lgs513

Will be spending a week in the Smokey Mountain area and plan a side trip to Lynchburg for the Jack Daniels tour. I've heard that lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's is a must. Does anyone know about this place? Is it as good as some people say? Any suggestions for other attractions in that area or between Gatlinburg and the mountains that are worth the stop? We plan to spend at least one and maybe two nights somewhere between the two locations depending on what else we find to do and think it would be fun to take different routes to and from in order to see as much as possible. Also, we would love suggestions for good dining stops. We like to try unique local places. We'll consider any type of fare, but prefer a casual/comfortable place. We don't mind spending some money for good food and service or a special experience. Any advice on travels between Lynchburg and the mountains is greatly appreciated.

nlg

We have been to Miss Bobo's several times and the food is very good, not fantastic. It is country cooking and if you get there on fried chicken day-it is great. They have several meat dishes and lots of veggies and dessert. You sit around a large table with many people. They have a hostess at the table and you go around the table and introduce yourselves. It is a fun way to spend a couple of hours and have some southern food.

The town of Lynchburg is nice for walking around and looking in the stores.

Hope you have fun.

PS: If you go to Miss Bobo's be sure to call in advance and make reservations.

travelmonkey

Yes Mary Bobo's is nice-great Southern food served family style. Reservations are a must though. What route will will you take from Gatlinburg? Are you planning to go thru Chattanooga?

travelmonkey

About 20 minutes from Lynchburg is a little town called Fayetteville. Great place to walk the square and check out the unique shops. There's a quaint little restaurant there called Cahoot's that the locals enjoy. It's actually inside the old jail which gives it a unique ambience. I've only eaten there once and would not skip Miss Mary's for it but in the event you need a 2nd meal in the area, it's definitely local and has a certain charm.

45 minutes south of Fayetteville is Huntsville, Al. There are quite a few attractions as well as some great restaurants. It's the home of the US Space and Rocket Center. If you plan to include Huntsville in your itinerary let me know and I'll list attractions/restaurants that are good.

lgs513

Thanks to you both for your suggestions. Huntsville & Chattanooga weren't even on our mind, but they both sound interesting. We're opened for any suggestions, so let us know what to see and where to eat. We're very flexible and open to new ideas. We can take up to three days (two nights) touring away from Gatlinburg before heading east to North Carolina. Thanks again for your help.

travelmonkey

Here are a few things we've enjoyed in Chattanooga: Ruby Falls (cave in a waterfall), the Incline Railway, Rock City (great views from lookout mountain), the Duck (it's an amphibious craft that tours you thru downtown before hitting the water for a cruise along the river), the Aquarium, and the museum (I cannot recall the name but it overlooks the river just up from the aquarium). We stayed at the Homewood Suites downtown which is right next to the minor league baseball stadium.

For Chattanooga eats we really enjoyed the Blue Plate a couple of blocks from the Homewood and a block from the aquarium. Very fresh and tasty food. The homemade potato chips were wonderful! The Kobe beef sliders at Big River Grill were good too.

As for Huntsville sites the US Space and Rocket Center is really cool as Hsv was where the space program began thanks to Dr. Werner Von Braun. About 1/2 mile from the Space Center are the Botanical Gardens for a nice stroll. Downtown is full of history with Constitution Village (with folks in period costumes) as well as the Twickenham District for another great walk. If you have kids Early Works Museum and Sci-Quest are great. Monte Sano State Park offers plenty of hiking/biking trails. For shopping Bridgestreet is nice. If you like golf, there's a Robert Trent Jones course. As for hotels, there's a nice Homewood as well located at the Village of Providence which has shops and restaurants.

As for eats in Providence we've enjoyed pizza at Tony's Little Italy and gourmet sandwiches from Kalou's Market. There's also the upscale Grille 29 located there. For real southern bbq Greenbrier restaurant is a must! There are 2-the "old one" and the "new one". We love the "old one". It's definitely not fancy but the food is amazing-hot crispy hush puppies and juicy bbq. After dinner you can help yourself to the self serve ice cream for 25 cents! For upscale dining we like Pauli's Chophouse downtown. Stem 'n Stein is a favorite for a great beverage and gourmet panini.

There are so many things to choose from in both cities. Let me know if there are particular activities you enjoy or particular eats for which you're searching.