I'm always on the lookout for pawpaw trees, so it goes without saying that on our recent trip to Gatlinburg, TN, my eyes were peeled.
We hiked over 6 miles in the mountain woods (Newfound Gap to The Jump Off) without spotting a single
A. triloba.
The next day while we were strolling along the Vegas-style Gatlinburg strip, my daughter and I decided to ride the "Skylift," a leisurely ski lift that takes you up the moutainside and back down again.
On the way down, 100 yards or so from the bottom, I happened to look down at some landscaping behind the Gatlinburg Inn.
20 feet below us stood a pair of pawpaws among some other random bushes and rocks.
Once we got off the lift, I grabbed Mr. Caimito and we went down Maple Lane, beside the Skylift, then crossed into the Gatlinburg Inn parking lot. From there, we had to hop a little stone wall to get into the garden where the pawpaws were. There were no warning signs or anything, even though we were directly below the ski lift.
We inspected the 2 trees. They were healthy by all accounts, about 10 feet tall and full of leaves, some of which were turning golden. We stuck our heads into the foliage, looking for fruit on the undersides of the branches. Sadly, there was no fruit to be found. Of course, it's quite late in the pawpaw season, so it could be that the fruit was gone or perhaps they never fruited anyway.
The trees surely were planted intentionally, given their location among a landscaped area in an "urban" setting.
I guess if we ever return to Gatlinburg we'll have to check on the trees to see if they've fruited. And now any forum member who visits this tourist trap of a town will know where to find the trees!