The Real Reason To Go To Gatlinburg

Posted on March 14, 2014March 14, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I touched on this yesterday in my post about Cade’s Cove. When all the moonshine and whiskey, train rides and Dollywood are said and done, the real reason I want to go to Gatlinburg is the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

The Park Services page turned out to be an awesome resource for planning my visit. Since I’ve been struggling with arthritis and recovering from my spill in San Diego, I don’t know how much stamina I’ll have for hikes. I hope to be able to do some but it’s too soon to tell. My right hip still acts up quite a lot. Just in case hiking is not an option the website lists the auto tours.

An auto tour of the park offers a chance to see panoramic vistas, cascading mountain rivers, weathered historic buildings, and majestic forests stretching to the horizon.

We know there’s one though Cades Cove but there’s a whole list of others:

Cataloochee Valley
Newfound Gap Road
Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail
Upper Tremont Road

In addition, the book Smokies Road Guide covers main thoroughfares and scenic backroads in the park. This book and the self-guiding auto tour booklets listed above are available at park visitor centers and online. Self-guiding tour booklets are also available from dispensers at the start of the roads they cover.

I have my National Parks Pass and my “Passport books” to get stamps but there’s no entrance fee to the park anyway! Yup one of the most visited parks in the US is free.

I’m heading to the park in the spring. Anytime is beautiful in this park but the Great Smokey National Park is knick named the Wildflower National Park. Spring and summer are renown for spectacular displays of wildflowers along roads and trails.

And along with the wildflowers are wildlife. The Site offers tips for wildlife viewing. Some are standard like view early or late in the day but I especially liked this advice: Viewing wildlife in the Smokies can be challenging because most of the park is covered by dense forest. Open areas like Cataloochee and Cades Cove offer some of the best opportunities to see white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys, woodchucks, and other animals. The narrow, winding road of Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail encourages motorists to travel at a leisurely pace and sometimes yields sightings of bear and other wildlife.

I’m so ready to go check this out! I’m polishing and cleaning the camera, lenses and filter. I hope I can get some photos that come close to the beautiful ones I get to see when I search online.

Gatlinburg Planning

Posted on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 by Dusty Roads

That was a short break from planning but I must say a lot of it’s done now. I don’t play golf anymore which is too bad because I’ll be staying at Bent Creek Golf Village.

Winding through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, discover the Gary Player par 72 golf course at Bent Creek Golf Village. This three-time Masters and British Open winner designed what one magazine rated as one of the “Top Fifty Golf Courses in the South.” Discover the breathtaking blue mist of the surrounding mountains while relaxing in your own well-appointed accommodations. At Bent Creek Golf Village you can enjoy the splendor of every season and the adventure that awaits you in nearby Gatlinburg.

I have a 1 bedroom DELUXE. Didn’t realize that I booked a DELUXE accommodation. I just took the one that met my schedule. I’ll have a washer and dryer in the suite so I can pack light and wash often. 🙂 Queen bed, queen sleeper sofa, full kitchen, living/dining area, whirlpool jet tub, fireplace, washer/dryer, two TVs, DVD/VCP, iPod clock radio, hairdryer and screened-in porch.

According to the events calendar I’ll be visiting during the Smokey Mountain Spring Fest; A countywide celebration of the season featuring special events, local craft shows, and much more.

Just in case I get bored on Fridays and Saturdays in May, visitors can meet characters, hear mountain music and learn about life long ago in the Smokies on the streets of Gatlinburg. Storytellers, musicians and cloggers perform along the strip of downtown Gatlinburg.

But the main reason for the visit is the Natural beauty.

Majestic waterfalls and hemlock-covered forests glisten beneath the breathtaking sunrises and legendary blue mist of the Great Smoky Mountains.

I plan to take lots of pictures.

Approved!

Posted on March 6, 2014March 6, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Hurray It’s Approved! My boss approved my vacation time so it’s official, I can really count on heading to Tennessee in May.

So far I ‘ve got a at least 1 day in Dollywood with a ride on the Dollywood Express, a day exploring the trolley routes of downtown Gatlinburg and a day sampling moonshine and whiskey.

Along with the liquid treats my cousin recommended an restaurant called The Greenbrier Restaurant . http://www.greenbrierrestaurant.com/ It’s billed as a romantic, fine dining establishment.

Well since I’ll be alone we can skip the romance but I like the fine dining description and I loved the menu. Two of my very favorite things are on it. I could make a meal of just the appetizers, My favorite: Escargot Ala Bourguignon French selects served in mushroom caps and simmering garlic butter. I’ve never had them served in mushroom caps but I like mushrooms so should be yummy.

The main course is bound to be just as good : Lobster Tail

One Tail or Two ? Steamed and served with lemon wedges and drawn butter.

Who would think that someone from Massachusetts would always be on the lookout for lobster tails when I’m surrounded by Maine lobster all the time. Well, they are not the same and (I’ll probably have to hide out after this comment) I like the tails better than Maine Lobster. There I said it. My New England Yankee card will probably be revoked. I don’t dislike Maine Lobster I just prefer the Langoustines , those big , juicy tails usually served on the shell. They are a different animal and more common in the south. When I was growing up in upstate New York the frozen variety was more common than the live Maine lobsters. I imagine that’s changed now. Every high end restaurant seems to have a lobster tank.

Now I’m hungry and it isn’t even noon yet!

Anyway the same cousin that tipped me to the restaurant also gave me a link to a train ride out of Chattanooga. http://www.tvrail.com/pages/etowah-train-rides-train-excursions-in-Tennessee Known as the Hiwassee River rail Adventure it sounds perfect. The ride is described as the historic Hiwassee River Rail Adventure scenic rail excursion through the unspoiled Cherokee National Forest, along beautiful and scenic Hiwassee River, and through the secluded Hiwassee River Gorge. It leaves from Etowah. My only decision is do I do the short or long version?

I think I’m leaning toward the all day trip but I’m open to suggestions too.

Getting Around Gatlinburg

Posted on March 3, 2014March 3, 2014 by Dusty Roads

One of the things I always try to do whenever I visit a new area is find a trolley tour. Most of the tours I’ve gone on have been sight seeing tours, some have the on again off again option so you can hop off to explore a stop while others are just an excursion. In either case it’s a great way to get the lay of the land.

Gatlinburg has a trolley and from what I’ve read it’s a whole mass transit system. It sounds like the Tennessee equivalent of Boston’s MBTA. Most of the reviews indicate that parking is expensive and getting around by car , cumbersome at best. Everyone seems to recommend the trolley.

The trolley line map looks like our subway map and it looks like most things are accessible from the trolley stops.

Gatlinburg’s Trolley System is the fifth largest mass transit system in the State of Tennessee. The system was originated in 1980 with a fleet of only six trolleys. The fleet has grown to 20 plus trolleys servicing approximately 50 miles of trolley routes. In 2011 nearly 800,000 patrons took advantage of riding rather than driving to their destination.

You can even take the Trolley to Dollywood. Unfortunately the trolley line to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park doesn’t start running until June so looks like I’ll have to drive to the park.

Many reviews mention what a great source of information the drivers are and stress that one should not hesitate to ask for suggestions for restaurants and events.

Sounds like I’m going to enjoy getting around town. I’ll be able to see the sights without having to concentrate on driving.

All Aboard

Posted on March 2, 2014March 2, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I like to take vintage train rides when I get a chance and my sister said she took a nice train ride while visiting Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I’ve searched but the only one I can locate is actually part of Dollywood. Known as the Dollywood Express, an authentic 110 ton coal fired steam engine travels 5 miles through the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains.

The other train ride I found That actually ventures into the Great Smokey Mountains is a North Carolina train. The Great Smokey Mountain Railroad chugs out of Bryson City, NC. There are several trains but the one that caught my eye is the Nantahala River Gorge Excursion. ” Take a ride along side the beautiful Nantahala River on our Nantahala Gorge Excursion! Departing from Bryson City, this four-and-a-half hour excursion carries you 44 miles to the Nantahala Gorge and back again arriving at our Bryson City depot. “

Too bad I won’t be in North Carolina this trip.

I checked out Chattanooga too. It’s about 2- 2 1/2 hours from Gatlinburg but even though it’s famous for the Chattanooga Choo Choo there’s no train ride here. Train history is preserved and you can arrange to stay overnight in a real vintage sleeping car but sadly, no click clack train ride.

So unless someone knows of another scenic/ vintage train ride in the Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg area of the Great Smokey Mountains I think I’ll be limited to the 5 mile adventure on the Dollywood Express.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?