Back of the Dragon Brewery — Restaurant in Tazewell

I have taken this ride twice in my young life and I have to say that this establishyia the cornerstone of the motorcycle community. When I moved here from Detroit everyone told me that this was a young riders right of passage if your within riding distance, being from the city I figured I would find a very small mom and pop store at the begenning...but no I was blown away not only by the architecture, the rustic meets modern vibe, and the graciousness of the people there.

I was able to go a second time yesterday for the festival and I met Mr.Davidson...he would probably tell me to call him Larry, very humble very very smart business man. He promotes a family friendly atmosphere and I would even take my cage out and take the whole family there just because of that. He talked with me and gave me solid advice and didn't mind to talk to a young guy for a minute and give him that advice. That is the kind of business owners we need in this world...he could have been cold or indifferent but he TRULY cares about you enjoying yourself while you're there. He and his daughter were warming and gracious hosts I can't say enough thank you both and all...

Update – 5 years later The road is still absolutely amazing! The ride never disappoints. The souvenir shop/food/bar is decent—love the patches, stickers, and shirts.

But… $4.50+ for a beer? This is Tazewell, not Carowinds. We hung around for over an hour and didn’t see a single person at the “beer wall.” Once we realized it was 50¢ an ounce, it made sense. I get that this is a tourist spot, but please don’t turn it into a tourist trap. Bikers won’t put up with that—they’ll try it once, then move on.

If it keeps up, another spot in town will grab the riders while this one turns into just a shirt stop for yuppies. Honestly, I miss the old double-wide that used to be here. As for me, I’ll grab my beer down the road.

Great road. Beautiful scenery. Tight curves. Nice little souvenir shop. Life size dragon in front. Shirts, stickers and patches all to commemorate the ride on 16 - Back...

I finaly made this a stop on my trek down to the Smokys. It was worth it! From a guy who has run 129 a bunch of times and finally completed 2 full north and south runs of Moonshiner and Devils Triangle, this definitely ranks up with them.

Some turns on the Back made me feel like I was back on the Tail. After the 32 miles of these twisters, you are ready for a break.

The beer was good and the "sidecar" sandwich was a pretty good wind down to my wild trip and that day.

Having I-77 nearby with its tunnels, and some good accommodations just west of the center of Tazwell helps.

Hope to be back someday. I wish you guys all the luck in the world. Great road, great marketing, beautiful views and the allure to the area makes this a...