Monday, March 18, 2024

Our Trip to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge


Two weeks ago we spent a few days in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  If you missed the first part of our trip  can see it here.  On the second day of our trip we knew we wanted to go back to do one more thing in downtown Gatlinburg before heading to Pigeon Forge, and that was to visit the Sky Park Bridge.  On the way to the bridge we saw a lot of fun signs like this one in front of on of their restaurants. 


Right next to the Sky Park is this spooky building, the Mysterious Mansion.  It is supposedly one of the oldest "haunted houses" in the area that you are able to walk around on your own self tour.  I personally do not like haunted houses, so I was not to upset that it was closed on this day.  I did think the outside looked pretty cool though. 


To get to the Sky Park Bridge you have to ride a ski lift. While on the lift, it was not that far off the ground.  




I found another giant chair! 


Pretty much every where you look around Gatlinburg you will see black bear statues in various shapes and sizes.  I think this one with a mama bear and her two cubs was my favorite.  This was an area on one side of bridge that had pretty views of the main street below.  A lot of this attraction was destroyed in the 2016 Gatlinburg fires. They had to replace the ski lift, and the upper terminal.  They had plans to rebuild/upgrade the bridge, and it was supposed to be completed in October 2016, one month before the fires.  They were not able to start it when planned though, so the timing worked out in their favor. They rebuilt everything after the fires.


The bridge is 680 feet long, and the longest pedestrian cable bridge in North America.  While you could feel it moving a little bit, it was secured with giant cables and felt very safe.   


This was the view near where the bear statues were located.  Since we were there in early March, it was still early in the season for all the green grass and leaves to come back. 


After a quick lunch, and a stop at a nearby Buc-ees, we drove around Pigeon Forge to check out the sites.  Dollywood was a few days from opening, so most places were not very busy.  While we were not ready to eat yet, we stopped by the Hard Rock Cafe to see the memorabilia.  They had some fun items at this location, including a dress worn by a certain blond superstar who had the biggest tour in the world this year. :) 


We drove by the Titanic Museum.  I know there is also one in Branson, Mo which is not that far from where some of my family lives.  It was already pretty late in the day, so we did not stop there on this trip.  


Another cool place to visit is the Hollywood Wax Museum.  We did not stop at this location this time, because we recently saw the one in Branson which you can read about here.


 

We did see a familiar face on the side of a building and decided to check it out.   At Downtown Flavortown, you can play games in the arcade, bowl in a small bowling alley, and eat at Guy Fieri's Tiki Bar. 


This giant Guy Fieri rubber duck is over 5 ft tall.  


You can also see his red convertible from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives up close. 


Downtown Flavortown is located in a cute little shopping area. We found a great gift shop there with affordable souvenirs.  I bought a few T-shirts and sweatshirts for only $9.99 each. There was an area with a fire pit where you can sit and rest.  While we were sitting there, a man was giving kids' rides on a colorful train around the shopping area.  It looked like fun, but it was not big enough to grownups to ride.  LOL  

At this point it had started to rain, so we headed back to Gatlinburg a few miles away.   We were starting to get hungry so we decided to eat a late dinner.  It was already almost 8 pm, so we stopped by Jason Aldeen's Kitchen and Roof Top Bar. 




We decided to eat salads, and have one of their signature drinks.  Since it was raining we did not eat on the rooftop, but on the middle floor.  It had open windows and a nice view of the street below.   The food was yummy, and the service was great.  It was then time to walk back to our hotel while we finished up another great day in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. 




 

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Friday, March 15, 2024

Let's Dare to Share!

It's Friday night, and you know what that means..
It is time to Dare to Share!  



I had planned on writing my post about Pigeon Forge, Tennessee yesterday, but the weather had other plans.  If you watched the news today about all of the tornadoes in Ohio, you will understand why I was not able to be on the computer yesterday.  The bad weather started soon after I got home from work.  Tornadoes did land in the town where I grew up and in the neighboring towns, and there was some damage. We still have family and friends in the area, that we were trying to reach to see if they were okay.   While there was some destruction, power outages, and injuries, those tornadoes were smaller than the ones that were to come about an hour later.  The Lakeview/Indian Lake tornado was about an hour north  of where we are.  Today we heard that tornado was a F3.  All people have been accounted for now, and three people did not make it through the storm. There were a lot of injuries, and a lot of the town was affected  About 10 pm, another tornado hit about 30 minutes away from where we live.  While where I live we did not go end up in a full tornado warning, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning and in the basement for a time.  Finally about 11:30 all the storms had finally left the area, and it was time to get some sleep.   

I will be posting my Pigeon Forge post this weekend.  You can see a small preview in my photo. Does that large rubber ducky look familiar?  It should, it is a famous chef who likes to drive a red convertible. :)

If you missed my post about the first day of our vacation to Gatlinburg you can read about it here.



Are you doing anything fun this weekend for St. Patrick's Day?  I have a Find the Pot of Gold hunt in my Etsy Shop that kids can play.  I love making and participating in Treasure Hunts.  



Over on Instagram this week I have a reel where I give a review of the popular Dollar Tree Flower blocks. While I love how they look, I had an interesting time putting them together.  

Now that you know what I have been up to this week, I would love to see what you have been up to. So let's get this party started.  Link up and HAVE FUN!!  








 

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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Our Trip to Gatlinburg


    Last week we spend a few days in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There are several reasons why we loved going this time of year.  We were there a few days before big attractions like Dollywood were open (it opened on March 9th) but the weather the days were there was fantastic.  We went on a Monday- and left on a Wednesday so the crowds were on the lower side.  One downfall from being there on a Monday is there were some shops that close on Monday.  There was still a ton to do and see though.  



There are many quaint little shops in Gatlinburg, and several big chairs. LOL.  This chair was in a little themed shopping area.  


    While we did not eat at this restaurant, the giant skillets outside made a great picture.  There are so many places to take pictures in town. 


    One of the attractions we went on our first day was the Ober Mountain Tramway.  You ride up the mountain in a tram which gives great views of the area below.  Up at the top there are many things to do like indoor ice skating and skiing if weather permits.  There were people skiing on the day we were there because they were just enough snow left. 

     Do you see that light green house on stilts on the left side of the photo?  That house is called the Barbie Destiny Chalet, and it  can be rented out during your visit. The inside is based on Barbie's Dream house. It used to be painted Barbie pink but the current owner decided to paint it a more subtle color.  




    We stopped by the Burg Steakhouse for lunch.  They had some lunch specials like  their unlimited soup, salad and side bar. Everything we tried was delicious! 


    We were given a couple of free dessert coupons, and we were definitely not disappointed.  


    The coupons were good for these amazing brownies with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  They were so delicious! 


    At the end of the main shopping area is the beginning of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. There you can drive for miles through the mountains, and see some beautiful scenery. 


There are many pull off areas along the road to stop and take pictures. Since it was March, the leaves were just starting to turn green. There are some areas of the park that were burned in the great fire on 2016, but we only saw a little bit of it.  We were hoping to stop by the Cherokee Village about 30 miles in the park, but they didn't open until May.





On the way back to our hotel on the other side of the National Park,  we stopped by a mountain farm in the park.  There were signs that if there were elk present to stay at least 50 feet away, and do not approach them.  When we went into the farm area there were no elk present.  When we came out of a small barn in the exhibit, to our surprise there was an elk eating grass nearby.  We quickly and quietly walked away.  The elk did not seem to mind that we were there, and went right back to eating.  We were a safe distance when we took this picture and zoomed in.  We saw a mom with three kids entering the farm area, we told her about the elk so she could keep her distance and the kids safe.  Running unexpectedly into an elk will definitely be one of our  memories of Gatlinburg. 


After our adventure in the park, we stopped by a Daiquiri bar that was right in from the Margaritaville resort which was near our hotel.


We ate some yummy appetizers, 


and delicious daiquiris!! 

Once we were finished, we called it a night on day on.  There will be more in my next blog post sharing more sights in the Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge area.  








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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Let's Dare to Share!

 


It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share!



Last week I mentioned we were going to be out of town for a few days, but I did not mention where.  Now that we are back, I can share with you that we went to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We had a wonderful time with beautiful weather for most of our trip.  It was not busy as it is still early in the season, so we got a great deal on our hotel and did not have any lines.   I am going to be writing a few blog posts, about our trip.  A few things happened that were definitely memorable! 




 Over in my Etsy Shop, it feels like Easter, as it is just a few weeks away.  If you are in need of an Easter Treasure Hunt  I several available. I also have my St. Patrick's Day Pot of Gold, and Leprechaun Hunts if you are looking for a fun St. Patricks Day activity. 





Also on our trip this week, we had our first chance to visit a Buc-ees.  While they are several of them in Texas, they are starting to open in states a bit more too the north.  They are just starting to build one in Ohio.  Over on Instagram I shared a reel that shows how amazing a Buc-ees is, and why you should stop by one while traveling. 

If you follow me on LTK, I have several new items I am uploading to the shop this weekend. I found the cutest Easter Plush especially if you like chickens and roosters.  

Now that you know what I have been up to this week, I would love to see what you have been up to.  Link up, and HAVE FUN! 








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Friday, March 1, 2024

It's Party Time! Let's Dare to Share!

It's Friday night, and you know what that means.. 
It is time to Dare to Share! 

Welcome to March! This month is going to be a very busy one for me and D. This upcoming week, we have a week off from work for Spring Break.  All the teachers at the center are looking forward for a week off.  D and I have plans to go somewhere for a few days.  I am not going to share just where we are going just yet, because I plan on doing a blog post or two about it when we get back from our trip. Later this month, I am also going to be attending a nieces wedding, which we are quite excited about. The location looks like it going to be a very beautiful wedding.


On the blog this week, I shared a post with St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas including these Leprechaun Marshmallow Pops. I had so much fun making these pops. 




Over on Instagram, I shared several reels of my Dollar Tree finds this week, including one with some really cool St. Patrick's Day items for only a $1.25.  I am loving this shamrock tray! 




Are you excited about the upcoming Solar Eclipse? It is definitely in the news where I live, because it will be going right through Ohio. I remember the eclipse from 2017, which was exciting, but only a partial eclipse. I know from teaching elementary and preschool students the last few years, the eclipse will definitely be a topic of learning in the next few weeks. Over in my Etsy Shop, I added a fun Eclipse Activity Sheet for kids to complete about the eclipse.  Also don't forget if you are looking for an activity for kids for St. Patrick's Day or Easter, I also have several games and treasure hunts available for those holidays in my shop as well. 



Over in my LTK Shop, I have been adding fun Easter items like these Peeps from Walmart.  I personally bought a few of the mini peeps that are listed. I love my mini rock bunny, he looks a lot like Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. :) 

Now that you know what I have been up to the last week, I would love to see what you have been up to.  Link up and HAVE FUN! 

 
 

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Monday, February 26, 2024

St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas


One of my favorite St. Patrick's Day projects over the years has to be my Leprechaun Marshmallow Pops . Not only were they easy to make, but they taste good as well.  


 My favorite way to display my leprechaun pops is in the Pot of Gold I made with a cauldron from Halloween, and some Dollar Tree craft items.  If you do not have one already available, I found this one on Amazon.



Isn't this a cute way to display the pops for a St. Patrick's Day party?!


A fun St. Patrick's Day favor box are these Leprechaun Treat Boxes  made from cardboard tubes, paper, and a little bit of paint.  I filled the with "gold candy".  




Lucky Cupcakes served in plastic Leprechaun Hat are a fun festive dessert that is perfect for a party.  


 Looking for some party games?  I have two St. Patrick's Day hunts in my Etsy Shop.  In this one, the clues lead you to find the Pot of Gold,



In this St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Hunt you actually search for three leprechauns, which is a lot of fun. 

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day?  





 

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