A couple of weekends ago we went up to Pigeon Forge for a little get-a-way. We've been up there a few times, but this was the first time with Graham. He was awesome the entire trip!
We headed up Thursday evening after Josh got off work. Our first stop - Cracker Barrel. Yum yum! For breakfast at Cracker Barrel I always get the pancakes with blackberry topping. But we stopped for dinner, so it was my other "usual" - grilled chicken tenderloins with mac and cheese and carrots. Graham had some applesauce.
Graham had to try on these cowboy boots we found in the store. He's
Gone Country!
We always stay at the
Hampton Inn in Pigeon Forge (thank you corporate discount - $69/night!) We checked in super late. Graham had fallen asleep in the car, but luckily went back to bed pretty easily.
Friday we woke up to rain. After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we headed into Gatlinburg to see what we could find to do that was inside since it was still pouring rain. We decided to check out the
Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. It was actually really interesting!
Graham got his picture with the creepy two-headed cow.
Then we took a pic with
Robert Wadlow - the tallest recorded man that ever lived. (Crazy coincidence - I checked out "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" from the library the week before we went to Pigeon Forge. (A friend had recommeded it.) It had a character that was based on Robert Wadlow. The author even dedicated the book to him. It was a pretty good book, just so weird that I'd never heard of Robert Wadlow before this!)
We ducked into a
Dunkin' Donuts to feed Graham and when I finished the rain had slowed down. By this time, we were starving, so we grabbed some lunch at
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Tasty! After that, the rain had stopped completely. Woo hoo! We walked around Gatlinburg for a while and stumbled on the
Ole Smoky Moonshine brewery.
Huge barrel of moonshine a' brewin'.
There was a bar area where you could try all of the different flavors. (I think there were 12 in all!) I felt a little wrong having my baby in a bar. I felt even more wrong having my baby in a bar while my husband and I did shots of moonshine. :) Graham was actually taking a nap in the stroller while we were doing the tasting. A few random guys saw him passed out and started chuckling. Josh said to them, "Yeah, he already did the tasting - he couldn't handle it." Ha!
All of the flavors were super yummy! Blackberry, grape, lemon drop, blueberry, pink lemonade, strawberry. Mmmm! We ended up buying a jar of peach and apple pie. Those were the best! I skipped out on tasting the "original" and the "white lightin" flavors - those were the two most...potent. I figure one of us needed to be able to drive. :)
After that we went back to the hotel and rested for a bit. Then it was off to the Dixie Stampede! I've been before and I love it. Since I know can't do it justice by explaining what it is,
click here to Wikipidea it. (Scroll down to the "Show" section.) I know it sounds a little cheesy, but it's so much fun!
The next morning was the highlight of the trip - the main reason we go to Pigeon Forge - Dollywood!!! Dollywood really is one of the most fun theme parks. They've got award wining roller coasters and shows, delicious food, and tons of stuff for families to enjoy. Still skeptical? Dollywood won the
Applause Award in 2010 - the most prestigious award in the theme park industry. So there. It's fun. You should go. :)
Graham loved it!
Looking so cool in his shades!
Family pic time!
I'm such a sucker for these photo ops.
Indiana Graham. :)
I've posted this pic already, but I can't resist sharing it again. Best. Pic. Ever!
Playing on the playground!
Riding the carousel.
Right before we rode the train. Such cute boys!
On Sunday, we headed home. On the way, to top off our country-fied vacation, we decided to stop at a little place called "Goats on the Roof." Which is a store and restaurant with...you guessed it! Goats on the roof. :)
"Ok mom, I'm over these goats on the roof."
Our trip was so much fun! I can't wait for Graham to get a little older so we can take him again. Our next trip is coming up in July - Tybee Island with both sets of Graham's grandparents. (So they can babysit while Josh and I have some fun in Savannah.) Can't wait!
