Experience the best of Sevierville

Sevierville is the seat of Sevier County in east Tennessee, named for John Sevier, the state's first governor. The courthouse square holds a bronze statue of Dolly Parton, the singer born in the county, and the old centre has brick shops and a historic courthouse beside the river.

To the south, Pigeon Forge, with its theme parks and shows, and Gatlinburg lead to the entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where mountain streams, wildflowers and black bears fill the forested ridges. The Foothills Parkway, a scenic road, follows the north edge of the park.

Country ham, biscuits, cornbread, pinto beans, fried apples and apple butter are the traditional dishes of the area, with local apple cider and moonshine. The leaves turn in October, and the hills are humid in summer.