About 25 minutes from the cabin, at The Island in Pigeon Forge, and it is the most fun grown-ups can have in the Smokies after the kids have had their day out. Ole Smoky is a working moonshine distillery, and the tasting is the draw — a run through the flavors in small pours, poured by someone who will talk you through what you are drinking.
There is live music most evenings, usually bluegrass or country, played well and loud enough that you will end up staying longer than planned. You can drink by the jar, sit outside, and watch the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel light up across the way.
It works as a family stop too. Under-21s are welcome in the venue during the day, and there is enough going on at The Island — the fountain show, the shops, the food — that nobody is bored while the adults taste.
Go on a weekday evening if you want a seat near the band. Weekends in summer and October get genuinely packed. And sort your driver before you leave the cabin.
