City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

Category: Shopping

Telephone: (865) 428-0771, (888) 453-6455

Description: One block off the parkway from traffic light #7, Old Mill Square is a shopping district that’s sprung up around the historic Old Mill, an active gristmill built in 1830 on the banks of the Little Pigeon River (see the Attractions chapter). The square is home to two main eateries—the Old Mill Restaurant and the Old Mill Pottery House Café & Grille (see the Restaurants chapter), as well as the Old Mill Creamery. A host of shops also come under the official Old Mill umbrella.The Old Mill General Store sells yellow and white cornmeal and a variety of flours ground at the Old Mill itself, as well pancake and specialty mixes, homemade jams, fudge, crafts, and various Smoky Mountain memorabilia. The Old Mill Pigeon River Pottery is located in what used to be the studio of legendary local potter Douglas Ferguson, founder of Pigeon Forge Pottery. (The serving pieces in both Old Mill restaurants come from here.) In addition to plates, bowls, and other ceramic kitchenware, this shop also sells adorable ceramic bears. The Old Mill Candy Kitchen cooks their confections in copper kettles, hand-dips many of their chocolates, and relies on machines that have been pulling and cutting taffy for more than 75 years. Be sure to try one of their famous Bear Paws, a combination of milk chocolate, homemade caramel, and fresh pecans. If you like something you ate at either of the Old Mill’s restaurants, you may be able to find it for sale as a dehydrated mix at the Old Mill Farmhouse Kitchen. The corn chowder is a big seller here, as are the signature bread mixes and salad dressings. The Old Mill Toy Bin and the Old Mill Pigeon River Potting Shed round out the options here.You’ll find plenty of individually owned shops that are not officially part of the Old Mill Square complex, but that are all clustered around it (and known informally by the locals as Old Mill Village). These lovely shops include the Twisted Vessel Gallery, Candles by Donna, Kitchen Kupboard, Something Special by Sue, Angel’s Among Us, Diane’s Resale Shop, Smoky Mountain Dog House, Smoky Mountain Cat House, and Gourmet Coffee Shop, to name just a very few. Most of the shops in this area offer free parking, and there’s plenty of free parking at nearby Patriot Park. Or you can take the trolley to the Pigeon Forge Fun Time Trolley office, which is smack in the middle of the village. From there, you can find most of what’s available within a block or 2.