Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg, Tennessee: Review

Gatlinburg, with its five-star hotels, wide variety of restaurants, and world-class skiing, has something to do for just about everyone. Many major cities have been home to a Hard Rock Cafe, and on September 5, 1999, our little mountain resort town officially joined the list. The Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg is an impressive 2-story brick building with a steep hipped metal roof, nicely matching the local mountain architecture. Situated just about 100 yards away from the intersection of US 441 and US 321, its huge orange Gretsch Country Gentleman sign with its golden neon strings dominates the city lights at night.

Although this is most definitely not the first time we walked through the shiny brass-framed glass doors, I must say it always feels like a special occasion every time we come here. As usual, there is a pretty good crowd here on a Saturday night, and therefore a pretty god little wait to be seated. But waiting for a table at the Hard Rock isn't all that bad (at least for us), because you have plenty cool stuff to look at, like autographed pictures of famous rock n' roll personalities, as well as memorabilia such as gold records and actual instruments used by rock n' roll royalty!

Also, there's a little merchandise shop right next to the waiting area (convenient, huh?) that sells T-shirts, ball caps, tote bags, hoodies, and other little impulse items to browse through while waiting for their table (even a very nice leather jacket with the Hard Rock logo embroidered on the back). Most folks just cannot resist buying at least a T-shirt, if only to prove to their friends and family back home that they've actually been here! As an added convenience, any merchandise purchased at the Hard Rock Cafe can be added to your total bill at the end of your meal.