Author Archives: Willem Bagchus
Ole Smoky Moonshine – The Real Thing from Gatlinburg, Tennessee!
With deep roots in the Appalachian community of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Johnny Baker and his team will welcome you to their distillery of genuine moonshine. It’s a family business with decades of heritage. The business has grown considerably and has given … Continue reading
Find a Warm Southern Welcome in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!
Nestled in the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee, Gatlinburg awaits you with open arms. There is just something so special about a visit to this place. It’s a very small town in and of itself. You’ll want to park … Continue reading
Dogsledding Where the Dogs Speak French
“Unless you’re the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” OUTSIDE QUEBEC CITY – That axiom from the world of dogsledding doesn’t apply if you’re the musher. Standing on the runners of a sled with six or seven powerful, yelping dogs … Continue reading
Celebrating on the Watauga River
By Tom Adkinson The Watauga River rises on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and gets interrupted by two Tennessee Valley Authority Dams in Tennessee. About 78 miles from its headwaters, it flows into the Boone Lake impoundment of the South … Continue reading
Agritourism — It’s a Real Thing
ADAMS, Tenn. – Simply taking a city kid to a farm isn’t likely to inspire him or her to choose agriculture for a livelihood, but it certainly can provide some entertainment and show that food originates somewhere other than the … Continue reading
I Never Wanted To Visit the 9/11 Memorial
(Editor’s note: Today is Sept. 11, 2017. As Americans deal with the agonies of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida and wildfires across the West, this also is a time to remember where we were 16 years ago.) … Continue reading
An Art-Filled Stroll in Chattanooga
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The Bluff View Art District is a quiet retreat high over the Tennessee River that features a B&B operation in three houses, an art gallery, a chocolate kitchen, a bocce court, a nice restaurant, a fancy restaurant, … Continue reading
Keeping the Trains on Time at Tweetsie Railroad
BLOWING ROCK, N.C. – Scott McLeod has had a dozen or more jobs at Tweetsie Railroad, including cowboy actor, pyrotechnician and haunted house designer, but he’s hanging on to the one he has now. He supervises the train shop … Continue reading
Six Attractions Along the QLine in Detroit
DETROIT, Mich. – The most popular wheels in Detroit today aren’t made of rubber and aren’t attached to shiny automobiles rolling off assembly lines at Motor City plants. They are the steel wheels underneath the carriages of the QLine, the … Continue reading
Flowers from Guatemala for Mom
IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AMERICA — A visit last month to Guatemala produced a virtual bouquet for Mother’s Day. The only thing better would be having some of these beauties in my own yard, but I’d have to be … Continue reading
