Do you like to eat out? What about when you are traveling? One of the best things about having a travel trailer is that we can eat most of our meals “at home” – i.e. in our travel trailer. Of course, meals in our travel trailer are usually better for our health and almost always better for our wallet.
Even so, we do enjoy eating out. I’d guess that we eat out about once a week when we are traveling. During our Smoky Mountains trip, we ate out five times while traveling. Six times if you count lunch at Anakeesta.
After visiting Cades Cove, we chose “The Old Mill Restaurant” in Pigeon Forge for our dinner. Our neighbors had recommended this place so often to us, that we had to eat there. We arrived at The Old Mill about 5 p.m. on a Monday. We had a short wait, but not too bad. Before long however, the place was overflowing with people.
We had an excellent meal. The meal included everything from corn chowder to dessert. The food and service were excellent. I do have to add though, that Dan and I both chose the chocolate cake for dessert, and it was too rich for both of us. Now, there’s not too many desserts that are too rich for me, so you know, this was rich.
Our next dinner out was at the “Dixie Stampede.” We chose this Dolly Parton establishment to celebrate our anniversary. We enjoyed the show while food was continually delivered to us. Again, everything was delicious, and this time we really liked the dessert which was an apple fritter.
The next entree is really the meat of this post. When we were deciding where to go out for breakfast on our anniversary, I decided to look at Google Maps. Now, there were some breakfast joints on the way to Gatlinburg, but for some reason, I decided to look in the opposite direction of Gatlinburg. There, I found a place called “Trish’s Mountain Diner” which was 4.2 miles from our Greenbrier campground.
Trish’s Mountain Diner had good reviews, and it was noted that this was where the “locals” ate. We chose Trish’s for our anniversary breakfast, and we were not disappointed. We also scoped out the dinner menu in case we wanted to come back for dinner. The menu looked so good, we ate dinner there twice. The diner is only open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, so be sure to check the operating hours.
The food and service were excellent. We felt the prices were comparable to when we eat out at home. Now, were the steaks as good as if we had eaten at Alamo‘s? Alamo’s was a nearby steakhouse which did look really good. So, No; I am sure the steaks at Alamo’s were better. But at Alamo’s, one steak dinner is $38. At Trish’s Mountain Diner, our whole meal, including tip, was about $38.
Everyone is different, but we just don’t like to spend $100 for a meal out. Especially after we just splurged on a couple of other meals out. We were quite happy with Trish’s Mountain Diner.
However, I do understand. Sometimes a person just wants to splurge or perhaps others just give a higher priority to eating out than Dan and I do. No problem. There are plenty of good choices around Gatlinburg. Just… Remember The Alamo.
Chambers on the Road 
Fun! We ate at the Dixie Stampede and the Old Mill when we were in Pigeon Forge a few years ago, and enjoyed both. For us eating out is a super fun part of traveling, but if we had an RV I’m sure we would spend more time eating “at home”. Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your travels!
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You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re along. I was surprised at how crowded Old Mill was – we were there early in the season, on a Monday, and before 5! Tons of people. We enjoy eating out, too, but it’s good for us to limit it somewhat. And our meals in our travel trailer are very good – just not so much food! Hope you have a great Saturday!
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We don’t eat out very much, but we spend a lot on groceries. We have however had great meals at The Old Mill Restaurant and the Dixie Stampede. I love that area. Last year we spent a month at the Cove Creek campground in Sevierville.
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I love the Smoky Mountain area, too. We didn’t spend any time in Sevierville. Most of our time was in Gatlinburg, and a bit in Pigeon Forge and Townsend. Spending a month in the area sounds very nice. Have a great Saturday!
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These meals sound delicious, Betty and the atmosphere sounds amazing as well. I’m happy your experience was good. Sometimes that’s not the case when traveling. Isn’t it good that we can Google reviews before we choose a place? I guess in the pre-Google world, we just took our chances.
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Yes, we really rely on Google reviews, too. As a kid when traveling, my dad would ask a postal worker (mailman back then) where a good place was to eat. That seemed to work pretty well. My dad would also say to see how many cars were in the parking lot. Lots of cars – probably good. Few cars – keep going. 🙂 Thinking about this makes me laugh now. Times are so different! Have a great Saturday, Terry!
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I smiled at your comment about your Dad’s cars in the parking lot gauge. If I haven’t had a chance to Google, I do that exact thing, but not because I learned it from my Dad. We grew up quite poor, so a meal out was a rarity. Sometimes when we’d travel from our small town to our closest city (where hubs and I live now), Dad would take us for lunch to a Chinese restaurant where we’d order a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I remember that it was canned soup and was such a treat because all of our soup at home was home made! Little did we know then that the “real” treat was Mom’s home made soup.
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Nice! During our travels, couldn’t really eat out as was having health issues preventing me from being able to enjoy a good meal. So, being a truck driver with full customize truck that had everything in it like a real RV with queen bed, spare bunk bed, stove top, microwave, frig and freezer along with small appliances was able to cook healthier meals and blend my food up.
Always wanted to take time to explore the smokey mountains further and have the entire tourist experience.
Your places you ate at, sounds amazing and maybe one day in future I will be able to travel again and enjoy all cultures and eat normal again as I miss being able to dine out with my family.
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Your truck sounds very well set up with lots of conveniences. I hope one day you will be able to travel again and enjoy all that goes with that. Some of the tourist experiences were too much for me, but some of it is just fine. My favorite parts were when we were in the national park. Thanks for your comment, and all the best to you!
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A bit late, but from the heart “Happy Anniversary”. It appears the two of you ate real well. We always like going out to local restaurants when we are traveling. Some of our best meals have been at places that the locals recommended. I believe we were only disappointed once in four years. Thanks again for the post, always enjoy reading them. Have a great weekend.
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Good Morning, Bill! We like to eat at local restaurants, too. One of our favorites is The Trail’s End Coffee and Cafe in Greenville, MO. We camp at Greenville Recreation Area and ride our bikes to the cafe. We’re going there in June, and we look forward to visiting this delightful cafe again. Hope you and Barb are doing well, and I hope you have a nice weekend, too. Thanks for the anniversary wishes!
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That sounds like a whole lotta’ eatin’ goin’ on! 🫢
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Yes, but it wasn’t all in one day. 🙂 Happy Saturday!
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Ha ha, love your cute ending. Given how you travel, eating your own meals must offer a great joy most of the time. Eating out while on the road is probably the main impetus for our even wanting to travel. Love the diners! – Marty
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Thanks, Marty. We do make good meals, but we also very much enjoy eating out. And I agree, that is definitely a fun part of travel. I just have to make sure I can fit back in the travel trailer! Enjoy your day!
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Thanks for sharing your experiences. My wife and I enjoy eating out at restaurants we have never been to before whenever we travel and since we are typically staying at a hotel or a short term rental, almost all our meals other than breakfast are out. Wherever we are, she typically does a bit of research to find us unique places. And when my brother and I travel on one of our trips together, he does the research. Over the years we have had many delicious meals.
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It is fun to try new places. And you are lucky to have built-in researchers! That can take a lot of time! Hope you have a nice weekend!
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Thanks and you too!
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Enjoy eating out once in a while. Keep going and have a great day.
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Thank you, and have a great day, too!
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You’re welcome. Thank you so much for following my blog.
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I look forward to reading it!
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We like staying at Airbnb’s for the same reason that you like staying in your travel trailer. We have the option dine in or dine out and eat well either way. Most trips we have averaged eating in about half of our meals. Lately, though, we have been eating out more than eating in. We need to get back to eating in more often, though…less expensive option for sure!
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It’s a nice balance to have a mix of both staying in and eating out. It’s so easy for me to eat too much when eating out. I also like using the slow cooker when we are camping. Thanks for your comment, and have a great day!
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Good post. Recently we travelled to San Francisco. And yes, whether you travel a little or a lot, one must watch what they spend. Oh, and I counteract my indulgences by running it off. The California climate was perfect for that. Smog??…didn’t see any!!
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Thank you! Your trip to San Francisco sounds great! We do watch what we spend, so we can travel more. Eating out adds up fast, so we do limit it. It’s a good idea to counteract any indulgences. We can’t do anything without our health – no matter how much money we have! Enjoy your Sunday!
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Like y’all, we try to eat “in” most of our travels with our trailer, but we do enjoy the occasional meal out. (I especially enjoy not cooking, LOL.)
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Dan does a lot of our cooking (but not all.) I enjoy not cleaning up the dishes! 🙂 Have a good Sunday!
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We love to eat out but we try to cook at home as much as we can. It’s hard on the road, especially when there are so many yummy places to eat out at! I do want to go to Dolly Parton’s Stampede when I’m in Branson this summer. My daughter was there when she was in Tennessee and enjoyed it a lot also
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I agree; there are lots of opportunities to eat out at great places when traveling. So, like you, we do enjoy it – some. But I have to put my health first – or I can’t do anything! We will be in Branson in early September. It sounds like you may be there before us. Darn! I hope you enjoy the Dixie Stampede, and I have a question for you after you see it. 🙂
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Now you have my curiosity up! We’ll be there early August, so, only missing each other by a month.
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I hope you have a wonderful time in Branson! Too bad we will miss each other. It’s just a question about the Dixie Stampede show, but I am sure I won’t forget it! Enjoy your day!
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I agree one of the great things about traveling in an RV is that you have your kitchen with you. It is fun to go out to eat, but unless it is a really high quality restaurant, I usually end of thinking it was not that great (not very healthy or well balanced, overpriced for what we got, too greasy, lacking in fruit and vegetables, meal not what I thought it was going to be, portions too big, etc).
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Yes – I have had all those same thoughts when eating out. And to me, it seems that since Covid, eating out at restaurants has become even more overpriced, and sometimes the service isn’t the best. With a little effort, we can have great meals at home – or in our TT. Thanks for your comment, and enjoy your day!
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Yes…often restaurants are short staffed these days. You have to be patient.
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These sound like fun places to eat, Betty. Trish’s would be a place we would love, and I will keep it in mind for when we go back to GSMNP someday. We usually don’t go out to eat when we’re camping either, but when we’re road tripping we only go out for dinner. We almost always picnic for lunch and eat breakfast at the hotel if they have it. If they don’t, we take our own and eat in our room. Happy belated anniversary to you and Dan!
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Thank you, Kellye! I like your road tripping plan, and I will keep it in mind for our next road trip. Breakfast is often at the hotel these days, and if not, it can be a simple meal like lunch. Thanks for the anniversary wishes, too! Hope you have a great week!
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Kevin and I enjoy eating where the locals eat. Usually on the weekends when we are visiting a site Kevin will say to the local worker, “I have a very important question for you.” Some look worried because we have usually asked several questions to learn more about what ever we are visiting. “Where is your favorite local place to eat.” OH the smiles! They are happy to tell us. Funny, the last two weekends we have asked there have been 3 workers at the desk at each place. Kid you not, both places, all 3 people, with eyes shining and hands a-pointin’ will recommend the exact same restaurant as the others next to them. Now, how can that recommended place be wrong?! And they were spot on. HAHAHA
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Kevin has a great system! I remember my dad doing something similar when we were growing up. Also, my parents would look to see how many cars were in the parking lot of a restaurant. Lots of cars – probably pretty good. Not too many – let’s keep looking! We didn’t eat out often, but sometimes when we were traveling we did.
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