Hey Friends, I am just getting around to this post, just 2 months after spring break, no big deal! ;)
Going back to the original post, the "plan" for spring break, I'm really thankful I made that post first, because the planning phase there is always so many things you want to see and do, but then you get on the trip and you run out of time, or the weather doesn't cooperate, or you have kids who need naps. The list goes on...because that's reality!! I alway think about the Thomas Rhett's song - Life Changes, "You make yours plans and you hear God laughin" ...isn't that truth about life in general? AMEN!
We arrived in Pigeon Forge on Sunday afternoon, we grabbed lunch at Fudrucker's...
because it's been a hot minute since I had Fudruckers...I remember it being better...but oh well! We went and saw the Dolly Parton Statue & then headed to our hotel. I've heard by so many people to rent a cabin when you go to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, I could definitely see the appeal, however this was our first trip, and we know hotels.. so that's the route we took! The beauty of staying at a hotel...you are close to everything!! If you want to kill some time but you don't have a ton of time to sit in traffic this was a huge perk! We went and checked out Gatlinburg, downtown strip, and then sat in traffic on the way back to Pigeon Forge. The traffic times...you will waste more time in a 10 mile route than you may anticipate, so be aware of that! We went to check out The Island in Pigeon Forge, let the kids play at the arcade, grabbed some dinner back at the hotel and that was our night!
Day 2... We went into Gatlinburg and went to the Skylift Park. A definite must see if you're in the area. The chairlift takes you to the top, beautiful views! There are a couple different bridges you can take. If you're in the area, search it, book and enjoy! The day we went it
was overcast and perfect fall/spring temps. It wasn't overly busy, they have a good system going, but I could see in the summer or peak days there may be a wait at the chair lifts, but we walked right on. My one piece of advice...if you get motion sick..pack your dramamine or Bonine for those bridges! I did NOT, It was a little shaky, but I managed! The bridges aren't terribly long, but the more people that are walking on them, the more they sway, so if you get motion sick just throw that in your bag and take it 30 min before!! Your body and head will thank you! (haha) After the skylift park, we just walked and checked out shops and had lunch on the main drag of Gatlinburg. We ate a place called New York Pizza & Pasta. Huge portions & great food!
Day 3 we had planned to do Anakeesta in Gatlinburg...oh the lines! We had pre-purchased tickets and the line to get on the chair lift was over 2.5 hours. It was 90 degrees that day and full sun in this long line. We opted to not sit in line, and I was so disappointed as this was one of the main places I had wanted to see and check off the list...but my fear was by the time we get to the chair lift to get to the top of the mountain..I would have hangry & hot children... the fun and excitement probably would
be gone. So we headed to a Mexican Restaurant for lunch and AC, we ate at No Way Jose's Catina, right by Anakeesta & Ripley's Aquarium. Very good food and AMAZING Mango Margaritas! Since we didn't get to go to Anakeesta I called the Dolly Parton's Stampede to see if they had tickets available for the dinner show & they did. The dinner show was the late show, which I wasn't sure how the girls would do with it being late, but they all did amazing! The Stampede Show keeps everyone engaged! The food portions, take the doggie bag they offer as you will fill it up with your leftovers! I was told that all the of the dinner shows are a must when in the area, they are pricey especially for kids because they don't eat very much, but the experience is absolutely worth it. We were supposed to do the Pirate's Show as well, but we didn't have enough time during our stay. So that will be for the next trip to Pigeon Forge for sure!
Day 4 we woke up and all the girls went to get pedicures & the guys went golfing! After pedicures we went to Parrot Mountain and Gardens. If you like birds, this is a must see. You can feed the parrots, they will talk and sing back to you. It was a busy destination, another 90 degree day, in full sun on the top of a mountain, so we didn't last too overly long but we got to see the entire place & the girls got to play and feed the parrots. Definitely a fun experience for kids, it is right by the entrance of Dollywood, definitely close to the Pigeon Forge main drag, and I would say if you need a few hours to kill, this would be a perfect option. We ended the evening back at The Island. The girls did the ropes course, some rides, a little shopping, ice cream and watched the water show! Great end to a long sunny & hot day! We grabbed some pizza from Mad Mushroom at ate back at the hotel!
Day 5 was our last day there, we contemplated Dollywood, but there was rain and storms moving in, so we opted to skip that & to check out Magi-Quest! If you are looking
for an interactive spot for kids & maybe a spot for a rainy day, I highly recommend Magi-Quest. You can order tickets online, but I wasn't sure what package was the best deal, and I wasn't sure how it would work for Lenny, since she was under the age where I didn't need to pay for her, but I wanted her to have her own wand as well. So I ordered once we got there and honestly it was a short line, definitely got me the best deal for the bundle that we needed. We had 90 minutes to go through the course, honestly you could spend hours there trying to finish each task. They have a small arcade on the main level, so the girls got to play there a bit & go through their very first mirror maze, which is just another one of those things to check off their "to-do list". It was then time to make the 3 hour drive back home.
Overall it was a great trip, perfect weather. 5 days in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg is definitely not long enough to see and do all of the things, but luckily for us we live close
enough to make several trips back when we want a little getaway. If you live farther away and this is a one time trip, I highly recommend Anakeesta, for the day, the lines may eat up a lot of your day, but I have only heard amazing things about this destination! Definitely a dinner show, whether it's the Hatfield & McCoy, Pirates or the Stam
pede. If you like to hike, there are SO many trails and paths around the Gatlinburg area, that you can simply pull off on the side of road/parking and walk for hours! There were a lot of people fishing along the paths as well. Beautiful area for hiking, being out in nature. The SkyLift Park I would highly recommend, it's something that you can't do just anywhere. I always say to my kids we can mini-golf anywhere, we can go to an aquarium anywhere...we can go to arcades anywhere. I always try to find those things that are one of a kind and unique to the area that we visit. SkyLift Park for sure has breathtaking views, the bridges are fun to walk across, overcome as fear of heights, motion sickness, it's just one of the those memories I won't forget! My girls said it was a small version of the Royal Gorge in Colorado Springs, I love that they have these memories and they can make references of different vacations and spots that they have experienced. That is why we travel. For my kids to remember these moments and memories, that's what it's always been about for me!
I will say the drive between Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge isn't lengthy...mile wise...but the traffic and wait time can be treacherous at times. We thankfully found some routes that would cut a little time, if you don't mind driving up the mountain, on steep cliffs, narrow lanes, We did that a couple of days and my passenger seat self felt like we were going to go off the cliff, but we made it! If you like to see the views from all angles I 100% recommend taking the drive up among all the cabins, large homes that I'm assuming are a lot of VRBO's and AirBnB's.
Overall... the plans that I had prior to going completely got changed. We didn't do anything on my list...We didn't see Anakeesta, Dollywood or the Pirates show. But overall we had a great time & we have a list of things we will do the next time we go, not during spring break this time haha!
That's all for now.
XOXO- KK
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