Do you want to know a secret?
I loved Parrot Mountain.
The birds are beautiful.
As usual when I find something I like I went overboard on pictures.
I’d never be a good editor.
Pick just one or two pictures??? Not a chance.
I could never decide so here’s a few more from that lush and colorful venue.
Flowers
More birds
They look so curious
More Flowers
Remember the bird from Barretta?
But just like the show, it’s time to sign off. If you like birds I can whole heartily recommend Parrot Mountain!
It’s my last full day in Tennessee. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be flying the friendly skies back to Providence RI. So what to do? Dollywood was still on my list and I was still dragging my feet. Admission is $60.00 for the day and I’m only luke-warm about it.
I’d heard about a place called Parrot Mountain but no one seemed to have much information. I couldn’t find any brochures but the web site looked interesting. Yes I think I’ll explore that. If I hate it or it’s a rip-off I’ll be right down the street from Dollywood.
Since I was headed to Parrot Mountain I decided to drive instead of taking the trolley. I’m glad I did. I spotted the big billboard sign on the side of a mountain so I headed for the sign. I passed Dollywood and the signs kept pointing ahead. Finally I started up a very steep driveway. At the top was a big sign telling me I had arrived at Parrot Mountain.
If first appearances count for anything I was already happy. The entrance was so pretty and quaint. Birds sat perched along the retaining wall.
The entrance was like a little cottage. A large stairway replicated Thomas Kincade’s Stairway to Paradise.
The entrance fee was only $16.95. The very first pace I entered was the Bird garden. There were perches everywhere and each had a bird or two. Each perch was labeled so you knew which birds were safe to feed or touch ad which should just be admired. There were seed dispensers located through out. I could spend all day right here.
Even the squirrels agree!
A bit more expensive is the opportunity to have a picture taken with the birds. Handlers bring over the most docile birds and pile them on for your photo op.
There’s also a meditation garden with caged birds and religious stations of the cross. Religious or not is peaceful and beautiful along that path.
I entered the lory aviary with a cup of nectar and before I could say come and get it I was loaded with those colorful little birds. They landed on my arms, my hands ,even my head. There wasn’t anyone to take a picture which was too bad. It was such fun.
No matter which path you followed there were birds, butterflies, flowers and colors.
A truly wonderful experience!
After my disappointing experience on the train I wanted to cheer myself back up. The rain had finally passed and the sun had come out. The lovely clouds that form in the valleys had dissipated by the time I retrieved my car and started back to Gatlinburg so I made the return trip through Newfound Gap without lingering. As a result I was nearing the fork to Cades Cove while the sun was just dipping down toward the horizon. Do I take a drive through or not??? I decided that yes, I wanted one more visit.
It was later than my last trip so the shadows were longer in the fields and down right dark in the wooded areas. No bear this time but the deer were very active,
At first I thought this one was a fawn with spots but it was really just the way its winter coat was shedding.
This one is more like I’m used to seeing deer…in the woods, not the open meadows. I think it’s one of my favorite pictures.
This one was taken in the woods right next to the car! It was so dark the picture almost didn’t come out. As it is there’s not much color to be seen.
The males don’t seem as skittish as our local bucks. They are right out by the road.
Glad I stopped.
Once I moved to the open air car I had a chance of getting a few pictures. Good thing because I get very grumpy when I can’t take pictures!
I got the train going around a curve
Another of the train going around the curve.
Lake Fontana
The Trestle Bridge
Train going around a curve.
Back of the train coming around the curve. See the little red caboose.
Lots of foliage.
All Aboard the Nantahala Gorge Excursion train.
The description sounded wonderful. :
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 arrving at our Bryson City depot.
The pictures even more attractive.
My trip was longer than 4 1/2 hours. I think it was 6 or 7 hours. I knew it wouldn’t be colorful like this because it was the wrong time of year but I imagined I’d get to see the train either approach the bridge or cross it or even see the bridge after we pulled away. Nope.
Most of the trip was spent watching the grass and tress and bushes pass by. Most of the view of the lake and river was obscured. The opposite side of the train from the river had high banks and shrubs for scenery. Not much to see there either.
I was taking the trip alone so in the infinite wisdom of the ticket gods I was placed in an aisle seat with a family of 7. 2 grandparents, 2 parents and 3 children…all bored. Even the father said it was the most boring scenic train ride he’d ever been on.
I suppose my seat was ok as long as you don’t mind being climbed over by the oldest girl who couldn’t stay in her seat to save her life. Plus being blocked from the window I didn’t have much chance for pictures.
They had a mountain man story teller who was pretty good but he was only in our car for a little while and I found out that as of Memorial Day he would not be on the train anymore because he has his own shop in Byson City.
We also had a singer except every time he started to sing they made a train announcement. I think he actually finished 1 song. They had another girl who came through making balloon animals for the kids. The 3 I was seated with managed to pop or untwist theirs almost before she was out of the car.
Finally we turned around and stopped for lunch. I had purchased one of the boxed lunches so picked it up and made for the picnic tables.
It had been raining all day but there were a few kayakers honing their skills in the rapids…until I pulled out my camera. Then they quit. Things just don’t seem to be going right for me today.
I moved to the open air car hoping to get better views but there really wasn’t much to see. I was glad it was a rainy day. I would have hated to spend the day on this train ride if it had been nice out.
I’m not trying to be a complainer. I love taking the scenic train rides. I think that’s why i was so disappointed. I’ve taken enough of them to know a good ride from a poor one and this was one of the poorest I’ve been on. To be in such a beautiful area and have such lack luster views, well it was quite the let down. No matter how I try to spin it I just can’t recommend it. It really needs some work to make it interesting.