A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, or flour mill) grinds grain into flour. The term can refer to both the grinding mechanism and the building that holds it. Four grist mills remain within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mingus Mill, a half-mile from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in North Carolina, is the grandest. Park millers still produce cornmeal in the three-story building as they tell stories of old-time mills and millers. Cable Mill in Cades Cove is a classic small mill with its picturesque waterwheel and tree-shaded millrace. It millers, too, grind grain the old-fashioned way. Ogle and Reagan mills, near Gatlinburg, are examples of the little tub mills once built along mountain streams throughout the Smokies.

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When visiting Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, you will find numerous distilleries where you can sample and purchase authentic “white lightning”’. Up until the last decade or so, the practice was illegal, but today making moonshine is big (and legal) business. Here is some history of moonshine - an iconic part of life in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains.

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If you love discovering hidden historic landmarks in the Smoky Mountains, the Harrisburg Covered Bridge is a must-see. Located just outside Sevierville, Tennessee, this 19th-century wooden bridge spans the East Fork of the Little Pigeon River and remains one of the few surviving covered bridges in the state.

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Considered a hidden gem in the Smokies, Pittman Center offers small-town charm and breathtaking natural scenery. Visitors to Pittman Center enjoy peace, quiet, history, and an entrance to the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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Appalachian log cabins came from the influence of German and Scandinavian traditions brought by settlers to the area in the 18th century. The masonry can mostly be traced to Scotch-Irish influence, and the design has a resemblance to that of English. Most logs used during that time used would have been chestnut, oak, spruce, and poplar.

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