So, I’ve written about campgrounds in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. But I haven’t written about the ones located actually inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But this weekend, we’re going to experience this for the first time! (Yes, in record-high temperatures. No, I’m not at all sure this is a good idea.) So I [...]
A new trail guide by John Molloy was released in the spring. It’s called Top Trails: Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Must-Do Hikes for Everyone (how’s that for a mouthful of a title?!?). The guide is available here through Amazon for $13.26. Here’s part of the book description: The best way to enjoy the Great [...]
According to the Smoky Mountain Hiking Blog, U.S. Forest Service officials at the Cherokee National Forest say that a wildfire has burned almost 200 acres in Polk County since Monday. About 50 rangers and volunteer fire fighters are trying to contain the blaze. The effort is made more difficult by the terrain, which is steep [...]
Dollywood announced last week that ANOTHER exciting new ride is on the way! For much of its history, Dollywood was known for its concerts and shows. In the last few years, Dollywood has been trying to add “COASTERS” to that list. And you know what? The park might just be pulling it off! This year, [...]
Both my husband and I grew up in families that TRAVELED a lot! It stuck — we both love to travel, too! And we’ll make a lot of sacrifices to be able to show our kids the world. We’re just back from a ROAD TRIP. I love those! We drove from Indiana to Williamsburg, VA [...]
It’s Friday. And I feel like laughing. At myself. At others. I just want to giggle. So, it’s story day! Looking back over the almost 2 and a half years of publishing, here are my 10 favorite Smoky Mountain stories. Because they are funny. (Most of them are mine, but I still can make myself [...]
The streams in the Smoky Mountain are FABULOUS this time of year! It’s finally warm enough to let the kids get a bit wet. The sun is shining (most of the time). Oh, we just LOVE rock-hopping! Oh wait. What’s rock-hopping, you ask. Actually, I think I made it up. But it’s one of my [...]
About a year and a half ago, I wrote about several choices for Smoky Mountain Zipline adventures. Today, I’m back with even more choices, plus updated info on the ones I had before. Ziplining is HUGE in the Gatlinburg area. There are so many choices. So, I compiled them all and compared them for you. [...]
Yay for the City of Gatlinburg! Starting today, trolley service along the Parkway is FREE (yes, you got that right — FREE!) for the rest of the summer. We are SO excited about this! The free shuttle route runs from Traffic Light #1 at the north end of town to Light #10 at the entrance [...]
So, we leave for vacation on Friday. And this is not our usual 6-hour hop down to the Smoky Mountains. This is a serious road trip. We’re heading to Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, before heading back home to sweet Indiana. This is serious car time. We have a trusty DVD player. And goodness [...]