Pigeon Forge: Local Goat, The Island, Christmas Place, Bluegrass, and More (2024)

Story and photos by Scott Kendall

Pigeon Forge in Eastern Tennessee

Pigeon Forge is a friendly community in beautiful east Tennessee, just north of Gatlinburg and an hour east of Knoxville. It is best known as being the home of Dollywood and many other fabulous family attractions. We visited the fun Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine, listened to lively Bluegrass Music at The Island in Pigeon Forge, browsed through the amazing Christmas Place, and had a delicious meal at Local Goat Restaurant.

Local Goat Restaurant

Local Goatis one of the best restaurants in Pigeon Forge. After reading rave reviews about the restaurant, we made reservations for Saturday night. Local Goat is a New American restaurant with local fresh scratch made menu items. With extensive choices that include a wide variety of appetizers, hearty burgers and steaks, melt in your mouth ribs, and tempting desserts.

Julie and I started with a nice Pinot Noir. Our server, Francisco, was very patient, helpful, and had a wonderful personality. He really made us feel welcome and we appreciated his recommendations. We shared a rack of their famous ribs, which were as tender and tasty as advertised. Julie’s Mediterranean Salad was very fresh and flavorful and the large serving of French fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

For the finale, we couldn’t resist the White Chocolate Bread Pudding and Salted Caramel Ice Cream. The ice cream and drizzles of caramel were the perfect complements to the warm bread pudding. The friendly atmosphere, top notch service by Francisco, and the outstanding food and wine were all superb – we absolutely loved Local Goat.

Sitting at our comfortable booth, we enjoyed studying a fun mural of goats painted on the wall. The restaurant also sells an interesting selection of products made from goat milk, like the Lavendar Vanilla hand lotion my wife bought. Guests can select from various goat inspired products like cute t-shirts, caps, and stuffed animals.

There are some very good reasons why TripAdvisor named Local Goat the number 2 Everyday Eat in the USA. You can be sure we will make Local Goat a must stop whenever we are in Pigeon Forge again.

The Island in Pigeon Forge

The Island in Pigeon Forge is a lively entertainment complex full of amusem*nt rides, shops, restaurants, and other family friendly attractions. Stay and play at the Margaritaville Hotel or the Margaritaville Inn. For endless variety, visitors can choose to eat at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, Dick’s Last Resort, Mellow Mushroom, Cinnabon, and numerous other special eateries.

Entertainment and shopping options are also numerous at The Island. After a tasting moonshine samples at Ole Smoky Moonshine (the Grapefruit was our favorite), we sat outside and listened to a very talented Bluegrass band, Corey Zink. This fabulous three man band featured lead Corey Zink, his 15 year old son Mason, and champion banjo picker Jason Bales. The talented trio also play at Dollywood and other area venues, and are very strong with their instruments and vocals.

Sky Fly: Soar America is a new ride experience at The Island in Pigeon Forge. Guests experience the feeling of flight over some of the most iconic locations in the US. Other popular rides include the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel, an observation wheel reaching 200 feet high, The 7D Dark Ride Adventure, The Tree Top Fall Tower, and The Flying Horse Carousel. These and other fun attractions will keep the whole family smiling from ear to ear.

The Incredible Christmas Place

Who doesn’t love Christmas? The Incredible Christmas Place celebrates Christmas twelve months a year. Gorgeous trees with twinkling lights, red ribbons, cherry cheeked Santas, and endless decorations cover every corner of this complex. The Christmas Place has a wide selection of personalized ornaments, snowglobes, village houses, and everything Christmas. Julie and I spent a delightful hour in this incredible store, and could have stayed much longer. I was humming Jingle Bells as we left the Christmas treasures behind.

Other Attractions in Pigeon Forge

Of course, there are many additional reasons to visit Pigeon Forge.Dollywoodis a very popular amusem*nt park, and the Titanic Museum Attraction features the fatal maiden voyage of the giant ship in 1912.The Parrot Mountain and Gardens Zoo, the popular Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster, the Hollywood Wax Museum, and The Mountain Valley Winery are just a few of the other great attractions to keep you entertained in Pigeon Forge.

We were hosted by Local Goat. All opinions are my own.