6 Best Places for Thanksgiving Dinner in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, relax and let these local restaurants do the festive cooking for you. Some restaurants create order-ahead takeout packages so you can feast at your private Smoky Mountain vacation cabin! Dine-in hours may change, so call before you head out the door. 

1. Calhoun’s

Calhoun’s serves a special Thanksgiving menu plus its regular menu of  BBQ ribs, pork and brisket, steaks, chicken, burgers, and sandwiches. Want to eat in your cabin? Order a Calhoun’s Holiday Feed Pack for a traditional turkey or prime rib dinner to serve when you please. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2. Mama’s Farmhouse

Casual, country Mama’s dishes up a down-home menu, served family style, all day long on Thanksgiving. This year’s menu is still under wraps, but expect classics like turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and luscious fruit cobblers. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

3. The Peddler Steakhouse

The Peddler is a local favorite for special occasions including Thanksgiving, when the steakhouse serves its regular menu .Famous for its extensive salad bar, The Peddler features steaks, fish, shrimp, chicken, and appetizers including oysters and baked brie. Leave room for desserts like hot blackberry cobbler, Kahlua creme brulee, or chocolate-peanut butter “mud pie”! Open 4:30 p.m to 9 p.m.

4. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

Old-fashioned Southern comfort food is Applewood’s specialty. For Thanksgiving, dine at the white farmhouse restaurant, or order the “Thanksgiving-to-Go” deal with turkey, sausage stuffing, potatoes and sweet potatoes, green beans, pumpkin pie and more. Open 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

5. The Old Mill Restaurant

Set in a historic, riverside grist mill, The Old Mill Restaurant lays on a feast of turkey, beef, ham and all the trimmings, including the mill’s signature corn chowder and corn fritters. Dine in, or order a takeout dinner in advance, then celebrate in your cozy cabin. Open 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

6. Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen

Help yourself to endless portions of holiday dishes, served family style. Paula Deen’s serves ham, turkey with dressing, roasted pork loin, and sides including broccoli cheese casserole, and candied yams. Yummy desserts like Ooey Gooey Butter Cake round out the festivities. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.