Walden's Landing Shopping Center - Pigeon Forge, TN

When the plans for this mall came out in open, many people thought that it would be filled to capacity on a daily basis. The whole village like feel to the design plus the huge putt putt golf centerpiece seemed like a sure fire winner and quite a few franchises rushed like mad to be a part of it. It seemed perfect.

What really happened is a different beast altogether. There are many reasons as to why Walden's Landing has never taken off like it was supposed to. First off, all blame starts at the top - the management. My first piece of evidence - www.waldenslanding.com. You probably clicked on the link already and noticed that it hasn't been built yet. Good observation. An even better one would be to note that the site was been in this state since before the mall was built back in 2005.

Why would a website mean anything to the state of a mall? Well, it points out the start of a pattern where the powers overseeing the mall simply do not spend the kind of money needed to advertise for it. Several malls in the area have billboards (Tennessee's State Tree btw) showcasing their venues. You would be very hard pressed to find something with Walden's Landing on it.

Follow this up with what stores they let into the location. Some are good while others a sure fire misses that give the mall its now much deserved "here today, gone tomorrow" reputation. Couple that with the somewhat unexplainable lack of shoppers and its a recipe for disaster. More than a healthy share of stores have come and gone in the time that it has been opened. All complaining about the lack of foot traffic and poor sales.

All of this being said, you are probably wondering why I wrote all of this. Well, its the leadup to saying to scratch this mall off of your "places to go" list at least until management decides to actually promote it and improve its shop selection. The quality of shops there is kind of in a nose dive. Each dying one replaced by a lesser entity.

That all being said, if you do find yourself there, a few notable exceptions are the following:

• Red Rocket - Your local mall might have an equivalent but overall its retro 80's and 90's gear and gifts are pretty fun to pick through.
• Master's Editions Art Gallery - Godard art and Rod Chase. Less hokey canvases and pretty interesting to browse.
• The Brewery - Half Priced Hamburgers on Wednesdays. Need I say more?
• Calhouns - A very good place to eat. Try their dips and their ale steaks.
• Verbenna's - I may have mispelled the name but its like a more natural Bath and Body Works.

Well, enough meandoring for now.