We've had quite a busy Spring Break this year! For the beginning of the week we decided to rent a cabin up in Pigeon Forge, TN. We left Sunday around 1 pm and it took somewhere around 4 hours to get there. The drive up seemed to go by rather quickly (thanks to the help of modern technology--Nintendo DS games and DVDs). I thought it would be fun to watch some older musicals so I had rented The Sound of Music (one of my all-time favorites) and The Music Man. The kids enjoyed The Sound of Music, but no one really paid attention while The Music Man was playing. I had rented the remake version with Matthew Broderick and Jason and I both agree that it pales in comparison to the original. Neither of us liked the singing in it all that much. We actually didn't even make it through the whole movie and ended up just turning it off. It didn't matter though because once we got to driving through the Smokey Mountains the beautiful scenery was captivating (to Jason and I anyway). I love the mountains and always have. It was so calming to me to just look out the window at the beauty of the trees and the water flowing down and through the mountains. We actually got to stop for a minute while we were in the mountains (at one of the lookout spots) where I took a few pictures and Jason took Tyler down the mountainside for an important pit-stop :) .
We met my parents up at the cabin which turned out to be really nice. The kids enjoyed the pool table, air hockey, and video games they had available. We went out for a nice dinner that night and then came back to the cabin and relaxed before going to bed. While driving through Pigeon Forge we noticed that it has a plethora of go-cart/mini-golf/arcade places as well as dinner shows/theaters. The kids were desperate to go on the go-carts (as was Grandpa it seems). So, the following day all of the boys and Megan went riding on the go-cart track a couple of times and had a blast.
After the go-carts, we ate lunch at the Applewood Restaurant which had yummy apple fritters. Tyler was so impressed with his silver dollar chocolate chip pancakes that he said, "Mom, we need to ask our lady (waitress) for this recipe!" We finished lunch and strolled around outside for awhile. The weather was perfect and the blossoms on all of the apple trees and dogwoods were gorgeous. We went back to the cabin for a nice nap and then took the kids to see a magic show that night. Tuesday, we slept in (at least everyone except Tyler and Megan) and then we went to the Forbidden Caverns in Sevierville. The kids really enjoyed looking at all of the neat formations and a few little bats as well. An evening at a family oriented show at The Comedy Barn ended our day.
Wednesday was our last day and we went to Gatlinburg. What a cute, quaint little town. We took the kids to the aquarium which was great. The aquarium was a pretty good size with lots to see. The kids' favorite part was going under and through the huge tank that housed all kinds of sharks, stingray, eels, and other interesting sea life. It really makes you appreciate how big sharks can get when you are standing right underneath them--as well as how big their teeth are!
I would have loved to have stayed and seen more of Gatlinburg after going to the aquarium, but Jason and I didn't see the point of prodding 3 tired kids up and down the town. So, after lunch it was time to hit the road and journey home for a short overnight stay before heading to Florida. The drive home was again, just gorgeous. I hope this fall when all of the colors are changing that we can fit in a drive through the mountains (maybe on the Blue Ridge Parkway next time) and some time to go hiking. I'll have to bring my John Denver songs for ambiance (that would push Jason over the edge). Hopefully we'll get the chance to go to Gatlinburg again soon (maybe kid-free) so that we can leisurely stroll up and down the streets and look in all the cute shops and get a true feel for the town. Overall, it was a nice couple of days away from our normal, busy lives. To be continued...
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