Famous Celebrities Who Love Gatlinburg

Our Fourth of July parade is famous in its own right, and so are its Grand Marshals. This year, country music artist Logan Crosby will serve as Grand Marshal of the 50th Annual July 4th Midnight Parade. Starting just after the clock strikes midnight, Gatlinburg’s parade holds the distinction each year of the first Independence Day parade in the nation. Celebrities participating in past Gatlinburg parades include Colton Dixon, Hunter Girl, Harlem Globetrotters, Rachel Grant, Emily Ann Roberts, Canaan Smith and Mark Wills.

Set your vacation to the groove of your favorite crooner at one of Gatlinburg’s celebrity-owned, music-themed outposts. Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Resort Gatlinburg brings the tropics to the mountains, with island themed accommodations, food and wellness offerings at St. Somewhere Spa. Blake Shelton’s Ole Red Gatlinburg features scratch-made meals, drinks and music fit for a honky tonk. Also on the Parkway, Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar is a hotspot for live country music and its premium casual menu.

Myron Mixon might not be a musician, but the 5-time World Champion Pitmaster makes BBQ that sings. Taste for yourself at Myron Mixon BBQ Co., where you can sample his legendary Southern barbeque and sides.

If hard-pressed to name the unofficial theme song of East Tennessee, Rocky Top would come to mind for many. An anthem of University of Tennessee athletics, where the Pride of the Southland marching band has played a version of it since the 1970s, the song, Rocky Top was written right here in Gatlinburg! Felice and Boudleaux Bryant penned the song in room 388 of the Historic Gatlinburg Inn, which has hosted other famous guests including Tennessee Ernie Ford, Lady Bird Johnson, JCPenney, Dinah Shore and Liberace.

From weddings to wrestling, songwriting to movie making, Gatlinburg has seen stars in action for decades. Gatlinburg got its own closeup in the 1970 movie "A Walk in the Spring Rain" starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. Billy Ray Cyrus tied the knot here at Cupid's Chapel of Love. Celebs and dignitaries love a Smoky Mountain getaway too, with past guests including Bill Clinton, Ashley Judd, Miranda Lambert, Phil Mickelson, Shaquille O’Neal and Lee Ann Womack. The WWE’s Kevin Owens, Ricky Morton and Sgt. Slaughter have also found their way to Gatlinburg! 

Dolly Parton’s amusement park, Dollywood might be up the road in Pigeon Forge, but no Smoky Mountain celebrity roundup would be complete without a nod to East Tennessee’s most iconic daughter. Claiming no relation to Dolly, Parton’s Deli in Gatlinburg is legendary in its own right. The area’s oldest continuously operating family deli, Parton’s Deli features incredible food – and is the subject of an online legend surrounding the oddly parked black BMW outside.