Strolling into Historic Downtown Sevierville , I’m immediately struck (as anyone would be) by the majestic spire on top of the Sevier County Courthouse. Visible from all corners of town, the clocktower looks like a wedding cake dancing atop the Beaux Arts portico. I walk across the lawn to study the statue of Sevierville’s most famous hometown celebrity: Dolly Parton. Dedicated in 1987, Dolly holds her guitar while sitting atop a rock, swinging her bare feet and smiling that wide, sweet smile. I wait my turn to pose for a selfie. Even in bronze, she draws crowds.

Beside this enchanting Dolly statue is a kiosk with two brochures listing points of interest and historical information dating back to the town’s founding in the late 18th century. The Historic Walking Tour describes the architectural history and provenance of 40 significant structures. The second, Sevierville Brick Walking Tour , identifies 11 buildings constructed by brick-making companies owned by local African Americans. With this information, I begin surveying my surroundings with a new eye for how this town came to be.

Architecture
You can learn a lot about a place by walking, and I decided to stretch my legs on the Sevierville Greenway that morning. The paved path skirts beside the Little Pigeon River, passing by Forks of the River Cemetery Park. Thanks to my new brochure, I discover that marauding soldiers desecrated that small graveyard during the Civil War. I also see the McMahan Indian Mound, an archeological site formerly occupied by the Dallas Phase people of Southern Appalachia.

Next, I check out the three-story Ogle Building, formerly owned by Tennessee lawyer Henry Ogle, a notable name in Tennessee. Ogle practiced law there for years, but today it’s the headquarters of Ole Smoky Distillery. My favorite stop is D Garden Floratique , owned by designer Dustin Manning. Housed inside a former brick-covered hardware store, jazz music pipes into the street beckoning me to explore the gifts, plants, furnishings, and fragrances within. Dustin uses the old screw and nail drawers to display his merchandise.

The most unified aspect of Downtown Sevierville is how many buildings were designed using brick . The colors of those bricks vary, such as gold with black specks on the Old Bank of Sevierville (the oldest building on Court Avenue) or deep rust for the Sevierville Post Office. The Sevierville Brick Walking Tour brochure states that the town invested in brick after floods and fires destroyed it more than once. Particularly interesting is knowing the companies who fabricated and laid the brick were African American masons, beginning with Isaac Dockery.

The brochure explains that Dockery built a kiln outside of town in the late 1860s. Born a free Black man, Dockery’s business flourished, and he and his family constructed nearly all the significant 20th century buildings in Sevier County. Isaac nearly died when he was captured by Confederate soldiers after refusing to reveal information about the whereabouts of his employer’s grandson, a Union Army colonel. His extended family joined Dockery in the trade, including Paris Witt McMahan, a formerly enslaved person who built the Riverside Steam Brick Company.

Local Art
Reading the brochures, it’s clear that many structures were repurposed to accommodate modern businesses. A former 700-seat theater, The Pines Downtown is now a restaurant and bar with eight duckpin bowling lanes. The mural on its outside wall is a mosaic of musicians who performed there, including June Carter Cash and ten-year old Dolly Parton. Dolly had her first paying gig there!

Sevierville’s street art has stories to tell, and I like the way visitors have options to read interpretive signage. Young Dolly appears on the Red’s Café mural capturing the moment when her father treated her to her first-ever hamburger at Red’s. The plaque includes a bar code connecting to Dolly Parton’s taped recollections of that day.

You could say Sevierville was a “whistle stop” on the railway from Knoxville 50 years ago. The service didn’t last long, because the train was slow and cars became more widely available. Honoring this history is the Tracks of Time sculpture made from original track excavated from beneath Sevierville’s streets during the 2020 renovation of downtown Sevierville.

Across from the Courthouse is a bronze figure of a pooch named Bertie the Bird Dog. Every weekday, Bertie’s owner Doctor Zachary Massey sent the dog to deliver a pouch full of receipts to Sevier County Bank. After depositing the money, Bertie returned to the office with a deposit slip. I can hardly believe this, but it’s true, and it shows what life was like in this small, friendly town.

Staying in Downtown Sevierville I continue strolling, peering into windows as new hotels, restaurants, and shops stand in various stages of development. I’ve chosen to stay at The Central Hotel with its two- or three-bedroom units that feel like having a modern apartment in town. On the ground floor of the hotel, grab a seat for dinner at Seasons 101 where award-winning Chef Deron Little’s menu reflects the freshest ingredients available in each season. In the warmer weather, the hotel’s rooftop Sky Lounge 101 offers spectacular views of the city and the mountains beyond.

For breakfast or brunch, be sure to visit Buffalo Breakfast Co., located in a revitalized building with interior walls of brick and concrete. Enjoy dishes like Goat Cheese & Peach Biscuits, Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, or the savory Southern Fried Skillet with pimento cheese biscuits, buttermilk fried chicken, collard greens, eggs, and sausage gravy. It’s another example of how Sevierville’s leaders have modernized old buildings and transformed this quiet downtown to a lively place. After my busy day, I walk back to Sevier County Courthouse, and snap some photos for a nice couple beside the Dolly statue. After all, I’ve learned a thing or two about Southern hospitality.