Category: For the Love of Gatlinburg Podcast

Season Two opens with a family affair — Tom Goodwin welcomes daughter Phoebe as co-host for a heartfelt look back at growing up in Gatlinburg, visiting grandparents Dot and Ralph Ogle, and the memories that keep families coming back. ...

Kelly Haas visited Gatlinburg every year for 30 years before finally moving here for good. She shares her front-row experience of the 2016 fires, the surprising challenges of relocating, and how she turned decades as a guest into a job at Mountain Laurel Chalets. ...

Jason White grew up folding sheets in his family's Chalet Village real estate office. Now he leads the rebuild of The Highlands after the 2016 fires — and shares the story of his own wedding, held in the dining room atop Mount LeConte. ...

Mike Fowler fell in love with Gatlinburg on his honeymoon in 2003. Now he runs Fowler Clay Works in the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community and serves on the Gatlinburg CVB board, championing the artisans who shape the town's character. ...

Kay Cox King's family helped build Gatlinburg's first hotel and its first school. After 35 years at Mountain Laurel Chalets, she shares her family's 13-generation history, a lifetime of bear encounters, and what keeps her rooted in these mountains. ...

Johnny Baker's family came to Gatlinburg for candy, not moonshine — but he now helps run the world's largest moonshine company. He shares family history, a wild NASCAR connection, and what "Mountain Tough" meant during the 2016 fires. ...

Junior Watson's family has called Gatlinburg home since the 1700s — seven generations deep. As Food City's manager and a longtime Rotarian, he shares his roots, his hopes for the town's future, and what it means to "leave it like I got it." ...

Susie Greengold's family history in Gatlinburg predates the town itself — back to 1700s settlers William and Jane Huskey Ogle. She shares stories of growing up where Ober Mountain and SkyPark now stand, and the legacy she carries on today. ...

Randy Watson's grandparents lived in the Smokies before the national park existed. Now, after 48 years at Gatlinburg SkyPark, he shares family history, his life as a bluegrass musician, and how the 2016 fires reshaped the mountain forever. ...

Mark Adams came to Gatlinburg from Atlanta and was "baptized by fire" within months, leading tourism through the 2016 wildfires and COVID. Now CEO of Ober Mountain, he shares the story behind its nostalgic rebrand and new attractions. ...