Mountains and Cars and Coasters! Oh My!

This trip was one that I was invited on for the Christmas holiday and it was amazing! I love the mountains, so I was excited to be in the Smoky Mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee for the weekend. (Disclaimer: I will use ‘We” or “the family” to protect the identities of the family I was with.) We arrived in Gatlinburg around 1pm on Friday and it was amazingly decorated for the Christmas holiday! We stayed at the Blue Green Vacations Mountain Loft, and it had a beautiful view of the mountains. Fair warning: It is a time share and not a regular hotel, but I would say it is worth it.

That afternoon after checking in and unpacking, we walked the Gatlinburg strip and explored the different shops and restaurants. The air was field with smells of various fragrances to include pizza, hot chocolate, fresh baked cookies, and so much more! One of my favorite shops we looked through was The Sock Shop @ The Village Shops. I love random sock designs, so if you ever want to send a gift, socks would be perfect Lol. Not only did they have socks, but they have shoes and other accessories as well.

After exploring, we ate at a place called Mellow Mushroom. The Mighty Meaty pizza is a fan favorite, and I can see why! The pizza was filled with pepperoni, Italian sausage, honey ham and more. Yum! The House Special pizza which includes what’s on the Mighty Meaty along with mushrooms, black olives, Roma tomatoes, green peppers and onions. It was a big hit with the family, but I don’t like mushrooms or black olives. (Yuck! Sorry!)

After our bellies were full, the adults went to a whiskey and moonshine tasting at the Ole Smoky Distillery “The Holler”. Customers have a choice of a regular tasting for $7 and a premium tasting for $10. For the full experience I chose the premium tasting. The tasting included moonshine and whiskey samples. I won’t tell you all the flavors we tasted, but my favorite was the blue flame. As the old saying goes ‘It puts hairs on your chest!’ Lol The bartender wore a Grinch costume which made me smile. He told a lot of dad jokes, but they were funny dad jokes and was very entertaining. (Or maybe it was the booze…)

Turning in for the night, I looked forward to everyone’s favorite place in Tennessee…DOLLYWOOD!

Dollywood Parks and Resorts is the popular amusement park located in Pigeon Forge. Like most amusement parks, there’s plenty of rides, shows and food options for you to explore. We took a few pictures of the old cars. I’m a huge fan of the 1957 Chevy Bel Air.

 We were all about the rides so the first ride we hit to get the ball rolling was the Barnstormer.

It’s a giant swing thrill ride that gives you great glimpses of the park. It was a great start to a fun filled day.

The next ride we got on, Blazing Fury, was less of a thrill, but we wanted the kids to enjoy the park as well. (picture) it was a good ride for those that want to ride a roller coaster but don’t want the huge drops and quick turns.

The Fire Chaser Express was a cute little family coaster centered around the premise of racing to a fire. My favorite part was the fact that it got to a certain point and then went backwards. I was crying laughing the whole time because a mom who didn’t like roller coaster was telling her kids she was going to get them for having her get on the ride. She was a good sport about it though. She was like I’m sorry for cussing but they tricked me Lol It reminded me of the time I got my mom on the Scooby Doo at Kings Dominion, but we will leave that story for another time (smile) For someone who doesn’t like rollercoasters it may be a shock, but it was pretty tamed for those who do.

I think my favorite ride was the Wild Eagle. It’s one of those coasters where your feet are dangling the whole ride. The beginning of the ride drops about 13 stories with crazy twists, turns and loops going upside down. My favorite part of the experience was watching the little kids so excited to be tall enough to get on the ride and one little girl barely making the minimum height exclaim “That was awesome!” once she got back from riding.

The family took time to see a show. The show we saw was called Christmas in the Smokies. It was about an hour musical with the singers performing both traditional and new music. Even if you don’t like musicals, I think you will still enjoy it because it is fast paced.

A few of us left Dollywood after the show and went to Hollywood Star Cars Museum. Located on the Gatlinburg strip, this place features cars featured in some of the most popular tv shows and movies, along with celebrity cars. Since we went later in the evening, it was not very crowded. If I remember correctly, we were the only ones in the place besides the museum workers. I recommend buying your tickets online to save a few dollars. As an amateur lover of cars, I really enjoyed this museum.

From the Flintstones

to Batman to the General Lee, it was a mixture of old and new! Each display gives a good description about the car and there is even a room set up like you are in an old drive-in movie theater to view a quick film about the various cars in the museum. It was a nice way to wind down after a day full of thrill rides.

Sunday was a day of relaxing, but we managed to muster up the strength to go to lunch at Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. As the name suggests, the bones of the restaurant is an old mill built in the 1780s. You are able to buy some of the popular baked goods and other meal products while you are there. The restaurant is very popular, so you have to wait at a minimum twenty minutes to be seated depending on the size of your group. We waited about 20-30 minutes but was waited on right away after being seated. I ordered the country fried steak, and it was very good. They also served hushpuppies to the table and honey butter. It was so good! I didn’t want to look greedy, so I refrained from eating it all Lol I highly recommend this restaurant! I had the “itis” afterwards Lol The rest of the time was spent fellowshipping among the family.

Christmas Day, we did what all families do to celebrate, we got up early and watched the kids open their gifts! Christmas dinner was catered by Calhoun’s. It was a tasty array of smoked turkey, ribs, mashed potatoes and gravy, and peas. Oh, the peas! Everything was good except the peas because they were still frozen Lol It was the running joke all Christmas and had the family laughing all day.

Sadly, after such a wonderful weekend it was time to go. For one last savory meal in Gatlinburg, we went back to Old Mill Restaurant. (My inner fat girl was happy) It was the traditional country breakfast with eggs, grits, biscuits etc. I enjoyed another great meal consisting of the southern omelet without the mushrooms. It was a wonderful family fellowship before parting ways to return to our respective homes.

Overall, it was a great trip and I look forward to visiting again to see all the stuff that I missed this go around. Check it out! You will not be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I, Artilya Key, also known as A. Key (A Key To Adventure), am not affiliated with any of the links, places or sites mentioned in this blog nor did I receive any compensation for this post. Should you need more information, please refer to the linked information or contact the company or entities. Any copywritten information belongs to that entity and is not associated with A Key To Adventure.