Take me home…country roads….
glingdidit October 25th, 2007
So we got back from our mini-vacation late Monday night. I’ve been caught up with work and college fairs the last 2 days…so I’m just now getting a chance to write. So here you go…a quick update of our fun getaway.
Day 1 (Thursday)
-Despite tornado warnings and crazy weather, we left Greenville around 8:30 and drove to Clarksville, TN…which is just about half way to Gatlinburg. We got there around 1:30 a.m….and whew…we were tired. Thanks to lots of candy and soda…we made the drive without a hitch.Â
 Day 2-Friday
-We left Clarksville and made the rest of the drive to Gatlinburg…of course…after sleeping in. We got to the mountains early that afternoon…and it was a beautiful sight. Despite the long line of traffic on the way into the town…it was completely worthwhile. We checked into our cabin…which was lovely…and made our way downtown for some BBQ. (What else would you expect from us?!) I had delicious smoked sausage and Jared had some yummy pulled pork…washed down with super sweet tea. We spent the evening walking through downtown…enjoying the beautiful weather and wonderful sights.Â
Day 3-Saturday
Day 3 began with sleeping in…which is expected on vacation…I’m pretty sure. We went to the Pancake Pantry (downtown) for lunch…which was…quite possibly….the best pancakes I’ve EVER eaten. We then spent a good portion of the day on the Craft loop…walking and shopping…just enjoying our time together. We bought another troll (not like a rainbow haired troll…a smokey mountain troll…it’s a cool tradition) to add to our collection. You can check them out at trolls.com…they’re pretty cool…even better in person. We had a yummy Italian dinner at a cafe for dinner….and began to realize how much food we’d consumed!
Day 4-Sunday
Sunday was dedicated to hiking. We grabbed lunch at the Old Mill Restaurant…which we quickly dubbed the best meal on our trip. Best southern style food we’ve ever had. It’ll definitely be on the list of places to revisit next time we go back. After that…we headed into the mountains and hiked the Alum Caves trail…and it was amazing. After nearly 3 miles of hiking….you’re rewarded with what is probably one of the best views in the Smokey’s….and was made even better by the beautiful colors in the fall foliage. We sat and enjoyed the view for quite awhile…and then headed back down. We grabbed some pizza for supper…and relaxed and rested our tired legs.Â
Day 5-Monday
Monday we got up early and packed our things and cleaned up the cabin. (Always a sad thing to do!) We made a stop at the Donut Friar (best donuts ever) and headed to the outlet malls to do some shopping. We didn’t find much…but had a good time looking. Finally…we realized that we need to hit the road…in order to get home before midnight. It rained a good chunk of the way home…but we made it to Greenville by 11:30. It was a great trip. I recommend Gatlinburg in the fall to anyone who enjoys crisp fall weather and the beautiful colors that come along with it…not to mention all of the fun fall decorations around the town. Sigh….I wish I could go back. Another day!