The Derosia Team

Sevier County, Tennessee was established September 18, 1794 and covers about 6,000 square miles.  There are three distinct regions in Sevier County, Appalachian Mountain region to the north, Foothills region in the central portion, and the Great Valley of East Tennessee, which stretches 9,200 square miles across Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee. Since the counties establishment, the county seat has been situated at Sevierville, the eighth oldest city in Tennessee.  As with an old county throughout the world, their is always historic buildings and places that still remain today.  Sevier County is no exception.  There are many historic buildings that make up part of the history of Sevier County that are still standing today.  Some of these buildings/places have made their way to the United States National Registry of Historic Places.  Because their are so many important buildings/places within Sevier County it is near impossible to hit on all of these in on...

Tourist destinations are packed full of restaurants; most of them being the well known chain restaurants that can be dined in all over the country.  However, every city has the smaller restaurants that are usually out of the hustle and bustle of the city life.  These restaurants are  local favorites and mom and pop establishments that don't make it into the guidebooks and vacation brochures.  Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and the other surrounding areas of the Smoky Mountains have several well-kept secrets that the locals love.   These establishments in the Smoky Mountains are often a great place to go and learn about the local culture, as well as eat some of the best local food.  Most of the establishments have more reasonable prices than the chain restaurants in town.  The service is above and beyond in these family owned establishments and the food is worth coming back for over and over again. Because there are so...

The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge will host their 3rd annual outdoor ice carving competition on January 19, 2013.  The competition will be held in the parking area from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm.  Both professional and amateur ice carvers will begin with 250-pound blocks of ice in a contest to see who will win the prize money. The museum suggests that all visitors plan to arrive early as last years event attracted over 4,000 people.  The competition is judged by members of the National Ice Carving Association. The Titanic Museum has been open for less than 3 years and continues to host roughly 100,000 visitors each month.  If you are in the area for this cool and thrilling event be sure to stop by the parking area to see the competition.  The Museum will continue to be open for this event so if you find yourself cold outside you can go inside and take a walk through a historical piece of history.

Pigeon Forge will host the 23rd annual Wilderness Wildlife week starting January 12, 2013 and going through January 19, 2013 at the Music Road Hotel and Convention Center. This event is free and is an educational and fun experience devoted to the wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wilderness Wildlife Week will consist of guided hikes, workshops, demonstrations, presentations, and many other activities and events that celebrate the spectacular ecology, history, and tradition of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This event offers so many activities that it is easy to say that there is something for everyone to enjoy and be involved in. The information desk is open from 7:00am - 9:00pm for the duration of the event. The vendor/exhibit hall is open from 9:00am - 6:00pm for the duration of the event. If you are interested in Wilderness week you can read more about the different classes and hikes here .

The Derosia Team has come across a TOADALLY amazing frozen yogurt establishment.   sweet Frog  Premium Frozen Yogurt is one of the fastest growing brands of premium, all natural, self-service yogurt restaurants. S weet Frog  is a bright, positive, family-friendly environment where you can create your cup of yogurt exactly how you want it. You pick the combination of flavors, you pick the toppings, you make it your way! Sweet Frog  was founded on the principles of Christianity and the belief in bringing happiness and a positive attitude into the lives of their customers.  At  sweet Frog , F.R.O.G. stands for Fully Rely On God.  Accorrding to their website the following is why the founder Derek Cha opened up the first  sweet Frog . Our founder, Derek Cha, started sweet Frog in 2009 with his wife, Annah Kim. Derek’s goal was to create a business, in the midst of a unfriendly economy, that could thrive and bring hope and...

A half-million more visitors toured the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2012 than during the preceding year. Figures released by the National Park Service showed nearly 9,686,000 people entered the park during last year. That compares with just below 9,009,000 the year before. Park officials said a mild winter and spring during 2012 helped boost tourism in the nation's most-visited national park.  More people were able to travel into the park and be outdoors due to the lack of ice and snow on the roads and trails. The mild weather in the colder seasons and warm summer set the tone for visitation as every month of 2012 saw an increase of visitors over those recorded in 2011. December 2012 Park entries were 480,527 compared with 471,603 as seen in December 2011. This is a 1.9% increase over December 2011. Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg, TN and Cheorkee, NC was closed due to ice and snow on all or part of 6 days during December, but the holiday season brought a large nu...