Fall break in East Tennessee

We spent our Fall Break in East Tennessee this year. The trip was thought of in advance but actual plans for where we would stay and what we would do were pretty much sealed the week before. That is really not like me, but we really just wanted this to be relaxing. We scored a great cabin. It was very close to all the stuff to do in downtown Gatlinburg, but it was enough away that we had great mountain views and quiet! The girls loved the cabin because they had the downstairs to themselves and there was a game room downstairs that included air hockey, pool, and video games. There was a hot tub on the porch as well. The girls were very, very excited! Gary loved having a Galaga machine since that is his favorite game and he is very skilled at it. I loved Ms PacMan. This machine had about 30 different games.

We drove up on Wednesday. The trip went very well. Figured out about in Jackson, TN that the girls left all the DVD's that they picked out at home. So, RedBox to the rescue. We stopped for lunch in Nashville and we found a RedBox nearby. That was a cheap solution to a problem!! We arrived in time for dinner and were able to get settled in pretty easily. We always try to eat local while on vacation and managed to do that for just about every meal.

Thursday we took the girls on a zipline tour. It was 9 different zip lines and it was so much fun. Caroline was barely over the minimum weight requirement and so the guides and others on our trip really loved to watch Caroline and Anna flying through the sky. Great fun and highly recommended. We hiked every day we were there. We found great trails that were not too long and not too tough so that the girls would enjoy them. We found trails with waterfalls at the turnaround which became a favorite place for pictures. The girls did not complain much on the hikes EXCEPT when we decided we wanted to go to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in TN on Saturday. We drove the 22 miles from Gatlinburg and then hiked the final half mile, which is about over a 12% grade and took about 20-25 minutes! It was very steep and it was awesome. Unfortunately there was not really any view when we got to the top because the rain was coming in and clouds were everywhere, but we could say we made it to the top and saw the trailheads for the Appalachian Trail.

We visited Ober, Gatlinburg one day and rode the skyway to the top for spectacular views of the Smoky Mountains. We rode the rides and enjoyed some ice skating before heading back down the mountain to town. After much pleading from the girls we visited Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Such a crazy place, but the girls really enjoyed it. They were very much into the weird, odd things that are on display all over that play. It felt old and a little outdated, but still pretty cool. Definitely a tourist attraction at its finest.

On Sunday we tried breakfast at the Apple Barn in Sevierville and then hit the outlet mall for a while. The traffic leaving town was horrific and it took us an hour to even get to I-40 for the drive home.

We really had a good time. It was a different kind of trip for us. No real places to visit but enjoyed nature, the hikes, the changing of the leaves on the trees, the mountain views and air and a great relaxing family vacation. Of course next year we are talking about going back to Disney which is a whole different type of vacation!!

gary and i at the waterfall...yes blurry...anna was the photographer!

the girls are pointing their way to the trails

you could walk behind this waterfall at the turn around of our hike

anna and gary riding to the top in ober, gatlinburg

We bought the profesional CD from the Zipline place since they do not allow you to bring a camera along. They got some great pictures of our family and I have downloaded a few below. Fun times!!