We chose to go to the Great Smoky Mountains for our 2010 vacation. Jess and I chose a cute 4-bedroom cabin in Gatlinburg called Sugar Run and we got a really good deal with the rental company, Mountain Rentals of Gatlinburg. I highly recommend them. We all caravanned down to Tennessee on June 26 and upon arrival we were thrilled to be in Gatlinburg and not Pigeon Forge. Pigeon Forge is a crazy carnival of attractions with terrible traffic and Gatlinburg is closer to the national park. Gatlinburg has a bypass so you can avoid all of their tourist traps. Plus all of the Pigeon Forge things we were interested in (Dixie Stampede, Dollywood) were on the Gatlinburg side.
We decided to try to focus on attractions inside the park because that’s what we traveled there for. Here are the highlights:
Sunday, 6/27- Laurel Falls, 1.8 miles round trip hike to an 80-foot waterfall. Like Cunningham Falls back home we could climb all over the rocks at our own risk ☺ It’s the most popular trail in the park and while it was a good introduction, it left us wanting to go off the beaten path. After a restful afternoon we were off again to a 1-mile night hike hosted by the park rangers at Smokemont Campground in the park. This is a popular activity so I registered us for it before we left for Gatlinburg. The rangers made us pretend that we were nocturnal animals. They didn’t want us to use our flashlights and encouraged us to cup our ears so we could hear better and let our eyes adjust to the darkness. The kids enjoyed seeing bats, glowworms, and witnessing the rare “blue ghost” firefly, but I think their favorite part was staying up WAY past bedtime.
Monday, 6/28- Clingman’s Dome: we drove to the top of the tallest peak in the Smokies on a beautiful road that’s closed in the winter, then we hiked 3.6 miles roundtrip down to Andrews Bald and back up to the summit again. Andrews Bald is one of several unexplained “bald spots” throughout the national park that they think may be caused by . The kids amazed us. I was worried about how they would handle hiking but there was very little whining. They made a game out of the hard-to-navigate terrain (it was like hiking up and down a dry, rocky streambed). Natalie led the whole pack and Anthony hopped and jumped all over the “obstacle course.” And because climbing a mountain wasn’t exhausting enough, we went to the community pool when we got home and then went mini golfing that evening.
Tuesday, 6/29- Cades Cove: Cades Cove is a valley in the west of the park that was a settlement of several hundred people in the 1800s. Today you can drive on an 11-mile one-way loop and see wildlife as well as many of the preserved historical buildings. It’s where people go if they want to see bears, elk, etc. We had learned on the night hike that bears were nocturnal so we got up really early and were in the Cove by 7:30. Basically you just drive slowly and everyone in your car looks for wildlife. You can also stop every so often and go into the old buildings or take grave rubbings in the old cemeteries, etc. When we would come upon a large group of parked cars we would know to stop and check it out. The first bear we saw was a 1-year-old cub sleeping in a tree. After that we saw a mama bear and her three babies sleeping in another tree. We kept a safe distance! Then we saw a big male bear out in the meadow walking down a fallen tree. It was definitely worth it to get up so early! That afternoon we headed to the Dixie Stampede. Peggy had taken us there in Myrtle Beach but we really wanted Russ’ family to see it. The show was different because before we had seen the Christmas production and the South won this time, lol. They actually asked Carter to be part of the competition where they have kids round up chickens and he rocked! So much better than Medieval Times, IMO.
Wednesday, 6/30- Dollywood: We’re not into Dolly Parton or anything but she has one cool theme park. It was like everything I love at Hersheypark and nothing I hate. Short lines, decent prices, good rides, and a dress code. We rode some great coasters but I think the crowd favorite was River Battle, where we could shoot at each other with water guns. Because we bought our tickets online we got this special deal and got our dinner for free at an all you can eat buffet inside the park. Even Baby Jillian had a fun day!
Thursday, 7/1- Horseback Riding: Just for booking our cabin our rental company hooked us up with 4 free horseback riding passes. The men didn’t seem interested so us ladies took Nat and Carter to the Smoky Mountain Stables. We went on a 1-hour ride through the mountains led by a guide. It was the first time for the kids and me. Nat went behind the guide on Romeo, who misbehaved and had to be on a lead almost immediately. Next went Carter on Scoop, who was much more interested in eating plants on the trail than anything else. I rode Ginger (Ginger and I find this hilarious), the most well-behaved, disciplined horse of the bunch and then Jess was on Little Anne who was just as disinterested as Scoop. Peggy brought up the rear on Pat, who was S-L-O-W. I found that the horses responded much better when we put a southern accent on our commands so we sounded like the stable workers. I was sore the next day, but I can cross horseback riding off my bucket list. After that we went to the Gatlinburg Artists’ Loop, an 8-mile loop of artist studios. We saw pottery, brooms, paintings, and music being made. We bought some hand-braided rugs. After that it was more mini golf!
Friday, 7/2- Boys’ Choice: We let Russ and Rog chose what to do on our last day since we made them shop on Thursday. We started off going back to Clingman’s Dome because Russ’ family hadn’t been with us on the first trip. We had held off on going the last ½ mile because we thought they might want to do it with us, and they did. It was a very steep ½ mile and at the top was an observation tower with the best view in the Smokies. After that we went into Gatlinburg and ate at Bubba Gump’s. I LOVE that restaurant! It’s all decorated with Forrest Gump items and while you’re waiting to be seated the hostesses have movie trivia competitions. The food was excellent as well. We walked through Gatlinburg afterwards and got some souvenirs, then finished up with another round of mini golf.We’re beach people through and through, but we want to give our kids new experiences, and we’re really glad we went to the Great Smoky Mountains. We’ll definitely go back and explore more of the park someday!
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