Spending Time with Family in East Tennessee

Family time!  Laurie’s sister Bonnie, her husband Bill and their 11 year old granddaughter Avery spent a few days with us late in the spring season.  An 11 year old in the equation changed our usual itinerary, causing us to go places and do things that aren’t normally on our list. 

However, this particular day was fairly normal… We went for a drive and were pleased to note that Avery actually looked out the window and wasn’t buried in her smart phone!

We got a late start and decided to grab some lunch before showing Avery one of our local scenic highlights.  We stopped at the ever popular Tellico Beach drive-in restaurant and got in line.  The place was packed and the line was slow.  This restaurant is inexpensive and there are a series of picnic tables ranging along the Tellico River, very appealing to casual diners. 

However, we decided that it was too crowded, the line was too long, etc. so we headed up the road to show Avery the river and its special draw for visitors. 

FYI, the Tellico Beach Drive-In has been in business since 1962!  It’s located at 1801 Cherohala Skyway in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2606.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TellicoBeachDriveIn/.

I’ve written about Bald River Falls too many times already…but what the heck, Avery hadn’t seen them.  Many people think that these falls are the most impressive and scenic falls in East Tennessee.  In any case, Avery seemed to like the scenery and she posed on the bridge over Bald River with her grandparents.

After checking out Bald River Falls, we headed back into Tellico Plains to find a place for a late lunch.  Bonnie spotted Buckets and Brews and we decided to check it out.

Laurie and I have been living in East Tennessee for almost 10 years now and we’ve been to Tellico Plains and Bald River Falls many times.  Probably because we tend to eat at Tellico Bakery in the center of Tellico Plains, we generally bypass this restaurant and we take an alternate route home.  It turns out that Buckets and Brews has been in business for a number of years. 

Customers place their orders at the counter and the food is delivered to your table when it’s ready.  The dining area is quite expansive and there is a second room with more tables and a pool table too.  T-shirts, hats and more are offered for sale…

Entrees and sandwiches come with one side and a side salad from the salad bar.  Customers can chose a second side if they don’t want to go to the salad bar.  Sides include baked beans, coleslaw, escalloped apples and ‘smashed’ red potatoes in garlic butter. 

I think that we all opted for the salad bar.  Salad ingredients were somewhat limited but everything seemed to be fresh.

The Pulled Pork Sandwich was one of our choices. ($9.50) In this case, baked beans were the side chosen to accompany the sandwich.  The grilled bun was a plus...

Another item ordered was the Grilled Grouper Sandwich…7 oz. of grouper, blackened or grilled with garlic herbs with a side of coleslaw. ($11.50)

Two of us ordered burgers.  This one was sided with baked beans.  The 4 oz. burgers are $8.50 and an 8 oz. version was $11.50.  Cheese, shallots or mushrooms were 50 cents extra.  The burgers were cooked a bit more than we like but they were still juicy…

Bill is a seafood junkie!  He went for the Low Country Boil ($16.00), something you wouldn’t expect on a menu in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  His entrée came with a side salad.  The entrée itself included Dungeness crab, shrimp, red potatoes, corn, plus kielbasa and andouille sausage.

The staff was helpful and friendly but we weren’t overly impressed by the food.  It was OK but it wasn’t anything really special.  Still, it was a decent place to stop for lunch.

Buckets and Brews Bistro and Banquet Hall is located at 123 Main Street in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2322.  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BucketsBrewsBistro/.

Much later in the day, we found ourselves at Wild Wing Café in Farragut Tennessee.  Examining the photo, you might be able to deduct the reason for our destination.  Our visitors from St. Louis were all glued to the tube! This giant sports bar put us in a corner and turned 4 of the TVs onto the channel carrying the St. Louis Blues Hockey playoffs vs. the Boston Bruins.  Sadly, St. Louis lost this game…but they did win the series and The Stanley Cup Trophy!

We had a lot of wings and a bit of beer while watching the game.  Thanks to Wild Wing staff for their help and hospitality.  This restaurant is located at 11335 Campbell Lakes Drive in the Turkey Creek shopping area.  Phone: 865-777-9464.  This location’s Website is at: https://www.wildwingcafe.com/locations/knoxville-tn.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave