We started the next day with a morning walk through The Village. This is by far one of the greatest shopping areas I have ever been to. With the look and feel of a small European town and all the friendly welcome of the south, this is an absolute must on your Gatlinburg list.

We got there early and started with breakfast at the Donut Friar which was a fantastic decision. The doughnuts were fresh and made by hand and were so delicious! We may have gotten far too many for the two of us to eat but they were so good we couldn’t help ourselves.

We wandered through the shops which were interesting and clever and not anything like you would expect. These shops are specialty shops carrying a wide variety of products. We spent a lot of time in the game store looking at games inspired by escape rooms. And we spent a lot of time and money in the day hiker store. And they had a Celtic heritage store that we really loved. But all of the shops were lovely with beautiful things. We loved the artwork displayed in the windows and the bright welcoming feel of each store.

Because breakfast had been such a success and because we loved the shops so much, we decided to have lunch there too. We ate lunch at The Cheese Cupboard which was a little German place. You walk into the main part of the building and they have a small deli full of food and treats. But if you want to eat there, they have a small restaurant area upstairs. We had a large pretzel that came with beer cheese, spicy mustard, and a pumpkin sauce. The pretzel was warm and soft and the sauces were excellent. Then we had corned beef with cheese on pumpernickel and it was amazing. The food was so good that Brad thought maybe we should come back and have it again for dinner that night.

{Know if you go:: The places to eat in the Village do not accept cards or checks-they are cash only. If you don’t have cash there is an ATM in the Donut Friar and if you show your receipt from it then they will give you a free drink to go with your doughnuts. All stores will accept cards.}