The La Porta went down like so many before. The wild fury of a mighty hurricane soon brought Harry’s dream of pursuing great white whales to an abrupt end. By age twenty he had attained the rank of Captain on the whaling ship, La Porta. The long harpoon he kept at his side found its mark on many an unsuspecting foe.Īt a young age, the magic of the sea called to Harry like a sensuous siren. This is the saga of one such pirate, the most feared man ever to sail the Gulf - Harpoon Harry! Harry was a rogue of unparalleled cruelty to his enemies. These bandits of the seas plied the warm water off the west coast of Florida in a ruthless quest for treasure. Sunday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-1 a.m.The legend was born in a bygone era of lust, treachery and deceit – the days of the Buccaneers. Save up, plan, surprise them and get them some fresh seafood in a place where they can take cute mom-and-dad selfies in front of the massive bear fighting an eagle. So the next time your relatives come in from out of town and they insist on going to Dollywood or Gatlinburg, take them by Harpoon Harry's and buy them dinner. They have burgers, an oyster po' boy and a soft shell crab hoagie on the late night menu as well. You can still get sushi and fish and chips, but no buckets of crab. For the nights when the restaurant becomes more of a nightlife venue, they have different offerings. The late-night menu offers a more limited selection. These items are all, of course, market price. They also do bucket of king crab, snow crab, Jonah crab and Dungeness crab. In addition, they have some seafood classics like Oysters Rockefeller, grouper, rainbow trout with pecans and of course fish and chips. You know, deep fried everything, which is usual of your typical Southern style family seafood joint. Harpoon Harry's is not your typical family-style Southern seafood restaurant. "I am continuously amazed at how all of these restaurants and hotels are able to sustain themselves in this area with so much competition." I remarked. I asked her "Have you ever seen this place packed?" "Yes, well, pretty close to it anyway," she responded. We walked upstairs and she showed me a completely different bar and dining area that was almost as big as the downstairs. We talked and she gave me my obligatory water and then a tour of the place. Bartender Christina greeted me quickly and warmly. I took a seat at the bar, in front of a couple of children's coloring pages. It combines the themes of several of their restaurants into what is the Pigeon Forge Harpoon Harry's. Harpoon Harry's is a creation of Smuggler's Restaurants in Punta Gorda, Fla. It is classy Southern, as if Daniel Boone's ancestors made their money in black gold. No Rebel flags, however, and no smoking, so it isn't THAT kind of place. Directly in front of me was a sign with the band's photo and name in the shadow of a 13-foot wooden sculpture of a bear attacking an eagle. They were playing the most rocking version of "Faith" by George Michael I had ever heard. To the left as I walked in the greeters' area was a long room full of tables with a stage at the end. I walked in the front door after taking a moment to look at the menus displayed outside. Don't worry, that isn't the end of the American-as-it-gets imagery. The restaurant has a stone water wheel out front as well as a fountain with a black bear and a bald eagle. The restaurant is directly across the street from Magic Quest off the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. Harpoon Harry's is a massive restaurant that also has multiple bars and live entertainment. The final tiny, winding road took me past a graveyard that overlooked the gigantic King Kong statue on the side of the Hollywood Wax Museum. I don't often venture to Pigeon Forge, and on this night I took the back way in from Knoxville through Seymour to avoid the delays perpetually associated with traveling down 66 from I-40. Warm snaps in the middle of winter always seem to confuse nature. From my spot in the parking lot my ears were picking up the sound of birds chirping spring songs and the band playing inside Harpoon Harry's in Pigeon Forge. I rolled my windows down to take in the nearly 70-degree air on this Saturday night, the day after Christmas. The music of Tears for Fears was prominently featured in the film "Donnie Darko," specifically a cover by Gary Jules of the song "Mad World." Hence the wiki search. I must have come across the band through a random Pandora station and felt the unstoppable urge to revisit them. I found myself in the parking lot of Harpoon Harry's searching Wikipedia for the director of the movie "Donnie Darko." You see, for the last few weeks I had been in a Tears for Fears phase for some reason or another.
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