Day3: Cades Coves & The Variety Show
We started off our morning taking a trip to Cades Cove. In all the times the in-laws have been to Pigeon Forge/Gatleinburg area, they had never been to Cades Cove. So we decided it was time to take them. Cades Cove really is a beautiful place. It is hard to imagine being that disconnected from the rest of the world. If you have never been there...Cades Cove is apart of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It is a community that formed in the early 1800's in a valley that is surrounded by the Smokey Mountains. I believe that Cades Cove is a few thousand acres and a few hundred families had lived there for over a hundred years. It has several of the original houses that these families lived in. It is amazing to see how people lived. Here are a few pics...
Can you imagine this being your driveway?
There is a house up there
The surrounding mountains
Notice the orb...I'm pretty sure its a ghost.
David said I've been watching too many ghost shows on the Travel Channel.
There were actually three big bucks standing there but we could only get a picture of one.
More deer...
12 Children & 2 Adults in this 1 room house
I liked this one! It had a kitchen off the back
Hubby & I
Even though it is a beautiful place Cades Cove does come with its downfalls. Biggest problem being that it is FREE so it attracts tons of people staying in the Pigeon Forge/Gatleinburg area. This witch causes major traffic and backup at the cove. We headed out there on a Thursday morning with no snacks. Our 11 mile journey ended up lasting from 10 am and wasn't over until 2pm. Needless to say, I was cranky and hungry. That seems to happen when my blood sugar drops. And to the stupid red truck who had to stop every 60 seconds to take a stupid picture. You had 30 cars behind you and it was lunch time. It would have been polite for you to pull to the side and let all the hungry people go by. And to the stupid park ranger who got on to me for stopping traffic to take a picture of the deer, where were you when the stupid red truck stopped up the traffic in the whole entire place? I don't recall you telling him he needed to "move on."
Unfortunately we didn't get to see any bears while on our tour of Cades Cove, but we did get to see some at the Black Bear Jamboree...
Unfortunately we didn't get to see any bears while on our tour of Cades Cove, but we did get to see some at the Black Bear Jamboree...
I know your probably thinking WTF? And yes, it was as hokey as it sounds, but it was VERY entertaining. Our group decided on the Black Bear Jamboree due to the fact it offered a little bit of everything, oldies, country, christian, Hollywood, patriotic, and some comedy. I have to be honest...I hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. It was hilarious and the singers were really good. The story line of the show was a like dorky, but they pulled it off well. Plus, the food was really good. I am already planning on going back because want to go back to see the Christmas show. If you want to have dinner and a show I would highly recommend it.
Day 4: Horseback Riding & the Best Dinner Ever!
Sorry I will go ahead and apologize but I don't really have any pictures of us horseback riding. I did buy the souvenir photos, but I currently cannot find the cord that plugs the scanner into the wall. We went to the Ponderosa Ranch and had a great time. Our guide David was super nice and gave me some great advice for my future horses. The place had a ton of horses (84 to be exact) and they all were very healthy looking. People must buy a lot of those souvenir photos. I rode a horse named Dakota who was extremely pretty and very sweet. David got to ride a horse named Mountain Dew. It was said that anytime you put a mountain dew near him, he drinks it up like crazy. It was pretty fitting since Mountain dew is the ONLY soft drink that David will drink.
That night we went to eat at the Old Mill. THIS IS THE BEST RESTAURANT IN PIGEON FORGE HANDS DOWN!!! The place specializes in southern food and they give humongous portions. Every meal comes with an entree, corn chowder (very good), a salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and your choice of desert. Seriously you get all that for no more than about $16.99. As I said in an earlier post, I ordered the turkey and dressing. It was amazing. It tasted just like my Grandma's. I ate mostly the dressing and took most of the turkey home to the dogs. You must eat here if you go. If you go at lunch, it is only $10 we didn't know this until we got there. Plus a tip...when they have a busy night and a long wait, they give you the option of setting with another family so you can get in faster. We chose this option and sat with a nice family from Indiana. It was nice for a change of conversation plus we got seated in about 15 minutes opposed to an hour. I recommend this place if anyone goes there. It was every one's favorite meal the whole week.
We headed home on Saturday. We had a great time. We seriously were already planning our next trip back. The trip home was not as eventful as the trip up there thank God! We did a little shopping before we left and made it home by six. Which was good because I had a ton of homework that had to be turned in that night by midnight. Here is a picture of the trip home...
Day 4: Horseback Riding & the Best Dinner Ever!
Sorry I will go ahead and apologize but I don't really have any pictures of us horseback riding. I did buy the souvenir photos, but I currently cannot find the cord that plugs the scanner into the wall. We went to the Ponderosa Ranch and had a great time. Our guide David was super nice and gave me some great advice for my future horses. The place had a ton of horses (84 to be exact) and they all were very healthy looking. People must buy a lot of those souvenir photos. I rode a horse named Dakota who was extremely pretty and very sweet. David got to ride a horse named Mountain Dew. It was said that anytime you put a mountain dew near him, he drinks it up like crazy. It was pretty fitting since Mountain dew is the ONLY soft drink that David will drink.
That night we went to eat at the Old Mill. THIS IS THE BEST RESTAURANT IN PIGEON FORGE HANDS DOWN!!! The place specializes in southern food and they give humongous portions. Every meal comes with an entree, corn chowder (very good), a salad, mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and your choice of desert. Seriously you get all that for no more than about $16.99. As I said in an earlier post, I ordered the turkey and dressing. It was amazing. It tasted just like my Grandma's. I ate mostly the dressing and took most of the turkey home to the dogs. You must eat here if you go. If you go at lunch, it is only $10 we didn't know this until we got there. Plus a tip...when they have a busy night and a long wait, they give you the option of setting with another family so you can get in faster. We chose this option and sat with a nice family from Indiana. It was nice for a change of conversation plus we got seated in about 15 minutes opposed to an hour. I recommend this place if anyone goes there. It was every one's favorite meal the whole week.
We headed home on Saturday. We had a great time. We seriously were already planning our next trip back. The trip home was not as eventful as the trip up there thank God! We did a little shopping before we left and made it home by six. Which was good because I had a ton of homework that had to be turned in that night by midnight. Here is a picture of the trip home...
1 comment:
OH MY GOODNESS!! You know about orbs too!!?? lol. Mike laughs at me, because I am always saying, "look, it's a spirit!!" when showing him pictures!!
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