cosby – Smokies Guide

Cosby, TN

“Where Mountains Reign and Rivers Roar”

Cosby is a small town located 40 minutes outside of Gatlinburg an right on the edge of the National Park. Cosby has a few attractions and places to stop that need to be on the bucket list for any frequent visitor to the Smokies. Quiet and peaceful, Cosby will surprise but everything it has to offer.

Like most of the Smokies, the Cherokee had made this area their home early in the life of their massive civilization. European settlers soon were making incursions into the area that would be Cosby and established settlements and forts. But why is it called Cosby. There are two trains of thought as to the naming of this area. One is that it was named after a trapper and distiller named Jonathan Cosby or that it was named after a Revolutionary War veteran, Dr James Cozby. Either way, it took its name from someone in the area that laid claim to the area at one point or another.

Cosby is famous for the moonshining that took place in the early 20^th century. To East Tennesseans, Cosby has been known as “The Moonshine Captial of the World.” The farmers of the area grew corn and to supplement their income they began to turn some of that corn into moonshine. The moonshine industry grew due to the fact that the coves and valleys of the mountains helped to hide the moonshiners and their stills.

Stats

5,201 population
1,055’ (average altitude)
35°49′2″N 83°14′49″W
Cocke County

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Cosby, TN - “Where Mountains Reign and Rivers Roar” Cosby is a small town located 40 minutes outside of Gatlinburg an right on the edge of the National Park. Cosby has a few attractions and places to stop that need to be on the bucket list for any frequent visitor to the Smokies. Quiet and peaceful, Cosby will … Continue reading "Cosby, TN"
On Cosby - Cosby, TN celebrates all that it is and has become every year each spring and fall called: On Cosby. And if you like local Smoky Mountain crafts, this is as good of a festival as the area offers. Crafters of all kinds selling their wares – from homespun crafts to local authors, you can easily … Continue reading "On Cosby"
Carver’s Orchard - If you ever find yourself in Cosby, Tn, make sure you ask the locals about a little place called Carver’s Orchard. There, you’ll not only find the orchard, you’ll also find a farmer’s market and a restaurant at Carver’s that boasts one of the best fried apple pies in East Tennessee. Carver’s Orchard is a … Continue reading "Carver’s Orchard"

On Cosby

Cosby, TN celebrates all that it is and has become every year each spring and fall called: On Cosby. And if you like local Smoky Mountain crafts, this is as good of a festival as the area offers. Crafters of all kinds selling their wares – from homespun crafts to local authors, you can easily lose track of the day going from booth to booth browsing through all the local goods.

On Cosby isn’t just for crafters, everyone from local politicians to nonprofit groups set up booths here. You definitely don’t want to miss the various culinary offerings at the On Cosby festival. Besides being a great local festival, On Cosby is held at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Let me reiterate that the craft show is the major draw to the On Cosby festival. Featuring over 50 vendors each year, it’s an eclectic festival that incorporates both traditional mountain crafts and a number of items that would surprise you, and that are new to most. Crafters will still be heavy on popular sellers – lots of quilts, bears and log cabin home décor that are always sought out locally. You’ll also find Southern favorites such as the hillbilly wine glasses and paintings on old barn boards. The crafts-people at On Cosby are especially talented and it shows in their work. Things that you might discard become a work of art to some and an item that you may have not even thought twice about; it really is a “someone’s junk is another’s treasure” scenario. This past year, there was even a local author promoting and selling autographed copies of her book, the topic of which centers around the Smokies.

Being that it’s a small town festival, everybody who’s anybody locally is bound to show up. On Cosby’s back row of booths is a local politician’s dream that is only equaled by the number of nonprofit groups promoting their upcoming charities and trying to get people involved. Girls Scouts selling brownies and cupcakes is always a crowd pleaser, and why wouldn’t it be. Beside the girl scouts is a church youth group raising money for a trip, followed by people working for the Appalachian Bear Rescue. And while people continue to speak about the issues, gain signatures, and recruit volunteers, people are eating and the entertainment goes on.

You’ll find the main stage at the festival’s center, literally. Over the next three days, there will be more bluegrass played on this stage than you can shake a stick at. Gospel is big as well and always draws a big crowd to root on their favorite local group or singer.

Make sure to visit the moonshine exhibit as well and take a trip back to Cosby’s past. The festival’s presentation shows how Cosby became the moonshine capital of the Smokies.

Various food tents and booths align the front of the festival and rightly so as most are overcome by all the sensual smells upon entrance. Numerous foods to eat by hand as well as full meals make up theses tents, many with smoky wafting above. Soon, the smell of BBQ over takes your lungs followed by a buttery fragrance that signals the popping of popcorn, cotton candy not far off either. The breeze brings the sound of children lining up for delicious ice cream, despite the apparent coolness of the fall air. On Cosby is definitely a local festival not to be missed. Bring your appetite; a chair to relax in, feel free to dance and listen to the music; and bring the kids along for a weekend you’re sure not to forget.

Carver’s Orchard

If you ever find yourself in Cosby, Tn, make sure you ask the locals about a little place called Carver’s Orchard. There, you’ll not only find the orchard, you’ll also find a farmer’s market and a restaurant at Carver’s that boasts one of the best fried apple pies in East Tennessee.

Carver’s Orchard is a well-marked spot and easy to locate. Carver’s, surrounded by apple trees, really is a roadside wonder. The best way to reach Carver’s is to follow Hwy 321 out of Gatlinburg. The intersection of 321 and the Parkway is at traffic light No. 3 and it will take you straight out of town and past the Great Smoky Mountains Arts and Crafts community. The route from traffic light No. 3 in Gatlinburg to Carver’s Orchard is a hare above 22 miles and takes you through the Smokies and its natural beauty. You’ll pass the Greenbrier area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on your way before turning off at the Cosby Campground exit. Eventually you will end up in the middle of Cosby, TN.

Cosby’s beauty certainly shines through at Carver’s Orchard. Apples that grow on the trees in the orchard are processed there. In all, there are more than 40,000 trees to pick from during the process. Included in the orchard are 126 varieties of apple, from standard fare to heirlooms. Literally thousands of apples are processed during the annual harvest. These delicious red apples of various sizes and shapes roll down the conveyor belts to be sorted by hand into bushels. Next, the bushels are packed up for the farmer’s market or loaded on to trucks to be shipped out across the country. The apples that find their way to the farmer’s market floor are then judged by cooks and apple coinsurers before the best are picked. Most markets will even let you sample the apple before you buy it just so you know you’re buying the best of the bushel.

The orchard’s restaurant also benefits from the yearly yield. Appalachian home cooking abounds at Carver’s. A basket of apple fritters is brought out as a starter for each meal as well as a glass of cider. This is quite a beginning and some would even say they could make a meal out of it. Still, if you chose to stop you wouldn’t be able to experience the rest of the menu. The catfish is a particular favorite. They have a wide selection of sandwiches and if you’re out that way early enough you can even get breakfast served to you. And don’t forget to order a slice of Carver’s fried apple pie for desert. It’s definitely not to be missed.

To put it simply, their fried apple pies are amazing. This area is a haven for foodies and when you’re searching for something good, yet off the beaten path and away from the city, Carvers can’t be beat. And not only are they sold in the restaurant, you can purchase their pies in the pastry as well. Have one with ice cream or by itself. A Carver’s Orchard fried apple pie will leave you full and dreaming of the next time you’re in Cosby, Tn. Fried apple pies carry a bit of southern charm and take you back to the good ole days as folks around here like to talk about. If you or someone you know haven’t gotten to taste one, run out quick to Carver’s Orchard in Cosby, Tennessee.