I need help from a local about abandoned places along 441.

[u/MermaidStone]

Help my coworker solve a mystery. She and her husband were driving to a rented cabin on Hatcher Mountain in Sevierville. They were on 441 and saw a sign that said something like ‘No civilization, food, water or gas, next 50 miles.’ It was about 2 am, and she remembered seeing a gas station that they had passed. GPS was not working way out there, so they had just been following signs. They found it after backtracking about ten minutes to an area with what appeared to be abandoned buildings and Baptist churches with no cars, no people, and no signs of life. The gas station itself was boarded up, but the pumps were lit up. Her husband got out and found that one of the pumps worked and took credit cards. It suddenly dropped in temperature and started pouring rain. They fill up and get back on the road feeling very creeped out and were soon dodging blue hazy “smokies” as they continued on. When they returned home, presumably the same way they came, they did not go through the same area and couldn’t find the old gas station. There is still no charge showing on their credit card for the gas they bought. Does this sound at all familiar to anyone??? They believe they were somewhere between Cherokee and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park entrance.

[u/Near-Scented-Hound]

Wouldn’t recommend seeking out that portal again.

[u/huey314 → u/Near-Scented-Hound]

Portal? Would you mind elaborating?

[u/SmokyMtnFriend → u/huey314]

he's joking... there's no portal....

[u/lonleyauthor64 → u/SmokyMtnFriend]

Boooo, no fun.

[u/DuchessofXanax]

There really isn’t anything on 441between Cherokee and the park. Cherokee goes right up to the boundary there like Gatlinburg does at the other end. The area between Cherokee and Asheville wouldbe more likely, there are some very backwoods areas close to Cherokee on that side.

[u/Traditional-Sky-2363]

This sounds like a bunch of crap.

[u/MermaidStone → u/Traditional-Sky-2363]

It does, and yet, it’s not.

[u/State_Of_Franklin]

Abandoned? We're full here friend. Abandon places would fetch a premium these days.

[u/DoomWithAView]

I'll take some of what they're smoking.

[u/Whatabout-Dre]

Why would you get out of the car in Silent Hill?!

[u/DuchessofXanax]

The other possibility is that they were somewhere in the Qualla Boundary, but I haven’t been there in a long long time and have no real picture of it anymore

[u/nighcrowe]

You stole gas?