I love to get away! Even if it is just overnight and even if we are only 45 minutes from home! Gatlinburg is one of my favorite places to go. It just seems magical to me! I love driving in through the mountains to the little town that never really seems to age or change. If you haven’t been to the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area of East TN, I highly suggest you go! There is no limit to all of the fun you can have there. From staying in a secluded mountain cabin and not seeing anyone but bears to go-karts, mountain coasters and TON’s of shopping, there is something for everyone!
We went to celebrate a big milestone in my son’s life. He is finally going to sleep on his own! I have spent so much of the last 4 years rocking him, then sleeping with him, and then laying on the floor until he falls asleep. Now, I can leave and he goes to sleep! It’s a Christmas miracle (in March!). When we started this process he wanted to earn a ride on the big ferris wheel in Pigeon Forge, so we just wrapped that up into an overnight trip. We started out on the Wheel at the Island in Pigeon Forge! This is such a fun little area with Margaritaville Hotel and restaurant, Paula Deen’s restaurant and tons of shopping and amusement type rides. There is even a ropes coarse! The seats on the Wheel are enclosed and called gondolas , so I think even those with a fear of heights would really enjoy it. At the top you get a great view of the mountains and all of Pigeon Forge. TJ was thrilled! There were some sweet young adult girls in the gondola next to ours that had fun waving at TJ throughout the ride!
Next we went to ride go-karts! TJ has driven the really small karts before but had never ridden one with Daddy driving! He LOVED it! The look on his face was priceless! After that he was so ready to get to our hotel because it boasted an indoor pool with a water slide! TJ is a total water kid and could swim 24/7 for the rest of his life and not be bored. But first we had to do Mommy’s favorite activity, EAT!
We headed into Gatlinburg and ate at Cherokee Grill. It was a great meal but of course TJ was just wanting to swim! So we headed up the mountain to the Park Vista! It’s a 15-story round hotel that you can see all over Gatlinburg. TJ’s other wish for the trip was to be in a room on the top floor and his wish was granted! We had a one bedroom suite on the 15th floor! It was pretty awesome with incredible views! He was happy to have his pull out couch in his own room and Mommy and Daddy were excited to have some separate space too. While the room was a little dated it was very spacious and clean and the service was quick and helpful! It really couldn’t have been more perfect for the one night stay!
Finally, we headed to the pool! The Park Vista has a really nice indoor two level pool area with a wade-in area for little kids and two water slides. It was busy but not packed with plenty of space for everyone. The pool was heated but for someone who is always cold (like me!) it could have been a bit warmer! Thankfully, there was also a hot tub close to the water slides! TJ and Daddy went down the slide about 100 times and then it was time for bed. That night some high winds came through and being on the 15th floor in the mountains I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what a hurricane sounds like! The wind whipped and howled ALL NIGHT! Breakfast the next morning was buffet style with an omlet station. This always gets high marks from me! Breakfast of any sort is my fave!
It was raining when we woke up, so we headed off to the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. We hit the aquarium yearly because they offer $5 admissions about this time of the winter. It’s a great aquarium with tons to see and do!
As we were leaving Gatlinburg we passed a mountain coaster. Just as my husband commented he would like to try one, another one came in to view and he quickly pulled in! The mountain coaster turned out to be TJ’s favorite activity! I loved it after it was over! I was super concerned about safety while I was speeding down the mountain with my precious baby boy between my legs! I just kept thinking we should have researched it more first!! But, it was seriously fun and something everyone should do once! TJ has now said he is willing to try more roller coasters and scarier rides. So, we will see about that!
After hitting up the outlets to get the boys some tennis shoes we headed home happy and very tired!
One thing we do often, whether after a trip or even just at the end of the day is kind of debrief. I love to hear from everyone what their favorite things of the day or trip were and maybe some things they didn’t like so much. I know as everyone gets older we won’t remember all of the details but hopefully a memory or 2 will always stand out. We also discovered some things on this trip we want to try on our next trip or that TJ can earn sometime along the way. I hope you all get a chance to visit the Smokey Mountains! If you are ever headed this way, let me know! I would love a chance to share some of the things I love about this area!
