Mignon  for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Gumby said

   May 2, 2010 at 7:44 pm e
   I thought this was going to work out well. The steak did look damn good. Will you ever go back and chance it again?
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 2, 2010 at 10:56 pm e
     I will return, and in fact have already done so. However, I did not order the Filet again. You will in my later updates my experience at the Texas Roadhouse.
     Reply
2. 
   

   FreakSmack said

   May 2, 2010 at 10:56 pm e
   The least they could have done was send you on your way with a couple pails of peanuts and rolls. I’m not going to lie I go to a place with good rolls for the rolls, I only order a meal because they frown upon you sitting there and only eating the rolls.
   I like the choice of the double potatoes, I like to rock the double mashed at Chili’s.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 2, 2010 at 11:25 pm e
     Double potato, I’m Irish, I had no choice. 
     And yea, they did attempt to satisfy me with a free any thing dinner, but everyone was already finished, and with it being busy, it would have been another half hour, and nobody wanted that.
     Reply
3. 
   

   Elecpencil said

   May 2, 2010 at 11:31 pm e
   Good for you for refusing the steak. I also hate bloody steak and want it well done. I never order prime rib as it is always bloody. I once saw a woman send the bloodiest steak I have ever seen back at Brown Derby. She told the waiter,”I said, rare not well done.” I think it was Mrs. Dracula.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 2, 2010 at 11:47 pm e
     She would have loved the Texas Roadhouse steak. 
     Reply
4. 
   

   Ska2682 said

   May 2, 2010 at 11:42 pm e
   The only way to eat a steak is Medium-Rare. I little blood is good for the soul. “Meat tastes like murder, and murder is delicious!”-Denis Leary
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 2, 2010 at 11:55 pm e
     I would have accepted medium rare. However, this steak was very rare, blood was oozing out after I cut into it. It was not how I ordered it.
     Reply
5. 
   

   Delong said

   May 3, 2010 at 8:17 am e
   Your crazy. I’ve been eating at Gia’s pizza for years and its always been good service and good food.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 3, 2010 at 10:12 am e
     Methinks you posted in the wrong Blue Plate Special category.
     But, Gia’s in Boardman, Ohio has not been open for years, I believe it has been open just under one year, so if there are more of these restaurants, God help us all.
     Reply
6. 
   

   Max Jackl said

   May 3, 2010 at 1:29 pm e
   I’ve been to the Roadhouse. They do have great rolls. My dinner was good, I got the ribs, they were fantastic. I’d rate them a good.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 4, 2010 at 11:57 pm e
     The ribs are coming up max. I returned to the Roadhouse for other times I had good results. The filet was the only unworthy dinner I had there.
     Reply
7. 
   

   Ahrcanum said

   May 3, 2010 at 6:26 pm e
   Hope u r lurking way far from the Tennessee floods! Have a good show, and a better meal and the next stop. Damn- it looked so good too. How was the salad?
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 4, 2010 at 11:58 pm e
     Yes, far from the floods. And the salad, it was good, I like the eggs and celery they add. I only use pepper, no dressing.
     Reply
8. 
   

   The River Yeti said

   May 5, 2010 at 7:14 pm e
   At our Texas Roadhouse (in FL) you throw the peanut shells on the floor….Booya.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 5, 2010 at 9:56 pm e
     Yes, the one in Gatlinburg used to be that way. I guess it wasn’t sanitary and they give you an empty bucket now.
     Reply
9. 
   

   Moominboy said

   May 13, 2010 at 2:22 pm e
   Oh I would have grabbed it. I love my steaks rare, in fact I wouldn’t mind if it was still moving ;P The whole plate looks mouth-watering. But it’s bad style to insult the customers intelligence (or at least their perception).
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     May 16, 2010 at 1:32 am e
     Yes, you would have loved this steak then.
     The sad part is, its a great restaurant, I have eaten there plenty. I just won’t recommend the steak.
     Reply
10. 
    

    Tushar Bhatti said

    August 31, 2012 at 7:56 am e
    Hello would you mind stating which blog platform you’re working with? I’m planning to start my own blog soon but I’m having a tough time making a decision between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design seems different then most blogs and I’m looking for something unique.
    P.S Sorry for being off-topic but I had
    to ask!
    Reply
    • 
      

      LOTGK said

      September 10, 2012 at 8:19 am e
      I am using WordPress.com
      A modified version.
      Reply