The Old Mill in Bloom
Celebrate Springtime in the Smokies!
The Old Mill is embracing the springtime season by highlighting its role as “The Heart of Pigeon Forge.” Each Spring, we pay homage to the traditions of the region, showcasing our unique flavors, and celebrating our bountiful gardens around The Old Mill.
Exciting events will fill our calendar, including annual celebrations like Mother’s Day at The Old Mill, where mom will receive a special treat when visiting our restaurants. More Kid’s In The Kitchen classes will be held, where kids get hands-on instruction on what we’re cooking up, including sampling and taking treats home. Register early because space is limited!
Needless to say, the entire property comes alive with The Old Mill In Bloom!
In Our Gardens
Get In The Garden all around The Old Mill, where our gardens come alive each Spring. Starting with hundreds of daffodils and tulip bulbs our gardener, Reece, has planted this year. You will also see Redbud and Dogwood trees in full color, the azaleas are bursting in purple, pink, white, and red, irises of all sizes and colors can be seen all around, and many more blooms to behold throughout the season like gladiolas, violas, and trillium. Also stop by the Old Forge Distillery where spirits are being infused with fresh herbs grown right in their herb garden out front, and sip on spring cocktails, like a Coconut Espresso Martini or Spring Flower Martini, inside and on the enclosed patio space. Be sure and take a moment to visit Lilly’s Garden at the entrance to the Cafe to see what else is in bloom.
In Our Shops
In Pigeon River Pottery (and our online store!), you will find our Dogwood Patterned pottery pieces have returned, along with bunny vases, bird houses, bird feeders, butterfly feeders, fairy houses, and more! And you’ll find a huge selection of one-of-a-kind vases to hold beautiful creations of spring flowers to bring spring right inside your home.
Sweet treats are everywhere! We’ve got slushies in our Old Mill Creamery so stop in and try our Wild Cherry Slushy, get a handmade Milkshake of the Month, or order a Sundae served in a keepsake pottery bowl. Fresh flavors of handmade fudge in our Candy Kitchen, and small-batch homemade Jams, Jellies, & Preserves made in our Farmhouse Kitchen. And, in May in our Old Mill Restaurant, we will feature the first batch of the season of our Heritage Strawberry Preserves at breakfast, made from locally-grown strawberries and served with fresh, hot, scratch-made biscuits!
In Our Kitchen
In our kitchen, Kimberlee, our Head Baker, has been playing with the flavors of lemon, lavender, poppyseed, strawberry, and blueberry. Strawberry cake is on the dessert menu in the Pottery House Cafe, and loaves of Blueberry Banana Bread and Lemon Poppyseed Bread (also available online), In our Farmhouse Kitchen, cookies of all flavors are ready to grab up by the handful.
We’re still turning back time with our Forgotten Recipes series this Spring. Like old family photographs, recipes passed down through the generations are something to treasure. Each stain, crease and faded handwritten note helps tell the story of that recipe, the person who made it, and how it was shared among family and friends.
Unfortunately, not all recipes are written down and far too many get lost over time to fade into memory like timeworn photos. That’s why we’ve set out to go back further than just our own families and seek out forgotten recipes that tell the story of who we are as a community and where we came from. We’re looking back to the early settlers of Pigeon Forge and all of East Tennessee, to the pioneers in not only the land they worked but the work that they pioneered in, and to the legacy they’ve left behind.
We’re digging through archives to rediscover the Forgotten Recipes of the Smokies.
Recipes
