We were headed to Tennessee from Georgia and found this town so had to take a picture.
Apparently not named after Steve's family
We arrived in Pigeon Forge Tennessee and were disappointed
we didn’t find any pigeons. Well not really but we did learn that the area was
once home to Carrier Pigeons. Now I don’t know if that’s the reason the town
was named but we can tell you it is an interesting area.
We found a place to hang for about 11 days which put was in
a central location to be able to check out the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, Gatlinburg, and surrounding towns.
The Great Smoky Mountains is just beautiful and I imagine in
the Fall it is knock-out gorgeous with Fall colors. We grabbed Izzy and headed
into the park. We stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and were very
impressed with the interpretive section. You learn a tremendous amount about
the park and the history. That’s where we learned about the Carrier Pigeons.
The Great Smoky Mountains can claim the fame of being the
only place this size in a temperate climate with the variety of plant and
animal species. There are more tree species than in northern Europe, 1,500
flowering plants, dozens of native fish, and over 200 species of birds and 60
mammals.
Diversity
The Mountain
A Unique Tree
The Cherokee described these mountains as shaconage, meaning “blue, like smoke.”
They farmed the land and built log homes. During the 1790s white settlement
began in the lowlands and climbed the hills as eastern farmland became scarce
and commercial agriculture migrated to the Midwest. As you drive through the
park there are a few places where they have preserved some of this history.
Why They Are Called the Smoky Mountains
Traveling through the park you see some beautiful scenery
but also places to hike. There was some road construction which provided an
opportunity for Izzy to check out the creek.
Since we had Izzy with us we didn’t do much hiking but did
stop at the Appalachian Trail which has a Rockefeller Memorial. We did hike
part of the trail but decided to not go all the way to Maine, 1,972 miles,
since Izzy couldn’t go on parts of the trail. Oh well maybe some other day.
At the Appalachian Trail
Decided to Not Hike to Maine
Up the Trail
We stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitors Center to check out
the Mountain Farm Museum. We wandered around learning about the life that you
would live back then. The buildings are in great shape and they tell the story
well.
The Ash Hopper
Bee Gum Stand
Corn Crib and Work Area
The Grinder
Corn Crib
John Davis' Cabin
Dining in the cabin
The Kitchen
The Apple House
The View from the Barn
The Garden
The Spring House
From there we stopped at the Mingus Mill which still produces corn meal and wheat using a grinding stone. Steve spoke with the Miller quite a bit to learn how it is done. I bought a bag of cornmeal and will try the corn bread recipe on the bag. Don’t worry I will let you know how it turns out.
The Mingus Mill
Flume
Grinding
The Falls
We did become young children again and went to Dollywood and
Dolly’s Splash Mountain. I think Steve believes he has to ride every roller
coaster around. I on the other hand can only handle certain rides which does
include roller coasters but not the ones that spin you around and take you
upside down all at the same time! Oh by the way they also have some great
entertainment so we spent some time listening to the Smoky Mountain String Band
which was excellent. Watched a magician perform and debated about buying some
magic tricks.
Guess Where We Are?
Not Quite the TT
The Old Filling Station
The Fire Station
Dollywood Street
The Unique Calendar
The Water Wheel
The Great Eagle
Smoky Mountain String Band
From there we hopped on the Dollywood Train which is pulled
by a coal fired steam locomotive. It was a great ride and they do a good job
giving you the history of the train and what life was like in the mountains.
Dollywood's Coal Fired Steam Train
The Boarding House
The Cabin
Splash Country was fun and we went on a warm day to enjoy
cooling off in the wave pool and going down a few slides. The crowd wasn’t bad
but I imagine later in the summer this place gets packed with a lot of kids.
A Selfie
Cooling Off
The Wave Pool
A Giant Slide
Driving along the main highway through Pigeon Forge you see
quite a variety of things. For example, Ripley’s Believe it or Not has many
offerings if you are so inclined, including miniature golf, go-carts, and the
museum. I bet you didn’t know the Titantic landed in Pigeon Forge. It is here,
well a museum that is. We didn’t venture into it but I did take a couple of
pictures. We also saw King Kong hanging out. If you have young children this is
paradise for them with all the fun things to do but you might go broke!
The Tatanic
Why doesn't it melt?
The Upside Wonder
Oh No King Kong
We found a nice golf course to play a couple of times which
was quite challenging due to the hills. We took Izzy one day so she could get a
good nap in while se golfed. I am glad she wasn’t out on the course with us as
I think she would have chased the wild turkeys that were playing through.
A Nice Hole
On The Course
A bit of color
Hanging Out on the Course
The RV park we stayed at was on a creek so she could get
wet, but also in an area that was quite pretty if you took a walk up the road.
We ran into this guy hanging out on the road soaking up the sun. He wasn’t in
any big hurry to get off the road either.
Smiling
The last thing we did was go to a dinner show. We decided on
Dolly’s Dixie Stampeded although you have many choices. The food was great and
the show was excellent. We rooted for the North since we were sitting on that
side, but we are kind-of not from the south! You aren’t allowed to take
pictures during the show but the entertainers they have are all equestrian
pros. We had a nice time.
Fast Pickin
The Stampede Scene
Enjoying the Stampede
We waited until Tuesday after Memorial Day to head to our
next spot. We figured we should go ahead and check out the Blue Ridge Mountains
since we were heading to Virginia anyway! More to come from SIT!
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