Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with all of the outlet malls as one of the main attractions, along with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of visiting the Smokies, beyond the shopping, the attractions, theme parks and many events to keep us busy, there are many historical locations that combine the Fun Things to Do with a bit of history.
The Old Mill water-powered gristmill, in the heart of Pigeon Forge, was built more than 200 years ago to supply the earlier settlers to the area with much needed flour and meal. The Mill was built on the edge of the Little Pigeon River named after the carrier pigeons that would flock and nest along the river banks since the 1790s. As the area became more settled and began to grow, an innovative American by the name of Isaac Love, developed and set up an iron forge in the region which became the area's very first business in 1820. With The Old Mill along the Little Pigeon River and the onset of the iron forge, Pigeon Forge was named.
 Throughout all of these years, The Old Mill has been supported by massive river rocks along the Little Pigeon's banks and is a working mill to this day. Because of the basic need of food, the mill became not only the place to buy meal and flour for cooking, but a popular gathering place for the hearty pioneering individuals who settled in the Smokies to assemble and socialize.Although much has changed since the 19th century, the rustic and charming Old Mill is still water-powered by the Little Pigeon River, as it always has been, with an age-old system of pulleys, belts and shafts to turn the big wheel that grinds the grains into flour and meal.
Two hundred years later, this charmer of old still remains a place where people go to socialize but with a modern twist. Nowadays, there are community events at Patriot Park, concerts, sidewalk festivals, arts and crafts shops and restaurants where not only the carrier pigeons but the people flock even yet. As the old saying goes, "The more things change, the more they remain the same."
 The Old Mill also has its own restaurant providing a restful place for the weary to relax and enjoy a down-home Southern style breakfast, lunch or dinner amid the shopping or activities. Each table setting is unique and set with local handmade pottery, small pottery vases with fresh flowers adorn the tables. The atmosphere is eclectic and appealing when sitting among the varied antique settings and furnishings. The churning of the big wheel and the rushing water over the dam creates the soothing and calming background that just adds to the ambiance and feeling of being in another space and time from the hustle and bustle of a modern world.  There is also a general store within the Mill where the flour and meal produced by this historic working gristmill can still be purchased, as well as the country charm of the various sundries one would expect to find in a general store of old. The Old Mill Toy Bin is sure to delight the youngsters, and treat parents and grandparents to a nostalgic trip back in time to the days of wooden games, toys, rocking horses and little red wagons.The Old Mill is visited by more than 10 million people who are just traveling through, or the local residents, every single year. This Old Mill is also on the list of the National Register of Historic Places to see and visit and has become "one of the most photographed mills" in the United States.
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