Smoky Mountain BikeFest - Where'd Everyone Go?

Planned a girl's roadtrip to Dollywood and surrounding area for the first week in May...I know, you are probably asking why? Many did...still don't have a great answer, big fan of Best Little Whorehouse, perhaps? No, that movie sucked...do love Dolly though.

While doing some research we discovered that we would be arriving at the same time the Smokey Mountain Bike Fest was going on.Was very excited to be able to incorporate a rally in to the trip, so planned on a Sunday morning arrival in hopes we could spend the day there.  Since this is a fairly new event, info on the web was limited and the only thing I could find was the location...which turned out to be incorrect or maybe it moved and the info was old...don't know for sure.

What I now know is that Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are not the same place...probably common sense to most, but for some reason I thought they were one in the same. Traveled on from Pigeon Forge and finally saw the 'welcome bikers' sign on the marquee at Four Season's Motor Lodge in the center of town. Yay! We found it...

Grabbed a parking spot...cars $5.00. Walked down to hotel and saw Vendors packing up and an empty lot? This was at noon on a Sunday, boo! 

One at every rally

So we walked through the few vendors that were left outside and found a room that had additional vendors...who were also packing up.

Few bikes that had won some awards were still on display 

Think this one was 'Best in Show'...or perhaps 'The Only One to Show'? Either way, nice bike.

Lonely bull looking for a rider

Few of the vendors stuck around

So look us literally 5 minutes to walk through everything, was kind of sad because we were really looking forward to checking out the bikes and making a day of it. I found a schedule that indicated there were to be wing eating contests, karaoke, etc... but I guess since the bikes left town early, everyone else was leaving too.  We spoke to a vendor who said the previous days were much better...we just missed it all.  Think vendors should be required to stay for the duration...I just read some info that said the Bike Fest was so successful they have to move it to a new venue next year...story of my life...day late, dollar short.  I do wish them lots of luck as this is a great area for riding. We then found a place to spend our money...

For a bit of singing..btw, you do not need teeth to be a great singer

 

 Few cocktails and a skyride (located across the street from Four Seasons) can be quite dangerous but we survived

The day turned out to be a great one, and if you are planning on attending the Smoky Mountain BikeFest, please do not let this info steer you away. In fact, if you are planning to head to Gatlinburg area, stay tuned as I have some good tips/places for you to go.

Contact Info:
Four Seasons Motor Lodge
756 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN
http://www.reaganresorts.us/motorlodge/Home.aspx

Smoky Mountain BikeFest
http://www.smokymountainbikefest.com/

Hey Chattanooga...where are all the biker bars?

On our recent trip south, we decided to spend a day in Chattanooga to visit some biker bars. Admittedly, my only research was going to a few BikerBar sites and copying down addresses. Not well prepared.  I was very disappointed to find several closed, or perhaps the addresses were wrong? I especially wanted to check out Uncle Stumpy's Pig Sty and Saloon and it appeared to be shut down. Boo! I wanted to meet Uncle Stumpy...so sad it was closed. Victims of the economy? Not sure, but we carried on...ended up in a tourist area and stopped at the first interesting, non-chain place we found.

Cute bartenders with 'special recipes'

Sugar's Ribs Downtown is newly opened this Fall and is the second location for this restaurant.  Situated on the corner of Broad Street in the old Buffalo Wild Wings location, Sugar's has transformed the space into a Whiskey Bar/Blues Venue. We did not get a chance to go to the original location but from what I understand, this new location is a bit more upscale. I have since heard the other location has goats on property so will make that a stop the next time in the area.

We arrived on a Monday, late afternoon, so the place was virtually empty. Grabbed a seat at the full bar and were waited on promptly. Staff was very friendly and helpful with their suggestions on what to order since neither of us are too familiar with southern BBQ. Although I have never eaten them before, I decided to try the ribs. Not too fond of meat on bones, but when in Rome...

Delicious ribs and corn bread

Finger lickin' good, this place...

Smoked chicken

Sugar's sends the meat out 'naked' and offers several varieties of sauces to choose from ranging from mild to sweet and spicy to hot lips. I tried 'em all and they were delicious.

Being a whiskey bar, they do not offer foo-foo girlie drinks as explained by one of the bartenders.  Although, she said she is creative and can use ingredients on hand to make some fruity concoctions. And, she did offer up a recipe for an interesting drink that I will paraphrase...called the 'Wet kitty-cat'. Insert another name for cat here...lol. Hope the shock on my face was not too apparent. I can be a bit prudish, at times. :-)

This was a fun place. Prices were reasonable.  Beers were a couple bucks, each day a featured whiskey is offered at $3.00 per shot.  There is plenty of on-street parking as well as several public parking lots and garages in the nearby area. Staff were kind and helpful, even offering suggestions for a bar across town geared more towards bikers. We would definitely visit again if in the area.

And, for an after dinner treat, this little gem is directly across the street. Chattanooga Cupcakes serves only that...cupcakes, in several varieties.

One Spice cupcake and one PB& Chocolate cupcake with a LOT of frosting...too much really. They did not travel so well in the saddle bag, but were still quite tasty.

From Sugar's, we drove across town to Bud's Sport's Bar on Brainerd Road, which was recommended as a local hangout for bikers. Since we had already eaten, we sat at the bar and had a quick beer.  Place is huge inside, lots of widescreen TVs...everywhere you turn, there were games, races and sport shows on. Few bikers, lots of locals and people just getting off work.

There is a large patio on the side of the building with a full-bar and several tables. Looks like it is a happening place in the warmer weather.

Lots to do at this bar...Wing Night, Taco Night, Karaoke competitions, live music and various food and drink specials on certain nights.

Bud's Sports Bar is located off a major road with a large paved lot and ample parking. There is a traffic light on the side of property for easy entrance/exit. Don't make the mistake we did and try to exit without the light. Intersection was very busy at rush hour and made it nearly impossible to make a left hand turn out of lot. Now we know...

Although our trip to Chattanooga was not as expected, we found a few nice surprises and enjoyed the city. We'll be back and next time, we hope to find the real divey biker bars...where they at, Chattanoogans?