What’s In Gatlinburg?

Posted on February 25, 2014February 25, 2014 by Dusty Roads

A similar question came up when we went to South Dakota and that turned out to be a great vacation. So I am hopeful that this will be the same. Sandy has been to the Great Smokey Mountains and the first thing she said when I told her I’d decided on Tennessee was to be sure to visit Dollywood.

I admit, Dollywood wasn’t on the top of my “to do” list and I reluctantly said ok, if it’s close enough. Well it sure is close enough. Located in Pigeon Forge it’s less than 10 miles from Gatlinburg.

Dollywood isn’t open year round so I was still thinking I might get a reprieve if it wasn’t open for the season but that didn’t work out either. According to the website it’s opening on March 22 so even if they were to delay the opening for some reason it’s still sure to be up and running by May.

But here’s where it gets interesting. I was dragging my feet because I don’t like amusement parks. 6 Flags is a waste of money for me and I only go to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire on occasion to take pictures. But Dolly stresses that her park is a “family adventure” (don’t call it an amusement park”).

My sister says this is the cleanest park she has even seen! Although there are more than 30 rides there are also musical shows, restaurants and arts and crafts shops where wood carving, glassblowing and quilting are demonstrated.

Although Dollywood had to bear the brunt of a number of jokes when it first opened it now hosts 2.5 million guests in a typical season. No longer a laughing matter, Dollywood is a major employer for the region. As of 2010, the park was the biggest “ticketed” tourist attraction in Tennessee each year for more than a decade.

So I have had a change of heart and moved Dollywood from a reluctant location on my itinerary to one of the “must see” stops. They say the Ferris wheel is 60 ft. high. Imagine the pictures I can get from up there!

Time is Running Out

Posted on February 24, 2014February 24, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I was taking a leisurely stroll through my timeshare options until I got to Maryland. As you can tell, I fell in love with that option. I was so enamored that I attempted to book a week, any week only to find that it was completely sold out. A big NO VACANCY sign.

That was a “wake up ” call for me. I may not have a decision to make if I continue to drag my feet. The last time I ended up having to take the “left overs” it worked out great. I ended up in Sedona for my first visit. I liked it so much that I went back to the same resort a few years later. Still I’d rather make a decision than have it made for me. With that in mind I ran through the remaining exchanges to see if they were even available. Most weren’t.

Of my 17 unvisited states with timeshares exchanges only 6 still have vacancies! One of them is just too expensive (The points are too high).

I think I’m going to go with Tennessee. Colorado has weeks available but not my first choices. Missouri just didn’t send my heart pitter patting although located in Branson Southwest should be able to find it now.

Michigan was way too many points! Shockingly high.

New Mexico ~ Located in Santa Fe , New Mexico..I’ve thought about New Mexico a lot. There’the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque and the massive Carlsbad Caverns. There are several nature preserves too but the only times available as well as the long distances between the places I want to see, is summer. It would be very hot. It’s desert after all.

Tennessee has 5 choices , most in Gatlinburg. With 5 resorts to pick from there’s bound to be some open reservations.

I chose to enter a time range and not select a resort. Sure enough I had lots to chose from and since I’m traveling alone I only need about 3500 points for a week. I grabbed a week in May. Spring time in the Great Smokey Mountains is supposed to be nice.

Now I just have to see if work approved the vacation time! May is considered part of our busy season.

Maryland

Posted on February 23, 2014February 23, 2014 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

The next state with an exchange for me is Maryland and oh my, I think I fell in love when I read the description. Here it is word for word…what do you think!

Nestled in the natural wetlands overlooking the beautiful Isle of Wight Bay, you will discover a very unique and distinct hotel that can accommodate endless possibilities for any occasion.

The Coconut Malorie is a five-story, bay-front resort. With its beautiful marble lobby and waterfall, it offers deluxe suites, all newly designed with attention to meeting your vacation needs. From the building’s exterior to the carpet in the bedrooms, no detail has been left out. Professionally decorated rooms showcase all new furniture, artwork, carpet, bedspreads and curtains.

Located on top of the hotel in the tower, you can enjoy magnificent views of the ocean, the bay and the best sunsets on the east coast.

Ocean City has a boardwalk. At just under three miles, the Ocean City, Maryland boardwalk is a perfect family bike ride, an invigorating walk or run, or a relaxing tram ride. At night, the boardwalk comes to life with rides, arcades, performers and so much more.

And this is the perfect location to see the wild ponies of Assateague. The famous ponies are just nine miles from Ocean City, along with nature trails, deer, foxes and thousands of birds. Oh be still my heart! This is a major wish list of mine.

There’s tons of free events too if the travel pages can be believed. Here’s an excerpt from just one of those pages:

Enjoy our nights of free family fun. In the summer there is a free family event every day of the week. Some of the events include:

Sundaes in the Park with free concert, fireworks and ice cream for a small fee at Northside Park.
Concerts on the Beach every Wednesday evening.
Free Movies Under the Stars Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Family Beach Olympics on Tuesday evenings.
Sunset Park Party Nights every Thursday.
Laser Light Shows on Sundays.
Fireworks on Mondays and Tuesdays.

I’m seeing photo ops everywhere! I think Maryland is giving Colorado a run for first choice. Unfortunately it looks like this location is all booked up for 2014. 🙁 Even in the “off Season”.

Any comments or suggestions from the Maryland contingent?

The Frenchman Orleans

Posted on February 22, 2014February 22, 2014 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Leaving Kansas City to stew for a bit, the next state with an exchange is Louisiana. Now I think if I want to go to Louisiana that I should plan that for the winter or it will be hot and humid! When I talked about visiting Louisiana I mentioned New Orleans and low and behold that’s where the exchange is!

Sure enough the 1 timeshare exchange is in the Frenchman Orleans. The web site describes it as ” Bridging the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny, the Frenchmen Hotel is located on Frenchmen near everything: nightspots, hip cafes, and some of the world’s finest restaurants. Just steps away, you’ll find exquisite shopping, museums, and a bunch of excitement! The Frenchmen Hotel is truly the place to start and end your days of French Quarter discovery!”

That sounds exciting! But then the web site goes on to say they are undergoing renovations. 🙁

I can think of a few friends that wold love to be in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras so I’m pretty sure I’ll have company on that visit.

If I/ we can tear ourselves away from the partying I’d like to visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The Aquarium is located on the edge of the French Quarter, facing the mighty Mississippi River at the foot of Canal St.

Not far away Audubon has a Butterfly Garden. Those are always great places to visit.

New Orleans also has a Zoo and I always try to visit zoos when I travel. I even visited the Zoo in Hawaii!

Of course I’d have to visit the swamps and bayou and there seems to be a ton of tours to chose from. There are City Tours, Swamp Tours, Cemetery Tours, Ghost Tours and plantation Tours. I want to do them all!

I’ve missed Mardi Gras this year but many of the comments on various travel sites downplay Mardi Gras and recommend Springtime around May.

Something to think about.

Kansas

Posted on February 18, 2014February 18, 2014 by Dusty Roads | 4 Comments

Colorado is still in the lead. Idaho is on hold for an RV vacation and Indiana is “calling me” but I don’t think the time share is the way to go there either. So next up on the list is Kansas.

The 1 timeshare exchange in Kansas is in Kansas City and here I run into a dilemma. I have never had a bad experience at any time share exchange. To be in the exchange program resorts are inspected and have to meet pretty high standards. I have seen resorts get dropped if they aren’t up to par. So I was kind of surprised when I read the reviews of the resort in Kansas City.

The resort is Great Wolfe Lodge. It’s apparently a chain as googling Great Wolf Lodge brought up locations in the Pocono’s, Wisconsin and Washington. The big thing with the Great Wolf Lodge chain is that it’s an indoor water park as well as a resort/hotel. That means it will be very family orientated. That might not be the best choice for a single traveler but I could deal with it.

What I can’t deal with is bugs, specifically bed bugs. Trip advisor had quite a few comments about the cleanliness of the rooms and that there were bed bugs. The Lodge manager did reply saying issues like that are taken seriously and that they have exterminators come out and they take the rooms out of service until the are sure they have the infestation under control. But it made me nervous. Especially since there was more than one comment regarding the bed bug issue.