Vacation 2019: Ripley's Believe It of Not!

One of the things Camden knew about coming into this trip was Ripley's was here.  We added it to our list of things to do.  They actually have 7 different Ripley's attractions and bought a discounted combo ticket that allowed us to do 4. 

First up: Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium.

We did the 5-D Moving Movie Theater next.  It was a bumpy, seat moving ride through 2 movies.  We took a ride on the free trolley through town to see more of the parkway and relax a bit.  We got dropped off at the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.  It was small, but had great ocean life and several touch tanks.

 

 

 

 

We headed out of Gatlinburg as the rain began to fall.

We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at Smokies Cuban Cafe because Camden had an empanada craving.  It did not disappoint!  We ended the day at Ripley's Old MacDonald's Farm Mini-golf.

Camden got a hole in one on the 18th so won a free round.  We were pretty done for the day, so we gave it to another family and headed back to the cabin for an evening swim and just relaxing.

Vacation 2019: Cades Cove & Gatlinburg

We got up early on Monday morning, had breakfast at the cabin, then headed for a 45 minute drive into the Smoky Mountains to Cades Cove.  This is an 11-mile, one way, single lane drive through a cove in the mountains.  This is prime wildlife viewing.  It takes at least an hour to complete, but often more if it is crowded.  We got there before the crowds, so were able to enjoy at a decent pace, but still able to stop to see views and other sights.

Camden and I got out to take the above picture and Kevin whispered out the window..."there's a deer...just over there in the grass."  It was like 15-20 feet from us and slowly made it's way out of the grass and across the road into the woods.

This area had several homesteads along the way and about 3 churches.

Camden and I even spotted 2 black bear in the trees.  They were a little far back and Kevin couldn't see from the driver's seat.  Camden was tired of driving and it gave her a bit of excitement to see them.

We left Cades Cove and drove to Gatlinburg along a wonderful winding road following a mountain stream.  Once we got to town, we parked and walked the main area.  We started at The Shops at the Village which was just off the parkway.  It has 27 shops and has a European village feel.

We got a snack at the Donut Friar which is one of the popular places in the Shops.  We sat by the fountain and enjoyed the snack, then headed into several other shops and down the main parkway, sampling jerky, hot sauce, oils & vinegar, etc.

We stopped to sample some caramel and found a new favorite.  It was soft and buttery and didn't stick to your teeth.  It came in various flavors with different kinds of nuts.  The coolest thing was how it was made in huge, cake-sized sections.  We bought some sea salt almond and cinnamon pecan.  Delicious!

The afternoon and evening was filled with 4 Ripley's Believe It or Not activities.

Vacation 2019: Our Cabin

We rented a terrific cabin.  It was in a complex, just 3 miles off the main Pigeon Forge drag, but isolated enough that we could only see one or two cabins up in the mountains across from us.  They were starting to building one or two very close, but I think this cabin would only hear noise and still not have any "viewing" infringements.

The parking and entrance was on the side which faced the road.  Once inside or on the decks, it was all private.

On the main floor was the kitchen/dining, living room, and bedroom with king bed and a full bath.

This floor had a nice balcony with 2 rocking chairs and a table with 4 chairs for outdoor eating.  Immediately upon arriving, Camden wanted to make a unicorn frappe from a mix we bought at Walmart and sit on the deck.

She also requested that she get the upstairs as her room.  It, obviously, was considered the master since it was one big room with a king bed, pool table, air hockey table, plus a HUGE bathroom with jacuzzi tub.  Neither Kevin nor I cared, so she got the "coolest" bedroom for the week.

This balcony had the hot tub, two chairs, and a swing.

We spent many hours soaking, swinging, reading, enjoying the views, and watching the "smokey" mountains.  Various times of the day and various weather fronts were simply gorgeous to watch.

We also took advantage of the resort's pool.  At first we were surprised at how under-used it seemed, but the hours were only from 10am-7pm, just when most people were out and about.  We spent two chunks of time there in between things and enjoyed it all to ourselves or with one family from Mattoon, IL ("did we know were that was?" LOL).

I'm not sure we could have picked a better spot for our family than this!