The original place we wanted to book for our summer vacation was full (I actually tried to book the location months in advance but it was already full). Blake and I didn’t have a back up location for a trip, which lead me to making a list of possible places. A few of the places I listed, we both agreed it wasn’t the right time for that location. We agreed upon the Great Smoky Mountains. They kids love going on hikes and they love going to amusement parks (they are spoiled with Busch Gardens being 15 minutes from us), which made this seemed like a good last minutes destination. I scoured priceline.com, booking.com, hotwire.com, etc. and was unable to find a place that jumped out at me. I decided to try Airbnb. I looked a bunch of different properties and found one that was perfect. It was a house on a quiet street nestled back in the woods right out side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. What made this location even better is that it is 5 minutes from Pigeon Forge and 5 minutes from Gatlinburg.
The house booked through Airbnb is called “Willow House” located off of Beech Branch Road in Gatlinburg. 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath and 2 half baths, nice size kitchen and living room, huge foyer with washer and dryer. Fenced front and back yard, full kitchen necessities, bathroom towels, linens etc. The house is also connected to a smaller house for larger group needs. It was the perfect space for us. The host, Holly is amazing and is available to answer any questions that arise.
July 25, 2021
Blake and I went to pick Nick up from his mom around 8am and then met my ex at Bojangles to get my kids. We all had breakfast at the picnic tables outside of the restaurant vs inside my car. Once we finished breakfast, we hit the road on our 7 hour road trip to TN. I made all of the kids travel books, bough travel bingo, coloring books, made sure their electronics were fully charged, etc. We wanted to have a painless as possible car ride.
The kids were all excited about their “travel essentials” for a few hours and then the boredom kicked in. Some fell asleep, some fought, Ethan and Nick talked the entire time, and when I say entire time that is what I mean, they never stopped. I’m not sure who had more fun with the license plate and car type game – Ethan and Nick or Blake and I. We made a lunch stop at a McDonalds in a travel stop. This gave everyone time to stretch their feet, use the bathroom and grab a snack for the house. Shortly before 3pm we saw the welcome to TN sign!!!
The TN line to our house was about 2 hours give or take a little depending on traffic, plus we are unfamiliar with the area.
We made it to the house and everyone was very happy to be “home” and out of the car. The first thing Blake noticed when we got to the house was the Bear trashcans. As it turns out, we would soon find out why. (Yes we know bears are in the area, but seeing the bear trashcans outside of where you are staying has a different feel to it”.
During our drive, Blake and I talked about a few places to eat for dinner and we decided on Margaritaville. My dad’s favorite song is “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere” and I really wanted to go to Margaritaville to get him a shirt. This was the perfect restaurant for dinner. Margaritaville is located in Pigeon Forge at The Island. We arrived at The Island and found a place to park. It is free to park and there is a tram to ride if you chose not to walk. For us, we walked, it wasn’t a bad walk at all. We head straight to Margaritaville to get on the wait list. We were told it would be about a 2 hour wait. The wait is what we expected, especially arriving around 6:30. Thankfully for us, The Island has a ton of things to do and some of the things we wanted to do in Pigeon Forge are located here.
We started walking around and saw a Carousel in front of the fountain. We didn’t really know much about The Island in terms of activities, tickets, etc. We went to the ticket center and decided to purchased the Unlimited Ride Pass for $35 a person.
The Unlimited Ride Pass includes (good for 48 hours from purchase):
- The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel
- Thunder Dome
- The Flying Horse Carousel
- Lil’ Ribbits
- Funny Cars
- Happy Swing
- Island Express
- Twist N’ Shout
- Spinning Parrots
- Reverse Time
The kids (Blake and I included) had a ton of fun on the rides. We wanted to do The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel but it was very overcast and on the verge of storming and we wanted to make sure we had mountain views from the wheel.
The first ride the kids went on was the Lil’ Ribbits. This is a ride that resembles a frog hopping. We had a great time watching Ethan on it. He was a little on the bigger side for the ride but there was no max height restriction.
The best ride in our opinion was the Spinning Parrots. The Spinning Parrots is a roller coaster style ride that operates in both directions while each individual cart spins on its own. We rode the ride over 5 times this day.
Blake, Ethan, Nick and Isabella all rode Reverse Time, Arianna and Austin couldn’t ride it because the height requirement is 48″ and up.
Arianna and Austin rode a few rides while the others were riding Reverse time. These rides did not give much of a thrill at all and you could see it in their faces.
Everyone was thirsty after these rides and I went into Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Shop to get everyone a drink, while the kids got in line for Twist ‘N Shout. Due to the line, I was able to get back in time to see them on the ride.
We were still waiting for the phone to ring that our table for dinner was ready. Blake and I did a tasting at Bootleggers Winery Ole Smoky Mountain Moonshine. The kids played right outside the door. We were able to see them them the entire time. Bootleggers Winery offers free tastings of 4 of their wines (you choose your own wines). Being from Eastern Virginia and very close to Charlottesville, VA we did not like the flavors of the wines. They were very sweet and fruity. Not for us but definitely for others. Ole Smoky Mountain Moonshine is in The Barn at the Island. Each tasting was $5.00 and it came with a $5.00 coupon to use in the store. Everyone got to try the same flavors and the last tasting was a piece of Pineapple in moonshine. That was quite delicious! As we were on our last sample, my phone rang and our table was ready at Margaritaville.
We arrive at Margaritaville and immediately we can feel the fun, upbeat vibe.
My Dad loves Jimmy Buffet and his favorite song is “It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere” so needless to say I HAD to order the It’s 5 O’clock Somewhere cocktail in his honor.
I went to the gift shop with Arianna while we were waiting on our food. I got my dad a few things and it is rare that we find anything with Arianna’s name on it and they had a street sign. I got that for her. Once I was done, Blake went to see if they had anything he thought his dad may like.
Our server was amazing, she was on top of everything! She handled the spilled drink without blinking an eye. We were very well taken care of during our dinner. We received our food quickly and everything was delicious and SO MUCH FOOD!!!!! We generously tipped our server and went to take a picture of the kids in the big beach chair out front.
I stopped to take a picture of The Wheel while on the way back to our car. The Wheel had color changing lights and lit up the nearby fountain show.
We got back to the house and got everyone in bed and ending day 1 on our TN adventure. Blake and I sat up after everyone went to bed discussing plans for the next day. Intermittent rain was in the forecast for the next day which is the day we planned to take the kids to Dollywood. I told Blake that we should go and just give it our best shot. If it is anything like Busch Gardens back at home, if the rain gets really bad, a lot of people will leave and the ride lines would be significantly reduced. We decided that would be the best plan and I went ahead and purchased tickets using the code on our McDonald’s cup.
A 1 day ticket to Dollywood is
- Adult: 10-61 $84/person
- Child: 4-9 $74/person (under 3 – free)
- Senior: 62+ $74/person
In the morning as we were getting ready to head to Dollywood, Blake starts yelling for me to look out the window. I look out the window and there stands a black bear in our front yard. Hence the reason for the Bearproof trashcans. It was such a neat sight to see right out of the window. The bear eventually continued down the road and went on it’s way.
We got to Dollywood and we were all very excited. We took the tram to the entrance of the park as the park was already very crowd when we arrived. We got inside the park and got a park map to help navigate. The first thing we did was purchase sunscreen because of course, we left out 5 bottles we brought with us at the house.
The first ride we went on is one of Dollywood‘s originals – Blazing Furry. All of the kids except Taylor were tall enough to ride. I sat with Taylor while the others rode and then I rode when they got off. We strongly encouraged the kids to ride all of the rides the were tall enough for because who knows if and when they would be back.
We started checking off the rides one by one. Austin and Ari were not tall enough for the Tennessee Tornado so while the others went on that we played the games nearby and won a bunch of prizes. Tennessee Tornado is an oldie but goodie. It was a lot of fun.
We made it to Fire Chaser Express, the line was long but it was fine. We did the parent swap in order for everyone to ride. Austin said he did not want to ride it again but we were proud of him for riding it.
Blake, Ethan and Nick all went on The Wild Eagle, Izzy missed the high cut off by 1/2 inch. She was very disappointed but understood.
Blake and the kids that could ride the ride Mystery Mine got in line and the rest of us waited in the parent swap area. Ethan, Isabella and Nick all said it was their favorite ride. They got to ride again because of the parent swap.
We knew the weather was going to get bad soon so Blake took our prizes to the car and while doing so he was able to move the car and get up close parking. While he was doing that I took the kids around and got some pictures.
We met up with Blake and the kids rode the Whistle Punk Coaster. It was a small coaster so of course Ethan and Nick were bored, but cute for the younger ones.
It was time to grab some lunch. Apparently everyone else had the same idea. Blake got in line for Till and Harvest Food Hall and I took the kids on Tree Top Tower which is located next to the restaurant.
When we got off the ride, Blake had not moved in the extremely long line. I told him that while on the ride I saw a restaurant called Lumber Jack’s Pizza and it didn’t appear to have a long line. We went over there and walked right up and got pizza. While we were getting our pizza the sky fell out and it was a massive storm. The covered seating was full of people trying to take shelter, we were just trying to find a place to sit and eat. We found 2 tables under umbrellas and stayed fairly dry. The storm went on and the kids decided to run around and play in the rain. They were drenched and cold because they were drenched. I ran through the rain to a gift shop close by and Got the kids a sweatshirt. I told them they better wear them forever and their kids better wear them because they were so expensive. Once the storm passed the kids were hot and we put their sweaters under the stroller.
The next ride was Drop Line. I was shocked the kids wanted to ride.
Next we went to the area Wild Wood Grove. The first ride the kids rode was the Black Bear Trail. It was super cute and really funny to see Ethan on it. He just went with it.
The kids took a picture with the Black Bear (social distance protocols).
We all got in line for the new ride, Dragonflier. It is a rollercoaster designed for younger kids to ride, yet still considered a thrill. The parent swap for this ride didn’t go well at all and was quite frustrating. But eventually we all got to ride.
We purchased Cinnamon Bread a little earlier from the Grist Mill and ate it while it was still warm right after finishing on Dragonflier. Cinnamon Bread = Delicious!!!
Next up was Frogs and Fireflies followed by The Mad Mockingbird. Taylor was excited because she was able to ride Frogs and Fireflies.
Arianna, Isabella and Taylor got their pictures with the Fairy.
Blake, Ethan, Nick and Izzy rode Thunderhead – Dollywood’s wooden Roller coaster.
I stayed with Taylor while everyone else got on Smoky Mountain River Rampage. We did parent swap for this ride also. The entire time I was on the ride the kids told me I was going to get soaked. Haha to them, I only got a couple of drops of water on me.
We got to the Country Fair area just before 7:00 and we didn’t realize that the area closed at 7:00. I took Arianna, Austin and Taylor on the Busy Bees and Blake went with Ethan, Nick and Isabella on the Dizzy Disk.
After we left the County Fair area, we ate at Dogs N Taters for dinner. Everyone got Corndogs and tater tots. The last ride we went on was Lightning Rod. Blake went first with Ethan, Nick and Izzy. I could not believe that Izzy wanted to ride it. She got off and was so excited. She rode it with me when I went on it. The roller coaster was AWESOME! Very exciting. I couldn’t believe Izzy actually rode it. I told her how proud I was of her.
Blake and the kids stopped at the main entrance at the Dollywood sign while I went to guest relations to surprise the kids with a second day at Dollywood. I wanted them to be able to ride the rides we didn’t get to ride. Especially for Arianna and Austin, I really wanted them to be able to ride the rides in the County Fair area.
We made it back to Wild Wood Grove just in time to for the Fireworks and Drone show. Such an awesome show and a great way to end the day.
Thanks to Blake moving the car, we didn’t have to walk far and got out of the park very quickly.
July 27, 2021
After breakfast, we went back to The Island to ride the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. This time we had fantastic weather, bright and sunny. We didn’t have to wait in line long and the kids were very excited to see the views.
Once we got off the Wheel, the kids rode a few more rides and we had lunch at Mellow Mushroom. It is about the cheapest meal we could find for our entire family plus it was connected to Dude’s Daiquiris and I was able to get one. The Daiquiri came in a coloring changing cup and the kids loved that.
The kids asked if we could ride more rides, we told them no because we had a surprise for them that would be a lot better than the rides here at The Island.
We didn’t tell the kids that we got them a second day at Dollywood and as soon as we turned into the parking lot they all yelled with excitement. We told them that it wasn’t fair that the younger kids didn’t get to ride many rides yesterday and that we missed some of the other rides and we wanted them to have a chance to ride everything they wanted to ride.
The first thing we did was head back to the County Fair. The rules for the kiddie rides varied and some required a parent to ride and some did not. For the Lucky Ducky ride, I had to ride it with Taylor and I…….did…….not…….fit! Blake thought it would be funny to take a bunch of pictures with me struggling.
Taylor got to ride Busy Bees by herself and she was so proud of herself and very happy.
All of the kids opted to ride the Piggy Parade with Taylor and she loved having them on the ride with her.
Taylor wasn’t tall enough for Sky Rider, Blake and I took turns holding her while the other rode it.
I stayed with Taylor while everyone else rode the Demolition Derby (Bumper Cars).
The next ride up was Granny’s Garden, a flying Elephant ride.
Ethan, Nick and Isabella rode the Dizzy Disk, While Blake, Arianna, Austin, Taylor and I went on the Lemon Twist.
We did Parent Swap for the Barnstormer, a ride we didn’t get to ride the day before. We only had to wait about 20 minutes to get on the ride. The kids that could not ride, played on the playground next to the ride.
We stopped by the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary and admired all of the Bald Eagles.
After seeing the Eagles, we started to ride all of the rides we rode the day before.
We finished the night riding Lightning Rod and Rockin Roadway.
We did not stay for the fireworks and drone show since we saw it the night before, however when we got to the car the show just started and we were able to watch it from the car and jump in a leave immediately after.
We stopped at Arby’s on the way back to the house. The line was out to the street and we were hoping it would go fast but it didn’t. We waited about an hour to get our food. They were making food to order.
July 28th 2021
We got up and got our hiking gear together and set out for The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our main goal for the day was to hike Clingmans Dome (TN’s Highpoint).
We reached the area of Clingmans Dome and it was extremely busy. We had to park 1/2 mile from the parking lot. We made it to the parking lot and set off on the hike up to the summit.
Clingmans Dome Observation Tower Trail
- Distance: 2.53 Miles
- Trail Type: Out and Back
- Average Pace: 33:03
- Elevation Gain: 423 Feet
- Summit: 6643 feet
Located at the top of the Observation Tower are many informational signs and signs labeling the nearby mountains.
Blake and Taylor stayed at the observation tower for a little bit longer to get a few more pictures and got one of us heading down.
We of course had to step food on the Appalachian Trail in TN.
We found a benchmark on a rock at the bottom of the observation tower. Not sure if this is the actual high point trail marker because a lot of the wording had been rubbed off.
Blake and I waited in the line for the gift shop while the kids ran around. We had to get mask from the workers because beginning today the area went to a severe COVID location and mask were required again.
We took one more picture before heading back to the car.
The kids loved the hike and very happy to check off their first state highpoint.
- Distance: 3.59 Miles
- Trail Type: Out and Back
- Average Pace: 34:25
- Elevation Gain: 541
Our next hike in the park and last for the day was Laurel Falls. An 80 foot tall waterfall with small slides and pools for the kids to play in/on.
The hike to the falls was along a paved (although had seen better days) trail that had gradual elevation and you didn’t even feel like you were ascending. Once we made it to the falls, the kids immediately took off for the water.
Taylor wanted to have her time in the falls as well.
Blake couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put his head in the falls.
The kids went down a very small “slip n slide” as they called it.
After lots of fun, we began our hike back to the trailhead. We stopped at the sign to take our end of hike pictures.
We head out of the park and head towards the Tourist area of Gatlinburg. We paid $7 to park and began walking around the crowded area.
We wanted to see if there was anything for the kids to do that wasn’t cheesy but most of the attractions were closed or way too overpriced for the experience you would receive. We decided to try to find somewhere to eat dinner. We again ran into places either being closed or way too long of a wait. I told Blake in Pigeon Forget there is a Texas Roadhouse and I called them to put us on their call head seating. It would going to be about 1.5 hours which was fine. This gave us time to get to the house and everyone was able to shower and get things ready for the next day before heading to dinner. We had a great dinner and got back to the house and went to bed.
July 29th 2021
We head back into the park for our first hike of the day. A very short out and back hike to nearby Cataract Falls, a 25 foot tall Waterfall. The hike begins in the parking lot of the visitor center.
- Distance: 0.34 miles
- Trail Type: Out and Back
- Total time: 11:15
- Elevation Gain: 10 feet
Our second hike of the day is Grotto Falls. A 25 foot tall waterfall in which part of the trail goes behind the falls. This is very exciting to me since I have always wanted to hike behind a waterfall.
Distance: 3.49 Miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Average Pace: 34:46
Elevation Gain: 673 Feet
The kids enjoyed hiking behind the falls as well and they couldn’t wait to get into the water. The falls were very crowded and you could tell people wanted to go in the pool and under the falls but they were all just standing around. Blake and the kids didn’t waste anytime and they went right in. Blake took each kid under the waterfall and they all greatly enjoyed it.
Taylor and I hung out on the surrounding rocks.
On the hike out we passed a few small falls. We also passed a group of people that were hiking without shoes. Very impressive!
We made it back to to the trailhead. But not without passing some wildlife in the process. A family coming from the other direction told us that they saw a momma bear and 2 cubs about 2/10th of a mile from where we were. This was very nerve wracking. We never saw the bears, sort of bittersweet. It would have been really neat to see the bears but also frightening at the same time.
We did spot a Rattlesnake.
We got back in the car and drove around to find a pull off to put out our blanket and have some lunch. The spot we found was by a small ADA access trail and the kids hiked around on the trail as soon as they finished their lunch.
We passed more streams, small waterfalls and an old homestead site on the way out of the park.
We made it to the Visitor Information Center that was located across the street from the house we were staying in before it closed and everyone picked out their pins to add to their boards at home.
Our next stop, Goats on the Roof Mountain Coaster. Taylor was too small to ride and only Ethan was tall enough to ride by himself or have another rider with him. Blake and I took turns getting all the kids on the coaster. They all loved it and wanted to go again, but we had dinner reservations at Mama’s Farmhouse and the reservation was quickly approaching.
We arrived at Mama’s Farmhouse a few minutes before our reservation time and they kids played on the playground they have on site.
Mama’s Farmhouse was delicious and sooooo much food. It is a table buffet style meal. You get, biscuits, salad or soup, 2-3 main meat dishes, 4 sides (more if you request it) and dessert. The food however is unlimited and you can request more if you run out of something, but trust me, the first round is plenty. We felt bad that we weren’t able to finish all of the food. Everyone left with full bellies.
We surprised the kids after dinner and went back to Goats on the Roof for a night ride on the mountain coaster. Needless to say, they were very excited. The coaster was fantastic and it was fun to see the goats as well.
We got back to the house and packed up as much as we could and did the remainder of the laundry. The kids were sad the vacation was coming to an end.
July 30, 2021
Once we all got up, we finished backing and loading then car, we did the checkout checklist for our Airbnb and hit the road. We drove into Pigeon Forge to have breakfast at the Frizzle Chicken. They had a short wait when we arrived which was fine. We put our name on the list and went to the Moon Pie General Store close by while we waited. The kids all got a moon pie to eat later and we got Blake’s brother the “Southern 6-Pack” which contained 4 moon pies and 2 RC Colas.
The Frizzle Chicken was a fun spot for breakfast. It has singing and dancing chickens all with a play on words for their names. We all had a delicious breakfast and I don’t think anyone left any food on their plates. We had fun going around and seeing all of the names of the chickens (check them out below).
On the way out of Pigeon Forge we stopped by Smoky Mountain Knife Works since it is one of the stores that my Dad orders from all the time and we wanted to get him something from there. We got him a hat and shirt. Our next stop was at one of the fireworks stores.
Since we were fairly close, we took the kids to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to hike the Tri-State Peak Trail. Unfortunately the visitor center was already closed for the day, we were not able to get our passport cancellation stamp or pins but were were still there and that is all that mattered. We may our way through town to the Tri-State Peak Trailhead.
Distance: 2.59 Miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Average Pace: 30:47
Elevation Gain: 663 Feet
The trail begins on the Tennessee Road trail and then connects with the Wilderness trail and eventually the Tri State Peak Trail. The trail follows an old Civil War roadbed and also known as Daniel Boone’s Trail.
You come across a small side trail that takes to to the edge of a small cliff and you look into the makings of a cave.
We all made it to the Tri-Peak point where Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee all meet. The kids thought it was awesome to be in 3 states at once.
All the kids laid in the 3 states at once.
Blake was able to capture a pano picture of all 3 states despite there being other families.
Before going back to the car, we stopped at the Iron Furnace along the trail.
We all go back in the car and were headed home on the 6 hour drive back. The kids slept for a lot of the way. We got back around midnight. I felt bad for Blake because he had to work the next day. We had a fantastic trip and first long family vacation together.
Nic of Time - Travel 