This year, we planned our spring break trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The weather was still a little too cold for the beach and it had been almost a year since we had visited the mountains. It had been several years since Chris or I had been to Gatlinburg, so it seemed like it was a good time to visit. I went with my family as a kid or young teen and still have vague memories of visiting Ripley's Believe It or Not and Clingman's Dome.
We originally planned to stay in a cabin between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for three nights, but when Chris and I discussed the drive time from Montgomery to Gatlinburg, we realized that we wouldn't have much time to enjoy the area, so we decided to leave a day early. I booked a last-minute reservation at the Mountain Breeze Motel in Pigeon Forge for the first night, and we left a little after lunchtime.
As we drove into Pigeon Forge that evening, Chloe and Evan were in awe! It wasn't the city I remembered, but as I explained earlier, the few memories I had of it were vague. The drive into Pigeon Forge down the Parkway can best be described as a drive down the strip of a Kiddie Vegas with its many attractions and bright lights. Although the kids would never admit it, they were beyond excited! After hours of driving, Chris was beyond tired and wanted to relax in our room. The kids begged for a night out on the town, but we checked into our room and decided to let the fun begin the following morning. The motel wasn't anything fancy, but they had freshly popped popcorn and homemade cookies, along with a heated outdoor pool. Surprisingly, the room was quiet despite being on the main strip. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who wasn't too concerned about amenities and was more concerned about value.
Day 1
The next morning, we went to the Apple Barn and Cider Mill for lunch, which was just a short drive from the motel. We visited the gift shop and picked up a couple of bottles of apple cider. My peach apple cider was delish!
It seemed like every restaurant in the area had its own complimentary starter. Apple fritters and muffins served with apple butter? Don't mind if I do!
After lunch, we drove towards Gatlinburg. We stopped at the Scenic Overlook first.
The kids were most excited about snowtubing, so we decided to knock that out at Ober Gatlinburg. It was loads of fun!
After snowtubing, the kids ice skated while Chris and I relaxed. Us old folks get tired easily.
We checked into our cabin and then ventured into Downtown Gatlinburg for dinner. We learned about the free/cheap parking a couple of days too late and paid a premium price ($20!) to park right off the main strip of Gatlinburg. We walked up and down the strip. I had to stop and pose with the same 10,000 pound floating granite ball that astounded me as a kid!
We ultimately decided on Ole Red for dinner. They had live entertainment and the atmosphere was great. The food was good, but if I'm being honest, it's not the reason you eat at Ole Red. I can buy hamburgers and tater tots for a lot less!
Day 2
The following day, we knew we were in for a rainy day, so we planned on indoor activities.
Our first stop was Crockett's Breakfast Camp for breakfast at lunchtime.
This was a place that I kept running across when googling the best restaurants in the area. I figured that it was a tourist trap given its location and kitschy theme, but y'all, it was the BEST. BREAKFAST. EVER! A regional favorite is trout, so I ordered the pecan crusted trout skillet. I really should have held that biscuit in my hand, so you could have some perspective. It was huge! Their specialty were the griddle cakes. Yum-oh!
After lunch, we headed to to the Ripley's Aquarium along with half of the other tourists visiting Gatlinburg on that day. I guess lots of people had the same idea on this rainy day.
After the aquarium, we drove to the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community. I read about the area before our trip and knew I wanted to pick a few souvenirs from the shops, like a coffee cup from Alewine Pottery....
...and a vacation ornament from Tim Weberding Woodworking. I like to buy ornaments for our Christmas tree when I'm on vacation. It's my thing. Evan decided on a small wood basket from Weberding Woodworks for his souvenir.
We picked up some pizza and headed back to the cabin to retire for the night.
Day 3
Although I did research for months before our vacation, nothing was really preplanned. We had a "might do" list. Nothing, with the exception of our knife making lessons at Iron Mountain Metal Craft that we had planned for our final full day of our trip. As a family, one of the shows we enjoy watching is Forged in Fire. Robby Bowman, A.K.A. the Smoky Mountain Cowboy, a contestant on one of the shows caught our attention. I googled his name to see if he had a shop in the area that we could visit. Chris and Evan both have knife collections, so I thought it might be a nice souvenir to add to their collections. Lo and behold, not only did he have a shop, but he also offered knife making lessons, so I scheduled bladesmithing lessons for Chris and the kids.
We were up for anything that afternoon, but although we had driven through parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our way from one place to another, we had yet to actually visit the park. We decided to spend our afternoon in the park.
We stopped at Goats on the Roof on Wears Valley Road on the way. Evan fed the goats on the roof, while Chris and Chloe rode the Goat Coaster. We read an article the following week that someone actually fell off of one of these mountain coasters (there are several in the area), but survived with a few broken bones and bruises. Ouch!
After our pitstop, we drove to Cades Cove Loop in the Smokies. We took several pictures along the way. I used my phone, but Chloe used the good camera for landscape pictures that she hopes to enter in at Girls' Camp this summer. Our fingers are crossed that we'll actually have a camp this summer.
Our scenic drive and stops took several hours. We ate dinner at Bennett's BBQ and then started to head back to the cabin to call it a night. I had hoped to have time to take a dip in the hot tub one last time, but Chloe had to have a specific souvenir tee, which took over an hour to find.
Day 3 1/2
The next morning, we packed and checked out of the cabin. Chris had to be at work at 6:00pm that night, so we didn't have time for much. We would've gone back to Crockett's if we had enough time. Seriously, it was that good! Chris remembered the world's largest knife store from his last visit, so we did make time for one final pitstop there on the way home. Smoky Mountain Knife Works is a knife collectors dream store! The store was massive with a collection to match! The kids also liked the relics room.
That sums up our spring break trip. Gatlinburg was a little different than I was expecting, definitely a little more commercialized and touristy than I remembered. However, we were never lacking for anything to do and would not have lacked, even if we had stayed longer. A trip to Gatlinburg is definitely what you make of it. Our kids were more interested in the attractions and Chris and I are always on the hunt for good restaurants, so that's what we did in our short time there. However, I really wish we would have had more time to hike in the park and spend time at the cabin...maybe on a future trip a few years from now. It was a great vacation where we made lots of memories. I am so grateful for all of God's blessings on our family and experiences like these that we can enjoy together.
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