Our Gatlinburg Adventure (COMPLETE!) *** Conclusion added 10-07-06 *** About This Page:

[Colexis Mom]

What great pictures Christie [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] I'm glad you had a great last evening! Sorry it's all coming to an end [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[christiejay]

Day 9 - Saturday, July 8, 2006

Finally the end of our trip had arrived, and we had to load up the truck to go home. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] It didn't seem too hard to get our things together, I guess since we were in the room so much during the week I was able to keep things organized a little better than on other trips. As expected, the hardest part was putting all the leftover food and drinks back in the proper places so nothing would get smushed, and trying to find the correct way to put everything into the cooler so that it would all fit. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] We made sure we didn't forget anything in the room, then drove around to check out. That was quick and easy and we were soon on our way. We had wanted to leave by 8, but as it always seems to happen, it was 9 before we pulled out.

We had decided to drive home through Maryville, so we drove up to Pigeon Forge one last time, turned at Light #3, and made our way through Wear Valley and Townsend, then eventually Maryville and on to I-75 at Lenoir City. We drove a little bit before I asked Jay if we were going to follow tradition and have lunch at Cracker Barrel. Somehow he agreed, and we stopped at the one in Cleveland. It was kind of hard to get into the parking lot, and it was crowded, but still yummy. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/facelick.gif[/img] I got my usual Old Timer's Breakfast, Jay got the chicken fried steak, and Joshua had a hamburger. At some point before lunch, we had also stopped for gas, although I can't remember where - I think it might have been either Sweetwater or Athens. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Making our way through Chattanooga over to I-59, Jay asked if I wanted to stop to do anything. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] I love everything there is to do on Lookout Mountain, and we still hadn't taken Joshua to see any of it, but that is really best left for a day when you're fresh and have lots of time. We were so tired from our busy week, and I was hoping Joshua would get a nap soon, so I told Jay to keep on driving. Besides, we were planning on vacationing in north Georgia next summer, and had already discussed taking a day trip to Lookout Mountain while there. So it would all work out. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]

Coming into Alabama, we stopped at their state welcome center to use the restroom. We also picked up a new Alabama map, and then were ready to do some more driving. This is also the time zone change line/thingy/whatever, so we gained an hour here as well. I have written down in my trip notebook that we stopped for gas in Tuscaloosa, but I don't have that on my PassPocket, so I'm not sure it's true! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] I don't think we would have needed to stop for gas so soon, but surely we did gas up again somewhere before arriving home. Well, so much for my note-taking skills at this point! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

We made another rest stop at the Mississippi state welcome center, and grabbed a snack from our stash while we were here. You can tell I was tired and cranky because when I was washing my hands in the restroom (automatic faucets) I almost snapped at an older lady who was asking me how to turn the water on. I told her to just put her hands under the faucet, but it was like she was trying to grab the faucet with her hands. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I told her again to just put them under the faucet, then I knew I was going to get ugly, so I dried my hands and left. Poor lady, I guess she hasn't gotten out much lately, as I thought that most places had these type fixtures now. We made our way back to the truck, and a couple of hours later we were back home again. It was around 6:30 when we got home, so our drive took about 30 minutes less than I had figured. We unloaded the truck and I put most everything away this evening, although a few things were left out until tomorrow, until I could get some sleep.

Next up: Concluding Thoughts of Our Trip

[lauren-roxy]

Another Old Timers Breakfast fan here! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] You guys really had an awesome trip!! I really enjoyed the photos too!! Can't wait to hear your final thoughts!!!

[Colexis Mom]

I'm glad you had a great trip Christie [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Great pictures as well [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Looking forward to your final thoughts [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Meggera]

Glad you had such a nice trip. Sounded nice and relaxing. Thanks for the very detailed TR!

[christiejay]

Conclusion

At first we were disappointed in going back to Gatlinburg after having been there just two years ago. We had really wanted to try a new place this summer. But since we love the Smoky Mountains, it really wasn't that bad. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img] Then we were disappointed because everybody we asked to go with us either couldn't or wouldn't go. But once we arrived and saw how crowded it was, we were kind of glad we didn't have anybody else with us. To have been met with such crowds on your first day in town would have been terrible! So it turned out nice that it was just us on the trip after all. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]

Staying at Mountain Loft was nice, since most of the things we did were in Gatlinburg and the National Park. Being that close to both cut down on some of the driving, and being across the street from the trolley stop was convenient as well. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] Our particular accommodations were a little cramped, but nice, even though we did have to call maintenance as soon as we arrived to take care of a few things. Hopefully next time we stay here we can get one of the townhomes, and maybe be a little closer to the entrance of the resort, where we could walk to the trolley stop.

What did we like about this trip? Our most memorable day was actually our first full day in Gatlinburg, Day 3, because we had a good mix of activities. We had nice cool hiking weather that morning, the trails we hiked both before and after lunch were very interesting, and we got to visit a couple of our favorite spots as well - Clingman's Dome and Newfound Gap. That night we saw a show "Fixin' 2 Rain" that we all really loved, and it was something different for us that was kind of an experiment that turned out well. And, this day we were able to accomplish everything on our itinerary, with the exception of some of the longer trails that I wasn't sure we'd be able to do anyway, so that's alright.

Our most memorable place was the National Park, because we all enjoy being outdoors, and for the most part we had perfect hiking weather. It also helps that there's no entrance fee for the Park! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] Our most memorable attraction was the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. We got a great deal on the admission, and we all found many vehicles here that we enjoyed looking at. I was pleasantly surprised at the variety here, and that there were also props on display in addition to the vehicles.

Our most memorable trail was the Spruce-fir Nature Trail. It was level, fairly short, and the Christmas (fir tree) smell was awesome! Our most memorable meal was at The Alamo because all the food was great and we were seated right away, and had excellent service. Our most magic moment of all was bowling at the Pigeon Forge Community Center. It was something we hadn't planned, but Joshua had a blast and Jay and I were extremely pleased with the facilities. That's something we will probably do again, now that we've discovered it. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img]

What new things did we experience this trip? Several different trails, both along the Natchez Trace Parkway on our drive up, and in the National Park, Hollywood Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg, bowling in Pigeon Forge, and Fixin' 2 Rain and Old MacDonald's Farm mini golf in Sevierville. Our two new restaurants for this trip were No Way Jose's in Gatlinburg and Bob Evans in Pigeon Forge, the other times we ate at our favorite places or either had a picnic.

What did we miss? There are still plenty of other trails for us to walk along the Natchez Trace and in the National Park; I don't think we'll ever run out of trails to explore! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] But in the National Park, we still really want to walk the Abrams Falls Trail, as well as visit some other areas such as Cosby, Greenbrier, Cataloochee and Balsam Mountain/Big Cove Road. There is a place in Pigeon Forge called the Jurassic Jungle River Cruise that we want to do once Joshua gets a little older, and I'd like to visit the caverns in the area, Tuckaleechee Caverns and Forbidden Caverns. And I still haven't gotten the opportunity to visit the Arts and Crafts Community in Gatlinburg.

Daily Highlights:

Day 0 - Washing clothes, getting last-minute information from the internet, and packing everything. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]
Day 1 - Leaving home, driving up the Trace and exploring new stops, and being pleased with our hotel room in Brentwood. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Day 2 - Visiting the Knoxville Zoo, being shocked at the amount of traffic on the roads, checking in at Mountain Loft, and having to call maintenance as soon as we got in our room. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
Day 3 - National Park, picnic lunch at Clingman's Dome, Fixin' 2 Rain show in Sevierville at Governor's Palace Theatre. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]
Day 4 - Cades Cove, picnic lunch at Tremont, Dinosaur Walk Museum, early Independence Day cookout at the resort for supper. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Day 5 - Mini-golf at Old MacDonald's Farm in Sevierville, lunch at Bob Evans in Pigeon Forge, supper at the snack bar during our visit to Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Day 6 - National Park, picnic lunch at Deep Creek, Cherokee, supper at The Alamo in Gatlinburg. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
Day 7 - Breakfast at Little House of Pancakes, morning at Christus Gardens and Ober Gatlinburg, lunch at McDonald's in Gatlinburg, afternoon at Hollywood Star Cars Museum, evening at Pigeon Forge Community Center for bowling, supper at Bennett's Pit BBQ in Pigeon Forge. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]
Day 8 - Morning at Ober Gatlinburg, lunch at Ober's Snack Bar, supper at No Way Jose's in Gatlinburg, evening back at Ober Gatlinburg. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
Day 9 - Driving home (pretty uneventful), getting home fairly early in the evening. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

What would we do differently next time? Well, hopefully we can get into Gatlinburg a little earlier in the day to miss some of the traffic. But at least now we are learning which shortcuts work and which don't. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] I think next time Joshua will be old enough to participate in the Junior Ranger Program in the National Park, so we will probably look into doing that, and maybe participate in some of the other special programs they offer as well. Joshua won't need a nap the next time we visit, but I don't know if that will really affect our daily plans, since Gatlinburg easily lends itself to split days anyway. Maybe we can find a little more time for shopping, since our finances will be in better order (no preschool tuition anymore after this year! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] ).

It's been fun sharing this with you, I hope you enjoyed reading it and didn't get too bogged down in all the details. Thank you for sticking with it!!!

Next up: Look for my Branson Holiday trip report - dates are November 23-26. I'll probably be starting the report in early December, maybe a little later, depending on how quickly I (or should I say Jay) can get the pictures ready.

[Colexis Mom]

Great finish Christie [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] I'm glad you all had a great time! Thanks for sharing it with us [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[GoofyMom]

It sounds like the trip was a lot of fun!! Thanks for taking the time to tell us about it.

[lauren-roxy]

Thanks for sharing your trip Christie!!! It was so much fun to read. Can't wait for Gatlinburg!!

[Meggera]

Great ending! Thanks for sharing with us.