It's A Small World ~ Pre Trip Report

[ariel2007]

Cowboys, Chicken and Country Music
Day 2 ~ Southern Belle River Cruise and Our Smoky Mountain Cabin​

Nick and I got up at 8.45am and met the others in their room. They had been down to the pool for a swim but the chlorine must have been really high as Sophie’s eyes were so red and sore. We went down to Porter’s Steakhouse Restaurant in the hotel for breakfast, the restaurant was very nice. We had the choice of a la carte or buffet, we all choose the buffet which was nice but had a small selection. There was a small selection of fruit, cereal and hot food and also Starbuck’s coffee, it was all very good.

Porter's Steakhouse

After a nice breakfast we went back to our rooms and got showered and dressed. At 11am we caught the complimentary shuttle down to the waterfront which was just past all the restaurants. It was very pretty at the waterfront, there were 2 big curvy bridges, some fountains, the big aquarium and river just in front.

View down towards the restaurants and our hotel from the bridge

We walked past and down to the river, we passed Coldstone Creamery which was by the river, it was lucky as we were planning on going there at some point and now we knew exactly where it was. We went down to Pier 2 which is where the Southern Belle leaves from, the pier is a big, mock steam boat with an outside deck with tables and chairs on and a shop inside.

We went and got our tickets, got a souvenir picture taken and then boarded the Southern Belle. We were seated by the window, right by the buffet; we weren’t hungry yet after breakfast but went and got free drinks from the bar.

Enjoying the cruise

The inside seating deck

We then went up to the top deck and met the narrator who asked where we were from and seemed quite shocked we were here. We stood up on the platform next to the Captains room as we set sail and then went to the deck just below whilst we sailed up the river towards Lookout Mountain. We learn't all about the area, its history and importance and about the attractions at Lookout Mountain which we had planned to visit on our way back to Atlanta. When we reached the end of the river near Lookout Mountain we turned round and went back.

The journey up to Lookout Mountain

You can see her red eyes from the pool in the picture

At this point we went down to get some food. The buffet was a deluxe deli buffet and by the time we went down there was no-one else there, it was great. There were different rolls and breads, ham, beef and turkey, cheeses, salad, potato salad, potato chips and cookies, it was all very good.

After we had finished our lunch we went back up to the deck and watched as we sailed down to the other side of the pier. We went and sat in the Captains room on this nice big sofa and had great views. We went under the world’s longest passenger bridge, past some gorgeous and unusual houses and a garden full of unusual sculptures.

The captains deck

The waterfront and aquarium

The longest pedestrian bridge

The sculpture garden

Before we knew it it was 1.30pm and we were approaching the pier for the end of our cruise. We had all really enjoyed the cruise up the river and it was nice getting to learn a bit about the area, without being bored. The food had been really good too, it was just a shame we had had a big breakfast.
Once we got off we went and had a look in the shop and got some souvenirs. Sophie brought me a lovely black cuddly bear; he was so cute and fluffy. She loved it too so Nick brought her one too. As we were in the shop the queue for the next cruise was absolutely huge, ours was quite quiet so the early one was obviously a good choice.

Once we had finished in the shop we walked up to Coldstone Creamery. None of us were hungry but we all wanted ice-cream so we brought a small one each. I had sweet cream ice-cream with caramel sauce and Reece’s peanut butter cups, it was so good and it’s so clever how they make it on the slab.

After we had finished we walked back to the hotel, walking over the curvy bridges on the way. As we walked back up to the hotel it was so, so hot, but also still raining, which it had been ever since we landed unfortunately. Back at the hotel we grabbed our luggage from our rooms and as Mum and Dad loaded the car Nick and I got a Starbucks. The hotel had its own Starbuck’s which was the biggest, or second biggest in the world, it was quite big but I’m not sure about it being that big.

The hotel from the outside (taken from the tram stop across the street)

Continued Below...

 

[ariel2007]

Then we were off on the road again heading to the Smoky Mountains. The journey took about 2 ½ hours and as we got closer we began to see the mountains, and sure enough they were covered with smoke. It was quite an amazing sight.

Not the best picture but this was our first sight of the smoky mountains

We also passed lots of restaurants along the way, Cracker Barrels, Outback Steakhouse, McDonalds, there was far more places to stop than our route to Miami last time. We finally approached Sevierville where we had to stop for a quick toilet stop and drink from McDonalds. Then we started driving through Sevierville which was filed with restaurants, mini golf and more. We passed the helicopter place where I had booked our flight from on Mum’s birthday, I don’t know if she saw but she didn’t comment at this point. We also passed Walmart, and some of the big dinner show theatres. Next we came into Pigeon Forge although it was hard to tell where Sevierville ended and Pigeon Forge started. We passed all the places I had looked at, The Inn at Christmas Place which looked lovely, The Comedy Barn, Dixie Stampede, all the mini-golfs, go kart tracks and restaurants. We had heard it was like I-Drive and quite tacky, well it kind of was like I-Drive on a much smaller scale but we all liked it, it was interesting.

The Inn at Christmas Place

Comedy Barn

Oh and our back seat entourage (the bears are our new ones, as is the monkey)

We then drove up some smaller roads into the foothills of the mountains to the rental cabins office. When we got there we were quite impressed, the office looked very nice from the outside and was equally as nice inside, if a little bare. We were checked in straight away, given an information folder and then started our drive to our cabin. Soon we started heading up into the mountains, the roads were getting quite steep and windy and the drops were pretty steep. We made a wrong turn at one point but were soon back on track and were heading up another very steep track. A few of the roads were so steep it was scary just to look at them. We finally approached our cabin; it was down a little path with a few others but far enough away to be private. From the outside it didn’t look like much but I opened up and we went inside.

The first view from outside

Instantly we were shocked by the beauty and elegance of the place and the amazing view. As we entered we came into the open plan living room, kitchen and dining area. There were 3 big leather sofas facing into a big fireplace with huge LCD TV above with cable and a DVD player, and a big coffee table. The kitchen area was open with an island in the middle and all the utensils and electronics you could need including a massive fridge-freezer with ice machine. There was a nice big, dining table there too, all looking out to the mountains.

The whole front was glass and there was lovely decor everywhere. There was a big deck out the front with 2 big tables and amazing views over the beautiful mountains.

The view from the deck

As we stood on the deck Mum was so amazed she cried, non-stop for about 10 minutes. Dad and Sophie loved it too; they were so amazed to be staying in something so beautiful.
There was winding wooden staircases at the back of the room, one going up, and one going down. We went up first and came into the games rooms. There was an area as you went up the stairs with a bar table and stalls, CD player, darts board, pool table and air hockey table. Then was then a little bridge out to the outside deck and you could look over and see into the lounge. The whole front and sides were glass again and being at the top it had even better views.

Looking down to the lounge from the games room

On the deck there were rocker chairs looking out over the mountains, it was so peaceful and serene out there. The best views were probably from up here being the highest point.

There were also toilets on both these floors. We then went down to the 3rd floor where there were 2 bedrooms, both the same but with different bedding and flowers. Each had a huge bed with cushions on, a big fireplace with a TV over with cable, a big wooden wardrobe and a corner spa bath. The front was all glass again and led out onto a deck with rocker chairs and a Jacuzzi. Both also had bathrooms with big showers in and there was a door with a washer and dryer in.

Bedroom 1 ~ Sophie's room

Room 2 ~ Mum and Dad's room

The deck

Mum was amazed, and then when I mentioned there was another floor she nearly died of shock. We went down to the bottom floor which was exactly the same as the one above but with different decor in the bedrooms and the Jacuzzi was on the opposite side. We all decided that Nick and I would have a room on the bottom floor and Mum and Dad would have one of the rooms above and Sophie the other. This worked for us as we had our whole own floor and Sophie got the room she wanted.

Bedroom 3 ~ Our room

Bedroom 4 ~ Our spare room, he he

 

[ariel2007]

The deck

We spent some more time admiring the beautiful cabin, it was as beautiful as I expected and so much more. And to see how unbelievably happy the others were, especially Mum, made me so happy I had chosen this one and relieved they loved it.

No-one wanted to leave the cabin but we were all a bit hungry and we had no supplies in the cabin so we got in the car and headed back down the mountain into Pigeon Forge. We went to the Old Mill, a restaurant and square with country style shops and a cafe.

Unfortunately the shops were closed apart from the General Store so we had a browse. They sold souvenirs and gifts and also honeys, jams, butters, food mixes and ham; it was like you imagine a country store to be like. We got a few souvenirs and some lemonade mix and then went over to the Old Mill Restaurant. It was very nice inside, all wooden and pretty and outside there was a river and a mill.

We were seated straight away and our server was really friendly and got us some drinks. One of the waiters was from England and he came over and talked to us for a while, he was quite intrigued why we had chosen the area and how we had heard about it, apparently they don’t get many English visitors. All of us adults were brought some clam chowder soup, salad with a choice of dressing and some fritters with maple butter to start. It was all really good, especially the soup and the honey and mustard dressing on the salad, but it was a lot of food already.

The really cute salt and pepper shakers, and the fritters in the background

After that we had our mains, Mum had the pot roast, Paul had the chicken pot pie, Sophie had the children’s chicken and dumplings and Nick and I shared meatloaf and pot roast. The meatloaf was okay, it was quite like mince and didn’t have that much taste, the pot roast was good though although not the best. We also got mash and green beans served family style, which were refilled. We were all so full when we finished and we got dessert included too, the meals were really good value here with the soup, salad, fritters, main and dessert all included. We took the dessert to go and all choose pecan pie which was cooked fresh there at the front of the store. The meal had been very nice and everyone was so friendly and nice, we had already got to see what they meant by the Southern charm.

On the way back to the cabin we stopped at the garage and got some beers and Bacardi drinks as well as some water, juice and milk. We had found out just before we left that Pigeon Forge was a dry town, so we were expecting not to be able to get alcohol anywhere, but Mum and Dad were glad they could a have a beer on the balcony tonight. This was probably good as we then had to make the scary journey back up the mountain to the cabin, in the dark. It wasn’t so bad as Nick drove but still scary.

When we got back to the cabin we all jumped in the hot tub with a glass of champagne. It was so warm and lovely outside and we could see the smoke over the mountains, it was a beautiful night. We were in the hot tub for a while and then we got ready for bed. The boys played some pool and air hockey whilst Mum and I sat on the incredibly comfy sofas and relaxed for a bit. It was then time for bed in our comfy big bed but before we did I had one last surprise of the day for Mum. As it was her big birthday and I wanted to make the trip extra special I had brought a little present to give her each day. I had given her the wash bag before we left home and then the gift bag at the Hilton, and then the champagne on one our first night at the Sheraton, but for the rest of the nights I had brought her little gifts which I had wrapped in coordinating pink, purple and silver gift bags and boxes with co-ordinating ribbon and bows.

Here are all the bags

The first present was in a little silver bag which I left on her bed before bed. It contained a really pretty pair of zigzag diamond earrings which she loved.

Then it was time for bed

 

[ariel2007]

Cowboys, Chicken and Country Music
Day 3 ~ Dollywood​

We were up at 8.15am, got showered and dressed and then waited for the Mum, Dad and Sophie on the incredibly comfy sofas looking out at the amazing view. I had left Mum’s second present in a little purple bag on the stair outside her room for her to open when she came out of her room. It contained a little silver music note necklace that made me think of the area and country music, so I decided to give it to her on our first Dollywood day. Again she loved it and wore it straight away.

Once they were ready we all went and sat on the balcony and had pecan pie and Starbucks coffee for breakfast. We sat there looking out at the gorgeous view over the mountains all covered with smoke.

Unfortunately it was still pretty wet and cloudy out though, but we didn't let this dampen our spirits as today we were going to Dollywood and we were so excited.
We left the cabin just after 9.25am, it was raining so was even more scary driving down the mountain. After a few wrong turns we got to Dollywood just before 10am. We caught the little tram to the front of the park. We purchased some season passes as they worked out cheaper than 2 day passes and then walked through the main shop and into the park. As we stepped into the park it instantly had a real charm, lovely Southern buildings, country music playing, pretty scenery and all surrounded by gorgeous mountains, even the fact that it was quite grey and raining didn't take away from its beauty. We walked slowly towards the back of the park, taking in the lovely theming and architecture, with fountains and waterfalls and lovely buildings, we loved the place already.

We thought this was so funny and Nick instantly jumped at the chance to join in

Oh and we passed this on the way, it smelt so good

We headed to Daredevil Falls first but it was closed for about 30 minutes so we went to Blazing Fury which was nearby. Mum was so scared when we got on, it was quite funny. The ride was good, we went through a mine in the dark with little scenes of houses on fire and the people in various scenes. We had a drop or two at the end and got a bit wet but it was pretty tame but good fun too. Mum loved it thankfully and couldn’t wait to go on again.

Our first ever Dollywood ride

Next we walked over to the Tennessee Tornado, it was huge but Sophie wanted to ride. The building the ride started in was covered and surrounded with bits of debris, cars and objects, supposedly blown around in the tornado, it was cool. Mum waited whilst we went on, the ride was so good at the top you could see all across the mountains and some cabins, then there was 3 loops, corkscrews, and it was all videoed on little cameras on the front of our cars. Sophie loved it, as did we all, so we went straight back on again. The photo of the ride was really funny, Sophie and Dad both looked absolutely terrified.

Thats us on the ride

After that we walked over to the new River Battle ride, it was not at all what I expected but looked really good, all themed with beavers and flowers. We all went in one raft, we sat on a little bench with Sophie, Nick and I on one side and Mum and Dad on the other. We then went along a short track with water jets and targets to shoot at along the way and along the banks were stations where people could shoot at us, and we had water guns to shoot back at them. It was fun and we got pretty wet, its so funny seeing grown men taking it all so seriously, one guy followed our boat to each station soaking us at each point, it was quite funny.

After that we got a frozen lemonade and walked over to the Timber Canyon section. Mystery Mine was closed today which was a shame as this was the ride I was most looking forward too but we did the Lumberjack Lifts instead. These were 2 seats each on 4 sides of a post and you pull yourself up to the top by pulling a rope and then let go to drop back down. It was great fun and Nick and I got up about 8 times, although it was pretty hard work. Then we all, but Mum, queued for the Thunderhead rollercoaster. Unfortunately it was having difficulties so we waited half an hour and then decided to leave it for today.

Some photos from around this area

The Mystery Mine

Continued Below...

 

[ariel2007]

We went to watch the Dreamland Drive In, a show with music through the years, based around a group of high school people through the years, graduating, going to College, a reunion and then meeting up, before the Drive In finally closed. It was very good, especially the music and dancing, Mum especially loved it.

By this point we were really hungry but Mum was feeling quite ill so we gave Miss Lillian’s a miss for today and went to the Backstage Restaurant for lunch. We were seated straight away, the place was themed like the backstage area of a theatre, very nice and very quiet.

Nick, Dad and I all had the southern fried chicken dinners, Soph had the Mountain of nachos starter and Mum had the fried green tomatoes. Our chicken dinner came with potato and corn soup to start which was so good, especially with the crackers. Then our meals came and we had 2 big bits of fresh chicken, mash and gravy and beans. It was very nice. Sophie’s nachos were huge, they had cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tomato and really yummy chilli, she managed to eat loads too but still didn’t eat half. Mum’s tomatoes were really good, she loved them and they were quite different.

Sophie's "Mountain" of nachos, literally

Sophie being beaten by the "Mountain"

After lunch we went straight over to the Great American Country Show. The show had 3 men and 3 women singers and it was done in 3 parts. The first part was narratored by a woman in the park and went through a list of Top 10 Country songs, sung by the singers in the theatre, it was very good. In the second part they had a special guest in who sung three songs including the Tennessee waltz. And finally the third part was Bluegrass music, lots of banjos, it was great fun to watch. It was very good but it would have been nice to have known some more of the songs.

After the show Sophie, Mum and Dad went over to the Rockin Roadway, little classic American cars on a track, Sophie loved it and went on 3 times in a row. Nick and I did some shopping, of course. Then we all went on the River Rampage, a river rapids ride. It was great fun and the attendants were funny and friendly, spraying us with a water spray before we even left the dock. Sophie and I managed to stay quite dry but then they let us stay on and ride again and we got drenched. But we all had great fun though. After that we made our final ride of the day the SlideWinder, but boy was the walk to the start hard, it was up a long steep hill. We got split up cause each boat had to be a certain weight but it was good fun, we went all up the sides and the down a drop. By the time we got off it was 5.35pm and the park closed at 6pm so we did some shopping and then headed back to the car via the tram.

Some more Dollywood pictures

On the tram they asked if there was anyone from further away than North Carolina, then New York, then Michigan and then Canada. Eventually they found out we were from England and again couldn’t believe we had come all that way to stay in the area.

We drove over to Walmart, where we spent ages waiting for Mum and Dad. We got ice cream, crisps, pancake mix, sweets and coffee and some souvenirs too.
On the way back to the cabin we stopped at Fuddruckers and Nick and I got some food to go. We both had bacon cheeseburgers, I had the ½ lb and Nick had a whole lb, we also shared some onion rings and a pepsi. We got some toppings from the toppings bar and then went back to the cabin. We all ate outside, the others had ham rolls, my burger was really big and I couldn’t eat it all, but Nick’s burger was absolutely huge, he had to leave half for later. It was nice sitting outside, it was still so warm.

After the others had played some air hockey Mum, Soph and I went in the hot tub then we all had Jacuzzi baths, separately of course. After some present wrapping and sorting, which actually took about 3 hours, we went to bed at 2.30am .

Some of todays purchases

And here are some of yesterdays that I forgot to post

 

[lmillercrew]

Oh my goodness you've been a busy posting girl! There are so many comments I want to make, but where to begin. First of all I LOVE the architecture of Paris! Those buildings are so old and so Marie Antointette! Love love lovey it. So, do you call a car, a boot? That is fantastic. And the haribo, are those the haribo gummy bears? I love those things! We can get them in the U.S., at Wal-mart, for $.97. In Mexico though they're almost $4.00 US. Crazy huh?
Your cabin and view are just beautiful. Who would want to leave? Dollywood didn't look that busy when you were there. So unlike Disney. Love the picture of your dad in the coffin! Too funny And poor Sofie's eyes from the hotel pool. That's terrible.
You're doing great on the TR! Keep it up sister

 

[retiredkid]

As always, I am thoroughly enjoying this. We are actually thinking of doing Pigeon Forge next year and looking through all the mountain cabins on the internet. Its great to see that they actually are as nice as they show in their adverts. I've said it may times before, you sure do know how to plan and ave fun girl !!

 

[ariel2007]

Oh my goodness you've been a busy posting girl! There are so many comments I want to make, but where to begin. First of all I LOVE the architecture of Paris! Those buildings are so old and so Marie Antointette! Love love lovey it. So, do you call a car, a boot? That is fantastic. And the haribo, are those the haribo gummy bears? I love those things! We can get them in the U.S., at Wal-mart, for $.97. In Mexico though they're almost $4.00 US. Crazy huh?
Your cabin and view are just beautiful. Who would want to leave? Dollywood didn't look that busy when you were there. So unlike Disney. Love the picture of your dad in the coffin! Too funny And poor Sofie's eyes from the hotel pool. That's terrible.
You're doing great on the TR! Keep it up sister

Thanks, glad to see your still with me

Yes Paris was nice, it was nice to see a bit more of it than just Disneyland again. However it wasn't as clean and accessible as London, when we drove around a lot of it seemed quite rundown and dirty. The architecture is lovely though.

And as for the language things, a boot is the trunk of a car. Its called a car boot to in England and we have these things called Car Boot Sales, which are like jumble sales but everything is sold out the boot of your car. Some places have them every Sunday, even in the winter. And they usually start really early, not my cup of tea . I'm not sure if Haribo are like gummy bears, they sound as like they might be. They are like jelly sweets, but thats 2 other words that mean different things, as far as I can gather you call jam jelly but jelly to us is the gelatine stuff you have for dessert (or for breakfast if your at Ponderosa ) and jam is the fruit stuff you spread on bread. And sweets are candy in the US, its so weird that so many things have different names and I always forget when I'm writing.

Dollywood was great when we were there. There were very little crowds, we waited no more than 5 minutes to go on a ride, apart from the Blazing Fury but thats because there were so many kids. We were told that that was a really good time to go as we had missed the Summer crowds and were there before everyone came for the Fall colors. And I suppose the rain may have kept people away too, but not us, were used to it being Brits

The cabin was gorgeous, I'm so glad we choose that one in the end. Someone on here actually recommended the company, and someone else recommended stopping in Chattanooga so I have them to thank for helping me help make it such a god holiday. Oh and as for my Dad, he is mad like that. Always doing weird things for photos,sometimes it can be really embarrassing, we have to pretend were not with him

As always, I am thoroughly enjoying this. We are actually thinking of doing Pigeon Forge next year and looking through all the mountain cabins on the internet. Its great to see that they actually are as nice as they show in their adverts. I've said it may times before, you sure do know how to plan and ave fun girl !!

Thank you.
You should definitely do Pigeon Forge next year, we loved it. There is so, so much to do. We didn't manage to do half the things we wanted to so will definitely be back again, hopefully next year so we may see you there. And I would definitely recommend a cabin if you can get a nice one

 

[manntra]

I do know what a boot is because in my manual for my Mini Cooper that is what the trunk is referred to, that and the hood is a bonnet. I have also gained a vast amount of knowledge from the guys of Top Gear! It probably doesn't hurt that I sell cars either!
Been thinking about my Vegas trip and I do remember eating at The Cheesecake Factory twice (I KNOW you like it here! ) a place called the Stage Deli for breakfast/lunch, a really nice Italian place--Trevi Italian I think---these were all in the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace. This place was huge and amazing and had tons of places to shop and eat. We also ate at The Buffet at The Bellagio, HUGE place! We were there for a week and so we hit just about every place on the strip to walk through and they are always changing. I remember that we were upgraded at Mandalay Bay and had a Junior Suite overlooking the Strip. Very cool at night to look out...the room was amazing, whirlpool tub, rain shower and tons of space. Very spoiled! When we went to the Grand Canyon we took a bus....but very easy to find if you are renting a car. The one nice thing I remember about the Mirage (awesome pool too---they all do) was that it was close enough to Caesar's that you could walk to the Forum Shoppes (you see I became obsessed with this place!! ) Most places you would have to take a cab even though it doesn't look that far away. IT IS!! We did the little roller coaster at New York New York....fun I think...but you must go see "O."
Now lets get back to your southern adventure. Dollywood looks like a lot of fun! Happy she liked the fried green tomatoes....I was hoping so! I love them! Your cabin is so pretty and the view is brilliant! Can't wait for more updates and pictures.

 

[BellaSwan]

I am loving all the updates. I can't believe how low the crowds look at Dollywood. The last time I was there they were crazy busy, but it was on a weekend. Your pics have made me want to go down earlier than I had planned to. DH and I are going down in May next year for my BFF's wedding and we are staying a few extra days. But now I really am thinking of going over Christmas as it is really pretty there that time of year. I love the Old Mill, you always get tons of food and we always take our dessert too! I can't wait to read more!

I would love to go to Disneyland Paris, but for now I will live vicariously through you. I can't wait to read more!!!

 

[ariel2007]

I do know what a boot is because in my manual for my Mini Cooper that is what the trunk is referred to, that and the hood is a bonnet. I have also gained a vast amount of knowledge from the guys of Top Gear! It probably doesn't hurt that I sell cars either!
Been thinking about my Vegas trip and I do remember eating at The Cheesecake Factory twice (I KNOW you like it here! ) a place called the Stage Deli for breakfast/lunch, a really nice Italian place--Trevi Italian I think---these were all in the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace. This place was huge and amazing and had tons of places to shop and eat. We also ate at The Buffet at The Bellagio, HUGE place! We were there for a week and so we hit just about every place on the strip to walk through and they are always changing. I remember that we were upgraded at Mandalay Bay and had a Junior Suite overlooking the Strip. Very cool at night to look out...the room was amazing, whirlpool tub, rain shower and tons of space. Very spoiled! When we went to the Grand Canyon we took a bus....but very easy to find if you are renting a car. The one nice thing I remember about the Mirage (awesome pool too---they all do) was that it was close enough to Caesar's that you could walk to the Forum Shoppes (you see I became obsessed with this place!! ) Most places you would have to take a cab even though it doesn't look that far away. IT IS!! We did the little roller coaster at New York New York....fun I think...but you must go see "O."
Now lets get back to your southern adventure. Dollywood looks like a lot of fun! Happy she liked the fried green tomatoes....I was hoping so! I love them! Your cabin is so pretty and the view is brilliant! Can't wait for more updates and pictures.

Thanks for all the info, sounds like you had a brill time in Vegas and did loads. The room, or suite, at Mandalay Bay sounds awesome, how lucky were you to get upgraded . I'm never that lucky . We had already planned that we would definitely eat at the Cheesecake Factory, probably multiple times, and they also have another restaurant there with an Asian-y type name, we wanna try there too. We will definitely check out the Forum shops, they sound really good, and I wanna do the New York New York rollercoaster. I was hoping to do a helicopter tour to the Grand Canyon as I've heard they are a really good way to see it. But we may drive to the Hoover Dam if we have time.

I cant believe you watch Top Gear, that is so cool . We love Top Gear, especially Nick, he watches it every day and has all the DVD's and all Clarkson, Hammond's and May's books.

Glad your enjoying my Southern adventure, more up soon

I am loving all the updates. I can't believe how low the crowds look at Dollywood. The last time I was there they were crazy busy, but it was on a weekend. Your pics have made me want to go down earlier than I had planned to. DH and I are going down in May next year for my BFF's wedding and we are staying a few extra days. But now I really am thinking of going over Christmas as it is really pretty there that time of year. I love the Old Mill, you always get tons of food and we always take our dessert too! I can't wait to read more!

I would love to go to Disneyland Paris, but for now I will live vicariously through you. I can't wait to read more!!!

Is your BFF getting married in PF or somewhere else. It is a very pretty place to get married, surrounded by mountains. Where abouts are you staying? You should definitely go over christmas, I would absolutely love to as it looks so, so pretty from the pictures. Have you been before over christmas and are the rides all closed . I keep trying to think of ways I could go around christmas as our season passes last until January, but as much as I would love too I don't think its really possible If you do go I definitely want lots of pictures

The Old Mill was nice, it was pretty quiet there too. The man there told us that a few weeks before people were waiting about 90+ minutes for a table. Unfortunately we didn't get to check out the Square as it was closed but will definitely go there next time, I want to visit the toy store and creamery of course . Have you ever tried the cafe there? And have you tried the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, it was quite similar and very nice too. Unfortunately we missed the General Store and other shops there too, but again, theres always next time

Disneyland Paris is good and great to spend a few days there when we need a little Disney fix, but it doesn't really compare to WDW on any level so people who have been to WDW lots first will probably be disappointed. I've got to admit as much as I try not too I come away comparing the two and it makes me miss WDW even more, as it is far superior. Hopefully one day though you will get to visit there, and Paris too

 

[BellaSwan]

Is your BFF getting married in PF or somewhere else. It is a very pretty place to get married, surrounded by mountains. Where abouts are you staying? You should definitely go over christmas, I would absolutely love to as it looks so, so pretty from the pictures. Have you been before over christmas and are the rides all closed . I keep trying to think of ways I could go around christmas as our season passes last until January, but as much as I would love too I don't think its really possible If you do go I definitely want lots of pictures

The Old Mill was nice, it was pretty quiet there too. The man there told us that a few weeks before people were waiting about 90+ minutes for a table. Unfortunately we didn't get to check out the Square as it was closed but will definitely go there next time, I want to visit the toy store and creamery of course . Have you ever tried the cafe there? And have you tried the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, it was quite similar and very nice too. Unfortunately we missed the General Store and other shops there too, but again, theres always next time

Disneyland Paris is good and great to spend a few days there when we need a little Disney fix, but it doesn't really compare to WDW on any level so people who have been to WDW lots first will probably be disappointed. I've got to admit as much as I try not too I come away comparing the two and it makes me miss WDW even more, as it is far superior. Hopefully one day though you will get to visit there, and Paris too

Yeah, my BFF is getting married in Gatlinburg. We are going for 3 days of wedding festivites and then DH and I are stying for an extra 3 days after everyone else leaves. There are some beautiful places there to get married. I am not sure where we are staying yet. I have been for Christmas and once right after Christmas. It snowed and was beautiful. That is my favorite time to go. The time that we went when it was not snowing they were open. The time that it snowed we didn't go to Dollywood we mainly did a lot of shopping. If you get the chance to go around the Holidays it is beautiful I highly recommend it. I will be happy to share pics.

I love the Old Mill, it has been a while since I have went to any of the shops there. If we go over Christmas then that is one stop we will be making. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is one of my favorites. If you go back check out the gift shops, they have wine tasteings also. We always buy a few bottles when we are there. I'm glad that you enjoyed both.

 

[ariel2007]

Yeah, my BFF is getting married in Gatlinburg. We are going for 3 days of wedding festivites and then DH and I are stying for an extra 3 days after everyone else leaves. There are some beautiful places there to get married. I am not sure where we are staying yet. I have been for Christmas and once right after Christmas. It snowed and was beautiful. That is my favorite time to go. The time that we went when it was not snowing they were open. The time that it snowed we didn't go to Dollywood we mainly did a lot of shopping. If you get the chance to go around the Holidays it is beautiful I highly recommend it. I will be happy to share pics.

I love the Old Mill, it has been a while since I have went to any of the shops there. If we go over Christmas then that is one stop we will be making. Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant is one of my favorites. If you go back check out the gift shops, they have wine tasteings also. We always buy a few bottles when we are there. I'm glad that you enjoyed both.

I will definitely go there around christmas sometime. Maybe if we go again next summer I can convince Nick that we might as well get our moneys worth with our SP's and that we should go back for a few days near christmas. I could add christmas shopping into the equation and the thought of going shopping may be enough to tempt him... that and the Cheesecake Factory in Atlanta

We will definitely go to the shops next time, I couldn't believe they were closed, it was only early. Oh well it gives us another excuse to go back

 

[ariel2007]

Day 5 ~ Celebrations, Champagne and Country Music​

Nick and I were up at 8.15am, got showered and dressed and then started setting up Mum’s presents, cards and decorations. Sophie and Dad came to help too. We used the kitchen island to put the presents on, we had colour co-ordinated them all in pink, purple and orange. We put all the pink, orange and purple presents on one side and her cards and the 50th Grey bear and wooden 50 sign I had got her on the other. In the middle on a stand was a little American bear and some badges. We put pink, purple and orange balloons all around with curly ribbon and birthday signs around the room. We put up a hanging 50 sign coming down from the stairs so she would have to walk through it as she came up and some 50 balloons by her room. We set the table up with 50 napkins, champagne glasses with orange juice, plates with strawberries and 50 confetti.

Outside Mum's bedroom

After we had finished, which was probably a few hours later, we got Mum up. She loved her sign as she came up the stairs and then the decorations, she really liked the colour scheme which I was glad of as it took me forever to decide on and then get everything for it.

She was quite amazed by all the decorations and all the pressies, she already felt so special, which is what we had hoped.
We had some pancakes and strawberries for breakfast which were really good and then Mum opened her presents and cards. She got a few little presents from my Aunty Lynn and then $1000 from my Grandma and Grandad which was really cool as it meant she could buy herself something really special. Then she opened our pressies. Dad brought her a Julie keyring from Chattanooga and a gold bracelet, and Sophie brought her a Tennessee hoodie, a Dollywood pen and car magnet all of which she loved. Sophie and I brought her a purse from accessorize and Kate (my older sister) and I got her a surprise pressie which she has to wait till September to find out what it is. We are taking her on a spa break, just the three of us which should be really nice and great to spend time the three of us. Nick and I got her a brown leather bag, an Animal bag, 2 Fat Face Tops and a Fat Face fleece, a clinique eyeliner, lancome mascara, Elizabeth Arden makeup set and a YSL Touche Eclait, all of which she loved and I also handmade her a card and put it in a handmade envelope.

Some of her pressies

Her card

And the envelope

And her opening it

 

[ariel2007]

Then we gave her her main present from Kate, Sophie and I, a necklace from Tiffany’s. The necklace had 4 hearts which formed a four leaf clover and represents us three girls and her. She loved it so much she cried for ages, it was the perfect gift .

With her presents

After Mum had opened all her presents we got ready. Whilst she was upstairs Sophie and I covered her bed in flower confetti and filled her bath with the the 50th balloons, it looked really cool and Mum loved it. When we were all ready we drove over to Gatlinburg. We drove round for a bit trying to find Hard Rock Café and some parking. We got to see all the attractions including Ripleys, Ober Gatlinburg with the ski lifts and ariel tramway, the mini golf courses and more. We eventually found Hard Rock right at the start of the road, parked in the car park opposite and went in.

Inside Hard Rock

We originally planned just to get a cocktail but ended up getting lunch. Our waiter was really nice and helpful and was very nice to Mum about her birthday. We ordered some drinks, Nick had a Hurricane, Mum a Raz Rita and me an Exotic margarita, all we very good and all were in souvenir glasses. Dad had his usual beer and Sophie a Dr Pepper. For food, Mum had a haystack chicken salad, Dad had a cheeseburger, I had the nachos with pulled pork, Nick had the BBQ brisket sandwich and Sophie the kids BBQ chicken drumsticks.

My nacho's

Piggles enjoyed his dinner

We all loved the food, it was so good and so filling. I also got an alcoholic lemonade drink which had fresh raspberries in and was so good. Our waiter was really nice, he got us some beer mats of some of the Hard Rock Hotels around the world, making sure we had 2 of each.
Then he brought Mum an ice-cream with a candle in and announced to everyone about her birthday, she loved it and felt very special.

After our lovely dinner we went to the shop and brought some things, well quite a lot of things. A t.shirt, fridge magnet, pin and 2 shot glasses for me, a t.shirt for Nick and a hoodie, t.shirt and fridge magnet for Mum. We then drove back towards the cabin via a liquor store for some supplies. We drove to Sevierville where we had a surprise helicopter flight booked but when we got there the office was closed, no-one was around and the number we had had no reply. The weather had been really bad all morning, really rainy and dull which is why we had left it till now, which we had been told would be fine. Mum had also freaked out when she saw we were doing a helicopter so not a good start for it. Just as we were leaving the office a truck came in and 2 men went into the office so Nick and I went back in. One of the men got our tickets and asked us if we wanted to fly today or leave it till another day when hopefully it would be clearer, he suggested this as we had quite an expensive flight booked. We chose to do this and drove back to the cabin where we got ready quickly for Dixie Stampede. Us girls dressed up in checked shirts and denim and Nick had his cowboy hat, it was fun to dress up, although no-one else did. On the drive down the mountain we saw a beaver looking creature just down the road so we watched it for a while. It turned out to be a woodchuck, he was pretty cute.

When we got to Dixie Stampede we got our tickets, had some photos taken and then went into the Carriage Room for the pre-show which was country music. When we got in it was packed and all the seats were taken, there were so many people, both upstairs and down. We got our souvenir bootmugs with some frozen drinks and stood by the bar and watched the pre-show, it was quite good. We went and got some seats upstairs, we couldn’t see but it was nice to listen too.

Outside Dixie Stampede

The pre-show

We then entered the main room, it looked nice with a big sign lighted on the floor and an old southern house front. We had preferred seats on the South side so had a pretty good view, close to the stage. The show was very much the same as the one in Orlando but with some Longhorns at the beginning. The show was great and really interactive and fun and the food was delicious. We had creamy vegetable soup to start with a cheese biscuit, a whole chicken, pork loin, corn on the cob, and potato and apple turnover for dessert. Unfortunately the North won, but we still had fun.

After Sophie met the horses and a bit of shopping, where we got our cats cowboy hats and neckerchiefs each, we drove back to the cabin.

Outside Dixie Stampede

 

[ariel2007]

Sophie took Mum downstairs whilst we decorated the top floor with cowboy decorations to fit our evening. I had green, yellow and orange balloons and ribbon, an inflatable cactus, wanted posters, a saloon door and direction signs, it looked great. We then set up a bar with a bucket of beers, mini vodkas, tequila, sprite, orange juice and snacks of Pringles, nachos and dip, mini cookies, Hershey bars and reeces.

Mum loved it when she saw it and we all got some drinks and went and sat on the rocking chairs on the balcony for a while. Everyone had a party bag on their seat with a teddy, a dollywood pen, magnet and keyring, a smokey mountains souvenir, a reeces and a candy stick. They all loved it.

Margaritas

Party bag contents
Sophie's

Mum's

Dad's

Nick's

Mine

After sitting outside for a bit in the peace and quiet of the night air we all went in the hot tub. We had some champagne and talked about the day and holiday under a beautiful starry sky .

Typically as we left Dixie Stampede the weather cleared up finally and it turned out to be a beautiful, warm and clear night. After the hot tub we sat on the sofas eating snacks and talking before we finally collapsed into bed

 

[ariel2007]

Day 5 ~ Dollywood and Ripley's Mini Golf​

We were up at 7.30am, got dressed and ready and then had some toast and ice-cream milkshakes on the balcony. It was already much nicer weather this morning, it was quite clear and beautiful watching the smoke rise over the mountains.

We left just after 9.45am and drove to Dollywood. We entered the park and headed straight for the Thunderhead which had been closed last time, getting some photo's along the way (and this time Piggle's joined in).

We got on quite quickly and the ride was so good, it was so fast and powerful although a little bumpy. We rode again straight away and then headed to the Lumberjacks and had another go on that which was fun again.

We then went to the Mystery Mine but it was closed again and the ride attendant told us it was due to open at 12pm. We walked past the River Battle, Sophie and Nick had fun soaking people, it was like having 2 children with us.

We rode the Tennessee Tornado again which was great and then the Blazing Fury as Mum had loved it. The queue wasn’t that long but it took ages to load so we waited about 25 minutes. We did notice they took a lot longer to load the rides here, they are so much more laid back than at other theme parks. It was now nearly 12pm so we headed back to Mystery Mine but a man told us they didn’t know when or if it was going to open. We decided to walk to Miss Lillian’s Chicken House for lunch and stopped en-route to look at the reproduction of the cabin Dolly was raised in. It was tiny with 2 tiny rooms, only 1 bed and very little space, and she had 10 brothers and sisters there too.

We then went to Miss Lillian’s Chicken House. As you enter the restaurant you get a tray, at first there is a small salad bar and then there is the mains which was southern fried chicken, southern fried steak, pulled ham, corn, mash and peppered gravy. There was then apple pie, chocolate cake or custard for dessert but we decided to go back for that. We paid and were given cups for the drinks (soft drinks and coffee) and could go back to get more when we wanted. We sat outside which was also the seating for Miss Lillian’s bbq takeaway, the tables had blue and white checked table cloths and chicken wire instead of walls, it was cool.

The food was good, especially the steak, but we didn’t get to see Miss Lillian as we had hoped so there wasn’t as much atmosphere as we expected. Half way through though a country music show started on the stage just across which was quite good. For dessert I got the apple pie which was so good, the others had the same too.

 

[ariel2007]

Full up we walked over to the Village area, the train was due in about 40 minutes so we went on the carousel which had zebras, ostrich, cats and other unusual animals to ride.

We went to the Country Fayre area next door which was really coolly themed with old fashion fairground rides, stalls and decorations . We rode the Sky Rider first which were seats of 2 that rose in the air and went in a circle. It was very good and there was a nice cool breeze up there and quite a good view too.

We then went back to the train, which was an original steam train. The journey was nice, we got to learn about the train and its history and it went into the foothills of the mountains. There were also some figures and houses set up along the way to look at.

Some of the train scenery

After the train we went back to the Country Fayre, Mum and Sophie went on the Sky Rider and the they had 2 goes on the Dodgems whilst Nick and I sat on a bench and watched. We went on one of the stalls and Nick won me a really cute cuddly cow. We went over to Smoky River Rampage next, it was a great ride again but I got soaked, which wasn’t so great.
We then ran over to the Heartsong Theatre and watched Heartsong with some fresh popcorn from the Kettle Korn place. It was so delicious, all buttery and sweet. Heartsong was about the mountains and Dolly’s take on it and life there. It was narrated by her and set a theatre with leaves and waterfalls all around it was so pretty. During the film there was rain and dancing butterflies and a man playing the banjo, it was good and nice to see about Southern life. We then went over to Daredevil Falls but it wasn’t working so the others went on Slidewinder whilst Nick and I got a cold coffee and went in the shop. After waiting forever for them to join us they then had to do some shopping, by which time I was so wet and cold. We went to Dolly’s bus but it was closed and then we had to wait for Dad who was searching the park for his lost glasses, he always loses something, usually a pair of glasses.

We then left the park, we had had 2 lovely days there, the park was great. They have some great rides and shows, lovely, friendly staff, a lovely laid, back, charming atmosphere and a beautiful mountain setting.

Some more Dollywood pictures

We went back to the cabin to get dry clothes and then drove to Gatlinburg. We had originally planned to try and fit the helicopter ride in today. It had been a lovely, clear morning, perfect for the ride, but by the time we left Dollywood it was raining and grey again, so we decided to go to Gatlinburg. We stopped at Ripley’s Davy Crockett mini golf and played 18 holes on the Fort Crockett course. We had great fun, it was Sophie’s first time and she loved it. We all got holes in one, I even got 2 and Sophie won a free game on the last hole which was great. The course was themed with singing beavers, bears and turtles and a fort with smoking canons and had some really good holes.

 

[ariel2007]

It kind of rained on and off but wasn’t too bad, and it was lovely being surrounded by the mountains as we played.
We then drove to Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant but couldn’t find it so after a while of searching for it we went to a restaurant called Park Grill that we passed on the road. It was all made of wood and inside had bears and beavers and was really nicely done.

We ordered some drinks, Mum and I had top shelf frozen mango margaritas which were so good. Then we helped ourselves to the salad bar which was included, they had a good selection including Caesar salad, bacon bits, coleslaw, potato salad, mozzarella, anchovies and more. We then ordered and it wasn’t too long before our food came. Sophie and I went in the shops whilst we waited, it was a lovely little crafty shop and I brought some cute wooden bear figurines.

When we got back our tea was there, Mum had the pecan crusted chicken with vegetable skewer, Dad had Moonshine chicken with fries, Nick had the bbq ribs with sweet potato casserole and I had the 7oz filet with loaded baked potato (you could chose one side with your main). My steak was so good, so tender and tasty and so was Nicks sweet potato, it was all very nice. I squeezed in a Jack Daniels creme brulee as I can’t resist if they have crème brulee on the menu. It was so good and Nick a cappuccino too.

Then we drove back to the cabin. Us girls went in the hot tub and discussed our upcoming DLP trip under the gorgeous clear, starry sky. The boys played pool again, 3 nights to nick, 1 to Paul. Then we watched some MIB and then it was time for bed

 

[dancin_princess]

hey i found my way over here from trueeeyore's TR. im gonna read this one (since its only 7 pgs right now) and then read ur completed report. i've already subscribed and catn wait to read it.

i just copied ur updates to a disk so i can take it home and read it( i dont have internet at home but i want to read it before i get too far behind cause it looks like things are moving fast...and im off from work for the next 2 days)