On our way to Gatlinburg we stopped at a Kentucky Bucket List item: Cumberland Falls - the Niagara of the South, it was spectacular!
We drove the rest of the way to Gatlinburg, we found a cabin to rent up in the mountains. It was a three bedroom, three bathroom three story home with a wooded rustic feel decorated in bears and other woodland animals. The main floor had one big room with a kitchen and large bar, and sitting room with tv and an 8-person dining table, the master bedroom with a bathroom and a large deck with a hot tub and gas fireplace, and about 5 rocking chairs.
The upstairs loft had a bedroom and bathroom and a pool table, and the downstairs has a large 75 inch tv, two game tables, and two couches and a bedroom and bath and another large deck. The bedrooms all have king-sized beds and a tv. Maddy slept upstairs in a bed all to herself, and the boys shared the basement room.
We enjoyed the hot tub in the evening, and the rocking chairs on the deck.
Our first hike was Grotto Falls, there was a gradual incline crossing creeks and in the thick of the forest, it was so breathtakingly beautiful! It ended at a waterfall that you could walk behind. After the hike we drove along the creek and stopped at a picnic spot that had a cabin that was built in the 1930’s. The creek behind it was gorgeous with moss-covered rocks. Ian climbed to a rock in the middle of the creek to eat his lunch.
We went back to the cabin to check on Bo and let him go potty. Then we ventured downtown to look at the shops. There were so many people so we all wore masks, we walked to the Skylift and took it up to the suspension bridge. It’s the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. There were some incredible views of the Smokies from the top.
Scott took Bo for a walk after dinner down the road of our cabin and he saw some rustling in the bushes and a bear popped up and stared at Scott and Bo from across the road. Bo did not notice and Scott wasn’t going to draw attention to him because he didn't want the bear to feel like he had to defend himself.
Hike # 2 was Peregrine Peak via Alum Cave. It was a 5 mile round trip with a slight incline and a gorgeous view on top. Part of the trail went through a cave that had rock steps, it was so cool! The top was the side of the mountains under a rock alcove, the trees on the mountainside had spots of red, orange, and yellow. On our way down there were a lot more people on the trail.
We stopped at the visitors center to use the restroom, we had to wait in line to get in because there were trying to only keep the center 25% full.
We went back to the cabin for rest, showers and soaking in the hot tub. We ventured into Pigeon Forge to an old historic mill that was built in the 1830’s, it is now a restaurant, but there were some fun little shops around it. For dinner, we went to Five Oaks Farm Kitchen. This was a restaurant that one of Scott’s co-workers recommended, they had southern food, and I ordered fried chicken and it was so good! They also had the best biscuits I have ever had! Pigeon Forge has some really tacky touristy traps all up and down the main road.
Last day- We drove an hour to a scenic drive loop called Cades Cove, it was basically a large meadow area with the pictureous mountains behind. There were old historic churches, cemeteries, and cabins along the way and our last and final hike to Abrams Falls. Also 5 miles, this one started in the forest, then connected to the river and we followed the river to a large waterfall and pond. This one was a bit steeper and got us all sweating until the end. They have the coolest small bridges here. They take a large tree that has fallen over, slice it in half so it is flat and then they somehow cement it into the ground, and they built a handrail with thick wire and another smaller tree- way to use the resources you have.
We had a picnic lunch by our car. We were all so tired we decided to just go back to the cabin and relax, we played some games, watched some shows and slowly gathered up our stuff around the cabin. We had enough leftovers from the night before for our dinner tonight. I spent some time in the hot tub, man my leg muscles were sore and my feet. About 2 weeks before our trip, Scott took me trail shoe shopping, he said that I needed more grip and traction on my shoes and hopefully that would make me slip less, (which in turn would make me walk faster and not be afraid of falling). My new shoes worked so well but they were new so they made my feet a little sore trying to break them in. But I didn’t slip at all!
We let the kids pick a souvenir from our trip and throughout the week as they saw something we bought it for them. Here is what they picked: Rylan - there was this 80’s retro store and he wanted a Street Fighter video game t-shirt. Maddy found a pink and blue tie-dye sweatshirt, and Ian wanted a large brown stuffed animal snake.
Click
here for our video from this trip!
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