Pigeon Forge, The Bizarre Town Where 'Bad Vegan's' Sarma Was Hiding Out, Is A 'Fever Dream'

Netflix released its new limited true crime series Bad Vegan, and audiences across the globe can't look away.

The series centers Sarma Melngailis, a vegan covergirl and former restaurant owner of a popular raw vegan hot spot in Manhattan that ends up arrested in a bizarre Tennessee town called Pigeon Forge.

Sarma's eatery Pure Food and Wine closed its doors for good in 2015, after a string of shady events lead to unpaid worker wages, and big-time investors being left out to dry.

Sarma and her then-husband Anthony Strangis spent the following months on the lam, and passed their final weeks hiding in one of America's strangest tourist towns.

The couple was eventually discovered in a Fairfield Inn in Pigeon Forge, TN after Strangis ordered pizza under his real name to his motel room.

But what's the deal with Pigeon Forge? And how did the couple end up there?

“It’s very easy for people to blend in here,” says Sevier County Police Department Det. Ray Brown in the four-episode documentary. It's speculated the pair fled to Pigeon Forge due to it being an area with lots of tourism.

Located up in Great Smoky Mountains, this bizarre city is nothing short of a "fever dream."

The Pigeon Forge Parkway hosts a handful of visually arresting tourist destinations such as a Titanic Museum, where the building itself is a giant replica of the ship.

A bit further up the road is Goats on the Roof, where guests can pedal a bicycle that sends food up to live goats... on a roof.

If that isn't exciting enough for you, visitors can also ride The Goat Coaster - their downhill rollercoaster that operates rain, snow, or shine with rider-operated breaks.

Other attractions include Paula Deen's Lumberjack Feud Show & Adventure Park, the Hollywood Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not!, Biblical Times Dinner Theater, and WonderWorks a children's museum in an upside-down building.

Perhaps, the biggest attraction in this Tennessee anomaly is Dollywood! Dolly Parton's iconic theme park hosts over 3 million visitors annually.

We may never know the true reason behind Sarma and Anthony's journey down South, but Pigeon Forge definitely offers lots of eye-catching elements that is sure to capture people's attention elsewhere.

If you ever visit this unique town, be sure to stop by Chipotle to have the full Sarma experience!

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.