Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Pioneer - Pirate Statue (Gone)

This statue is no longer there. The lot has been torn down; it just sits empty.

This statue seems to be getting very run down. There were lots of no trespassing signs, so we didn't peek around to see if there were more statues.

I went exploring in Pigeon Forge and decided to have a closer look at the now-defunct Bunny Golf, which has all of the musings of an episode of Scooby Doo with its decrepit building, overgrown shrubbery, and just generally creepy and unkempt appearance.

The muffler-man-esque fiberglass wonder appears to be a miner of sorts, but I'm not quite sure how he once fit into the bunny motif. Perhaps he mined bunnies? At any rate, there was also a large portion of a fiberglass bunny in the back, but I was unable to discern exactly which portion. It was ostensibly a bunny head, but I couldn't get close enough to take a good pic. I nosed around just long enough to gain the attention of a maid at the adjacent motel, who was apparently overseeing the washing of the bedspreads at the laundry facility; however, I think she may have been an "undercover" (no pun intended) spy, based upon her choleric glare.

Pigeon Forge, not known for being low-key, has a new amazing sight, at least to me. On the corner Rt 441 and Dollywood Lane sits a deserted mini golf guarded by a large pirate. The remnants of the golf area are being used by someone to create incredible hand carved motifs for the adjoining motel, River Chase, an otherwise ordinary piece of architecture. Each window is framed by hand-painted and carved rustic scenes of animals, bears and other woodland creatures. On a roof is a moonshine still. Climbing bears appear on balconies. An altogether unusual and cool sight.

On the way to Dollywood we stumbled across a giant who appeared to be somewhere between a cowboy and a pirate. There was also a velociraptor sitting in front of an outhouse. Not sure what the business was -- looked like some sort of wooden furniture stand.