Hard Rock Cafe in Pigeon Forge

Pigeon Forge may not be the first place to come to mind when you think of the history of rock and roll, but the Hard Rock CafĂ© has indeed managed to carve out its own niche in the rock of the Great Smoky Mountains for over 10 years thanks to a winning combination of pop culture and great food!

This restaurant boasts 12,000 square feet and publicly seats 400 people indoors as well as an outdoor patio if you prefer to enjoy the great weather during the spring, summer and fall seasons. They even have a private area that can seat over 450 people if needed for your group or private event. Be sure to check out their live stage for entertainment and stop by the Rock Shop® to pick up a classic Hard Rock t-shirt and other souvenirs.

Are you a history buff? Well, you may want to allow for some extra time to experience the interactive Rock Wall Solo™, a 52” high-resolution screen that you can browse through their virtual music memorabilia collection.

This restaurant had originally opened in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg in 1999 and has been a big draw to locals and visitors, primarily because of the dĂ©cor, which tells the colorful history of rock music from its earliest days through today with hundreds of collectible items.

The Pigeon Forge restaurant feature 3 unique dining areas featuring memorabilia from Dolly Parton (of course), Jimmy Hendrix and Madonna. Among the most prized possessions on the walls and in the display cases are a dress shirt worn by Hank Williams, Sr., a signed guitar played by Garth Brooks, a signed bass played by Gene Simmons of Kiss, a working lyric sheet of “I Remember by Bruce Springsteen in 1971, a custom bike built by Orange County Choppers and featured on the hit TV show, a vintage dress worn by Taylor Swift on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ and much, much more!

Fun Fact: The restaurant, which has locations worldwide, got its start in London in the 1970s, when rock legend Eric Clapton was a regular at a quirky American diner called the Hard Rock Café. As a joke, he gave the owners one of his guitars to mount on the wall as a signal to mark his regular table. Other musicians like Pete Townsend of The Who began to follow suit, and thus a concept was born.

Today there are more than 70,000 guitars, drums, pianos, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, pants, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, bikes, a bus and assorted rock memorabilia—by far, the largest, most valuable such collection in the world—on the walls of more than 163 Hard Rock Cafes, hotels and casinos in 52 countries.

Be sure to add Hard Rock Cafe to your list of places to eat while staying in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or Sevierville. Don’t hesitate to give us a call or view our cabin specials in Pigeon Forge, TN. Call us at Heartland Rentals and enjoy the area’s best accommodations at affordable rates.