Townsend Fall Festival is September 28th-29

Come celebrate Appalachian heritage this weekend at the Townsend Heritage Fall Festival September 28-29. The Townsend Fall Festival offers something for the whole family to enjoy! Bring your lawn chair and sit back, relax and enjoy scheduled musical performances. There will be many impromptu jam sessions along with clogging that showcase Appalachian roots. There will be arts and crafts booths featuring local artisans showcasing their special talents. Storytellers and local authors will also be on the festival grounds to tell of the mountain stories that show the true colors of the Appalachian heritage. Buses will run from the Heritage Center to Trillium Cove to Little River Railroad Museum to the Townsend Visitors Center and back to the Heritage Center. For a list of scheduled performances and Townsend shuttle times click here.

Dancing Bear Lodge & Restaurant in the News!

Bear Lodge & Restaurant continues to impress! The restaurant was recently featured in a USA Today article about being one of the 10 great places to blaze a (bike) trail for good food! Chef Jeff Carter was also recently featured on WBIR's Live at Five at Four for his new fall menu, and check out Southern Living's October article for a lodge special just for Southern Living readers! 

Dancing Bear Restaurant Announces New Fall Menu

Once again the fall season is upon us and Dancing Bear Lodge and Restaurant Chef Jeff Carter has created a remarkable menu for the season. Fall is the perfect time of the year to come and take in the breathtaking views of the Smoky Mountains while enjoying a delicious meal. To make your reservation contact Dancing Bear Lodge at (865) 448-6000.

Fall Menu

Snacks for the Table

In Jars: Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Hummus, Pimento Cheese, Smoked Trout Rillette

House Made Crackers and Pickles

Charcuterie Plate - Local and House Made Sausage and Cured Meats

DBL Mustard and Toasted Bread

Selection of Artisanal Cheeses

Beer Bread and Relishes

Starters

Tennessee Sweet Potato Soup

Sorghum Crème Fraiche

Romaine Salad with Benton’s Bacon, Crumbled Blue Cheese

Oven Dried Tomatoes, Garlic Croutons and Buttermilk Herb Dressing

Baby Spinach Salad with Apples, Dried Cranberries, Candied Walnuts

Goat Cheese and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Mixed Greens Salad with Roasted Beets, Clementine Supremes

Parmesan Cheese and Herb Mustard Vinaigrette

Spicy Cashew and Pear Salad

Baby Arugula and Honey Vinaigrette

Entrées

12 oz Rib Eye with Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

Roasted Curried Carrots, Garlic Herb Butter and House Made Demi-Glace

Braised Bison Short Ribs with Falls Mill Grits

Mustard Greens and Horseradish Mustard Crème Fraiche

Cider Glazed Springer Mountain Chicken with Carolina Gold Rice Risotto

Roasted Butternut Squash, Toasted Pecans, Apple Cider Jus

Veal Chop with Anson Mills Tasso Polenta, Collard Greens,

Pickled Grapes and Pommery Mustard Jus

Rainbow Trout with Shrimp and Grits

Cornmeal Dusted Trout, Local Andouille Sausage, Falls Mill Grits and Tomato Vinaigrette

Sichuan Dusted Moulard Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Puree

Apple Cider Braised Red Cabbage and Apple Onion Sauce

Mason Jar Take-Aways

DBL Chow Chow, Muscadine Jam, Red Onion Jam, Apple Butter

Fall Colors Coming to the Smoky Mountains

One of Tennessee’s most spectacular displays of autumn color lies here in the Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park experiences autumn leaf season for several weeks in the fall. Fall colors start to appear as early as mid-September in the higher elevations and continue down during the months of October and early November. To take part in the show of beautiful colors that the mountains have to offer, take an afternoon drive on Clingmans Dome Road, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or the Foothills Parkway. Before you set out for your drive review the fall foliage report from the Great Smoky National Park.

The fall color display is at its peak in the late weeks of October and early November, which is also one of the busiest times in the fall especially in Cades Cove and Newfound Gap Road. Click here for routes that tend to be less crowded but equally beautiful. Don’t miss the stunning view of colors that paint the Smoky Mountains during the autumn months.