Greetings from Gatlinburg again!

[vraiblonde]

Our hotel is about a mile from downtown, an easy walk with sidewalks and stuff to see along the way. Saturday we went to Anakeesta, where you take a chondola to the top of the mountain and there are shops and restaurants and such to enjoy. The ride up was lovely, and our happy hour view of the Smokies was amazing.

Sunday we walked across the street to the mountain coaster. Monello's car didn't fit him so his shoulders are all bruised up, but I had a blast. That it's a bit rickety lends to the rush.

We've spent both days walking downtown Gburg, enjoying the little town and all the fun things it offers. Every kind of junk food imaginable is available, and it can't be a coincidence that, um, large people are overrepresented here. I'm not about the foot long corndog anymore, so yesterday I had a wonderful antipasto salad while Monello scarfed a pizza. Saturday all my calories came from beer.

If you've never been to Gatlinburg, let me recommend you get on that. Pigeon Forge is all Dollywood and kiddie tourist attractions, but Gburg is a charming mountain town. It's where you would get a cabin in the woods and chill. While Pigeon Forge is about as unattractively tourist commercial as it gets, Gburg is rustic Alpine architecture and cozy, highly walkable and stuff for the whole family to enjoy. You could see yourself living in Gatlinburg, but not Pigeon Forge. Most people think of Pigeon Forge when they think of Gatlinburg, but the two towns couldn't be any more different.

Here's the thread from last time we were in Gatlinburg: http://forums.somd.com/threads/321146-Greetings-from-Gatlinburg!

 

[vraiblonde]

Ooh, we found something in Pigeon Forge worth seeing! Old Mill Square, which is a walky/shoppy/eaty section off the main drag. We went to the golf course to hit some balls before the rain chased us off. For lunner we were trying to find a specific restaurant, that turned out to be inside Dollywood ($15 to park, $70/per admission - no). The gate guy sent us to Old Mill Restaurant instead, which was really good - I had perhaps the best fried chicken of my life, Monello had chicken pot pie, served with real mashed potatoes, green beans, corn chowder, fritters, and homemade biscuits. The portions were enormous (my dinner was two huge breasts), and the good news is that we have a fridge and microwave in our room.

But the real find was that Old Mill Restaurant is in Old Mill Square, with all kinds of shops, street entertainment, and what have you.

My problem with ice cream is that what I really want is a taste of a bunch of them, not commit to a whole scoop of just one. The ice cream place at Old Mill had "flights" with a mini-scoop of 3 or 5 flavors for a very reasonable price. Monello and I split a flight of banana pudding, black walnut, and oatmeal cream pie, and it was perfect. I don't know why all ice cream places don't offer this.

These tourist places are kind of amazing, the size of their restaurant meals. Today's meal started with a cup of corn chowder and corn fritters with maple butter. Then she brought out a basket of homemade biscuits, and my plate was two large fried chicken breasts, a huge blop of mashed potatoes, and a serving of southern style green beans that could have been a meal by themselves; Monello's chicken pot pie was as big as his head, and he also got mashed potatoes and green beans with it. Each meal would easily feed two hungry people. It's crazy. I almost always order with an eye toward how it's going to be the second time around because I can't remember the last time I cleaned my plate.

I bought a small purse at the leather shop, we found the seasoned pretzels that we got addicted to in South Dakota, and there was a guy selling spicy pork rinds that we couldn't pass up. Oh, and the licorice that they sell everywhere and repackage as a "specialty item". So now we have junk food to last us for awhile.

 

[Grumpy]

Have you established your rep at the hotel pool yet?

 

[vraiblonde]

Have you established your rep at the hotel pool yet?

No, but Monello almost did this evening.

 

[black dog]

No, but Monello almost did this evening.

Tread softly, Tennessee has Stand your Ground... Just Say'in.

 

[vraiblonde]

I love to see families on vacation, especially when they're doing something really cool. Last night when I walked the dog around 11pm, there were still people in the pool. Little kids running around, having a blast, something they'll remember as adults. They may not remember the Haunted Mansion or Ripley's stuff, but I'll bet they remember being able to stay up late and swim in the dark.

We didn't vacation when I was a kid, and neither did Monello, because there just wasn't money for it. So it's fun to see kids running around, enjoying the last few days before school starts.

Contrary to what you might think, I do like children. Just nice ones, not brats with crappy parents.

 

[Monello]

A few pics from the Smoky Mtn area.

Heading up on the chair lift


View from the mountain top


Momma bear with 1 of her 2 cubs


1 of a dozen tourist traps