PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — If you love pumpkins, and I know it is hard for University of Kentucky fans to love anything orange the same week UK is playing football against No. 3 Tennessee, there is not a better place to be than Dollywood.
There are over 13,000 pumpkins on display at the park for a few more days as part of Dollywood’s Harvest Festival.
The pumpkins have a magical glow after dark but I also think it is really cool to see them during the day as you stroll through the park or at dusk. I like to look at all the magnificent detail that goes into carving so many pumpkins and putting them in such intricate designs.
I have to admit the huge guitar was probably my favorite design but there were none that I did not like and based on the reactions from many others at the park Monday, they felt the same way.
However, I decided to take a slightly different approach to my annual fall visit. As much as I enjoyed the music of special guest Rhonda Vincent, a multi-instrumentalist and Bluegrass music star (I also found out last night that UK super fan J.D. Shelburne and her will combine on a show soon), and some others, it was all about the food and enjoying the fall colors while I ate.
During this festival, Dollywood offers a tasting pass for $34.99 that allows you to try five special festival foods. Here were my five favorites (in no particular order because they were all great).
— Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo with White Cheddar Grits: This was creole chicken and sausage gumbo over stone ground grits with cheese, bacon and fresh scallions. I happened to be in line with a couple from New Orleans and they said it “easily the best food in the park.”
— Bush’s® Three Bean Pumpkin Chili: This was a three-bean pumpkin chili I could not resist. I am not a pumpkin eater but the child had ground bison, beef and Monterey Jack cheese. Plus it was topped with a cornbread crumble. I could not taste the pumpkin but it had a great flavor and thickness. I believe both myself and former UK punter Max Duffy would have given this chili five stars if it had been entered in the chili contest we judged at Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville recently.
— Sweet Potato Poutine: Apparently this is considered a Canadian treat that I knew nothing about. But how could you resist a dish that had crispy sweet potato cross-cut fries topped with smoked bacon, white cheddar cheese sauce and crispy onion straws. You needed a fork to eat this dish but it was so good.
— Pulled Pork Sandwich with Pumpkin BBQ Sauce: Again, I had no idea what this kind of BBQ sauce would taste like or if I would like it. But the pulled pork looked great and so did the coleslaw going on the brioche-style bun. The sauce was tangy but sweet and really good. Again, not really a pumpkin taste to me but I loved it.
— Apple Dumpling with Ice Cream: There were a lot of other great foods (smoked andouille sausage mac & cheese, bratwurst with red cabbage jam, pumpkin sausage pizza) but how could you not have a dessert. This combined baked apples and savory spices in a pastry dumpling with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with warm caramel sauce.
Let me just say — the $35 for the tasting pass was money well spent and my only regret is that I can’t go back today and try five more of those festival favorites.
