Mellow Mushroom Gatlinburg

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's no Mellow Mushroom in Gatlinburg right now. We kept seeing that 903 Parkway address pop up online, but when we drove by last month, it's not there. The company's been doing some major restructuring and apparently Tennessee locations got caught up in all that mess.

There used to be one right across from the Convention Center next to the Space Needle — prime real estate on the strip. Would've been great for grabbing pizza after hitting the attractions. But honestly, with how crazy expensive rent is getting on the Parkway, I'm not surprised chains are pulling out.

If you're dead set on Mellow Mushroom, there's still one in Pigeon Forge about 20 minutes down the road. Same funky murals and stone-baked pizzas, just not as convenient if you're staying in Gatlinburg proper.

We've got plenty of other pizza spots though. Smoky Mountain Brewery does decent pizza and you're already there for the beer anyway. Or hit up Dolly Parton's Stampede — okay, that's not pizza, but you get the point. Don't let one missing chain ruin your trip.