I have always said I am the only person from Kentucky who has not been to Gatlinburg. Well, I can't say that anymore. Adam had his continuing education courses at the Park Vista Hotel in Gatlinburg, so Isaac and I decided to tag along. We left Eli with Grandad and Mimi, since he is still so young. We had a wonderful time! It was so nice being in the mountains, and just appreciating God's creation! It was amazing how small and humbling it is to be surrounded by mountains and seeing the beauty of God!
After asking around and looking up places and things in Gatlinburg, I quickly realized there was so much to experience in such a small amount of time. So, we did not get to do all the "Gatlinburg experiences," but we did get to do and see a lot while we were there. The first night when we arrived, we just drove through Pigeon Forge to see what all was there, then ate dinner at the Apple Barn. Isaac tore up some apple fitters! After dinner we drove to Gatlinburg where we found our hotel. The hotel had a bear in the lobby for decoration, and Isaac was obcessed with it. Every time when were going to or from our room, Isaac wanted to see the bear.
The next morning after we woke up, Daddy has his first class, so Isaac and I went swimming in the hotel pool. It was the nicest indoor hotel pool I have ever seen. It had two water slides, which Isaac would not get on. We had a great time. Isaac enjoyed jumping to me and swimming from side to side. We met a little five year-old boy named Ian, and Isaac talked about him for several days following, like he was his best friend. Later that afternoon when Daddy was out of class, we went walking around the strip of Gatlinburg, looked at all the shops, watched taffy being made, and taste tested some fudge. We ate at a pizza place, then went to the Ripley's Aquarium. Isaac really seemed to enjoy the fish. I had never been to an aquarium, and particularly liked the tunnel where the sharks were literally swimming around us. It was very cool!
Then on Saturday, Isaac and I hit up the outlet mall in Sevierville for a couple hours while Daddy was in class. We then went on a walking trail to Laurel Falls. It was a 2-3 mile walking trail that led us to a beautiful waterfall. It was so amazing! While we were walking, we saw a tree that had a hollowed out trunk. We put Isaac in the tree, and took some pictures. Isaac's favorite part of the entire trip was getting inside the tree. He thought that was so neat. After visiting the waterfall, we went for a drive to Cade's Cove. The drive there was absolutely breathtaking as we followed a road right by the river. Fall is such a beautiful time to experience the mountains. The colors surrounding us were literally indescribable! Once we arrived at Cade's Cove, we drove in a caravan for 11 miles. The cove was like a bowl surrounded by mountains. It was so pretty! Everything was so natural. We hoped to spot some bears, but did see any. However, we did see a lot of deer. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. I was glad to get the opportunity to experience the Smokies in that way!
The next day, was our final day there. Since Daddy had a few hours of class, Isaac and I spent a couple of hours at Ober Gatlinburg. We rode on the aerial tram, went up the mountain farther on the chair lift, and came down the mountain partially on the alpine slide. It was a lot of fun! Isaac also got to ride a toy train and play on the playground area there.
We had such a good time! It has been a while since we took a trip with just us, and it was nice to spend some quality time together as a family. We will always have some fond memories from this trip!
After asking around and looking up places and things in Gatlinburg, I quickly realized there was so much to experience in such a small amount of time. So, we did not get to do all the "Gatlinburg experiences," but we did get to do and see a lot while we were there. The first night when we arrived, we just drove through Pigeon Forge to see what all was there, then ate dinner at the Apple Barn. Isaac tore up some apple fitters! After dinner we drove to Gatlinburg where we found our hotel. The hotel had a bear in the lobby for decoration, and Isaac was obcessed with it. Every time when were going to or from our room, Isaac wanted to see the bear.
The next morning after we woke up, Daddy has his first class, so Isaac and I went swimming in the hotel pool. It was the nicest indoor hotel pool I have ever seen. It had two water slides, which Isaac would not get on. We had a great time. Isaac enjoyed jumping to me and swimming from side to side. We met a little five year-old boy named Ian, and Isaac talked about him for several days following, like he was his best friend. Later that afternoon when Daddy was out of class, we went walking around the strip of Gatlinburg, looked at all the shops, watched taffy being made, and taste tested some fudge. We ate at a pizza place, then went to the Ripley's Aquarium. Isaac really seemed to enjoy the fish. I had never been to an aquarium, and particularly liked the tunnel where the sharks were literally swimming around us. It was very cool!
Then on Saturday, Isaac and I hit up the outlet mall in Sevierville for a couple hours while Daddy was in class. We then went on a walking trail to Laurel Falls. It was a 2-3 mile walking trail that led us to a beautiful waterfall. It was so amazing! While we were walking, we saw a tree that had a hollowed out trunk. We put Isaac in the tree, and took some pictures. Isaac's favorite part of the entire trip was getting inside the tree. He thought that was so neat. After visiting the waterfall, we went for a drive to Cade's Cove. The drive there was absolutely breathtaking as we followed a road right by the river. Fall is such a beautiful time to experience the mountains. The colors surrounding us were literally indescribable! Once we arrived at Cade's Cove, we drove in a caravan for 11 miles. The cove was like a bowl surrounded by mountains. It was so pretty! Everything was so natural. We hoped to spot some bears, but did see any. However, we did see a lot of deer. This was probably my favorite part of the trip. I was glad to get the opportunity to experience the Smokies in that way!
The next day, was our final day there. Since Daddy had a few hours of class, Isaac and I spent a couple of hours at Ober Gatlinburg. We rode on the aerial tram, went up the mountain farther on the chair lift, and came down the mountain partially on the alpine slide. It was a lot of fun! Isaac also got to ride a toy train and play on the playground area there.
We had such a good time! It has been a while since we took a trip with just us, and it was nice to spend some quality time together as a family. We will always have some fond memories from this trip!
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