Smoky Mountain Trout House

Rainbow trout is the fish most people link with Appalachian cooking, and the cold streams that drain the Smokies have long supported it. Smoky Mountain Trout House, at 410 Parkway in Gatlinburg, builds its menu around that fish and adds other American entrees for anyone at the table who is not in a fish mood. If you want one dinner that tastes like the region and not like a chain, this is a sensible place to aim.

• Address: 410 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738, on the main strip through downtown.
• Phone: (865) 436-5416. Call before you drive over, because published hours vary from site to site and the restaurant's own schedule is the one that counts.
• Website: the restaurant lists trouthousegatlinburg.com as its web address.
• Price: moderate. Plan on a sit-down dinner, not a quick bite.

The 400 block of the Parkway is in the walkable middle of Gatlinburg, so dinner here pairs easily with an evening stroll past the shops and sidewalk attractions. Most visitors reach town from the park on Newfound Gap Road, which ends at the first downtown stoplight. If you spent the day on a trail, remember the parking rule at the trailhead lot. Entry to Great Smoky Mountains National Park is free, but any vehicle parked longer than 15 minutes needs a parking tag ($5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annual) displayed on the dashboard. America the Beautiful and other federal passes are not accepted for it; the Park Service fees page has the details.

Gatlinburg is built for walking, and open curb space on the Parkway is rare in peak weeks. Most people leave the car at the hotel or in a paid lot and ride the free trolley system described on the Gatlinburg visitor site. Fall color weekends and summer evenings are the crowded stretches, so arriving a little ahead of the usual dinner rush saves time.

• Families who want a sit-down meal with choices beyond fish.
• Anyone curious about trout cooked the way mountain kitchens have done it for generations.
• Couples who like a casual dinner better than a formal one.

Ask your server how the trout is prepared that day, and say up front if anyone in your party avoids fish or has an allergy. If the dining room is full, put your name in and walk the block while you wait. The kitchen's seasonal menu and hours can change, so treat a phone call as part of your planning for any downtown dinner.