There's always something new at bustling Pigeon Forge. And, thankfully, there's always something old - the Apple Barn and the Old Mill.
Many Smoky Mountain visitors return time and again to both landmark eating spots.
The Apple Barn restaurant starts you off with those delicious fritters and refreshing punch leading into the excellent soups, salads and entrees.
It is one of the few dining places featuring a display of live birds.
The restaurant is along the main road that ran between Sevierville and Gatlinburg. Wagons forded the Little Pigeon River nearby.
The original farmhouse on the site burned. It was replaced in 1921 by a six-room house, which is still the centerpiece of the restaurant. The built-in oak furniture can still be seen in the original dining and living room.
The Hicks and Kilpatrick families in 1972 bought the 65-acre property and first operated it as a beef cattle and burley tobacco farm. Later, they put in apple orchards. Then, in 1986, Stokely Hospitality Enterprises helped create Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant by expanding the original farmhouse.
A delicious country breakfast is one of the drawing cards at the Old Mill Restaurant, which is downstream on the Little Pigeon. Of course, lunch and supper are just as good.
There's a steady stream of customers walking up the zigzag boardwalk to the restaurant area.
Afterward, many stop at the old-timey store next door.
The water-powered gristmill dates back to the early 1800s. The Old Mill furnished electricity for Pigeon Forge until 1935.
The mill features a giant water wheel that is connected to a system of shafts, belts and pulleys. The flint granite stones weigh a ton each and are only the second set ever used in mill's 175-year history. They can produce about 1,000 pounds of product a week. It's used in the biscuits, corn bread, pancakes, hush puppies, muffins and grits at the Old Mill Restaurant.
The popular Pigeon River Pottery is just across the street as is the Old Mill Candy Kitchen.