What-To-Do Issue 1 2024-2025 - Magazine - Page 76

Serious Shopping!
Gifts, Collectibles and Souvenirs
Shopping is a serious pastime in the Smoky
Mountains. Visitors love to explore and find unique
items to bring home as mementos of their fabulous vacation. Perhaps something featuring
a black bear or a locally made artwork depicting the mountains and native wildlife will fulfill
that desire. Others may want to scour the region
for great deals and items they can’t find at home.
Whether it’s a new outfit or long-lasting cookware,
you can find it in the cities and towns surrounding
the Smoky Mountains.
Cast Iron
Cast iron has proven to be one of the best
materials to use in your kitchen as a cooking vessel. Once the cast iron is seasoned, it will produce
great sears on steaks and other meats. A Dutch
oven is perfect for slow-cooking a stew or a roast
in either the oven or over a campfire. And these
pans are very easy to clean—just wipe clean in
water. Plus, these pans can last for generations
if they are properly cared for. Lodge Cast Iron is
the most reputed manufacturer of this cookware
with beginnings in Tennessee. Stores are currently
located in Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.
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Arts and Crafts
For a unique shopping excursion, visit The Great
Smoky Arts & Crafts Community. Here, you’ll find
a collection of handcrafted items for sale all in one
place. Nowhere else in America has a gathering of
artisans quite like this 8-mile loop, just a few miles
east of Gatlinburg. This extensive shopping area
has hosted hundreds of artisans and craftsmen
since the 1930s. You’ll find nearly everything you
never knew you needed including silver, scrimshaw,
baskets, candles, and fashionable clothing and
accessories. The vendors not only sell their wares,
but they often offer demonstrations so you can see
the immense skill involved in creating these magnificent pieces. Get a hand-carved likeness of the
region’s iconic black bear or take home a one-of-akind oil painting that perfectly captures the sunrise
you saw while hiking in the national park. Those
who enjoy sewing or textile arts may like shopping
for a new quilt or lace décor for the home. Even
custom leather goods and newly forged knives can
be purchased in the Arts & Crafts Community. And
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