by Mike Steely | Oct 1, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely “So much fun it’s a crime” is the motto of Alcatraz East, an unusual attraction in Pigeon Forge. It looks very much like a prison on the outside and inside are several floors with displays on just about every crime and major criminal and victim you can...
by Mike Steely | Sep 17, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely We are so blessed to live in an unusual part of our nation. You may not think of it but there’s lots of places within a day’s drive where you can encounter oddities of nature and man. For instance, Cumberland and Pine Mountain in Tennessee, Virginia and...
by Mike Steely | Sep 10, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely So much violence, sadness and history is woven into the place but it’s a place you’ve got to visit and experience for yourself. Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary opened on August 4th as a tourist attraction and if you’ve ever wondered what prison life...
by Mike Steely | Aug 27, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely Looking for an afternoon drive? How about heading south along what was once the Old Federal Road? The route was first developed in a treaty in 1805 and improved in 1819 as a toll road. Today we know the basic route as Highway 411. The highway skirts the...
by Mike Steely | Aug 20, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely When I was a child the courthouse square in my small town was a hub of activity with trials during the week and also on weekends. Whittlers sat around the square on benches, trimming wood back to nothing or making axe handles and shavings...
by Mike Steely | Jul 30, 2018 | Columnist, Steely
By Mike Steely Getting away from Knoxville on an outing can be fun and educational. Don’t tell the kids it is educational, surprise them. Ever taken a day to visit the many dams in our region? People who fish know most of them, especially if they fish from shore as...
