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.