#dixiestampede

In June, we spent a week in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with Grandpa Rich, Grandma Pam, Ross, and Kay. Grandma & Grandpa were able to secure a 3-bedroom unit through their timeshare and the location was perfect for a fun week!

The drive up through the Smoky Mountains was very nice. Marc drove solo with the Defender and Steph drove up with the kids. There were some really amazing views throughout the park!

We stayed at the Wyndham Smoky Mountains in a 3-bedroom unit that had plenty of room for all of us, as well as a full kitchen. We setup Riley’s pack and play in the master bathroom, which was perfect - large, good ventilation, and absolutely no windows. She slept like a champ all week...despite skipping naps most days. 

The resort had 2 different outdoor pools that we took advantage of a couple of mornings and they weren’t very busy at all, which was great. 

They also had a mini golf course, playground, and a splash pad. Jackson really loved having buckets of water dumped on him.

The resort was just outside of Pigeon Forge, very close to the Dollywood amusement park, where we spent 2 days. There were also a ton of things to do in Pigeon Forge - mini golf, go carts, Ripley’s Believe it or not museums, and tons of restaurants and dinner shows. 

The Island in Pigeon Forge was one of our first stops - lots of restaurant options, shopping, and things to keep the kids busy. We had lunch at Dick’s Last Resort, where our waiter made hats for everyone. 

And they both enjoyed the train ride, walking around the arcade, and the Great Smoky Mountain wheel.

We also took the kids out to ride go carts one afternoon. They were both tall enough to ride as a passenger and they both had such a great time! We also did bumper boats and the kids rode a few carnival-like rides.

And apparently a trip to Pigeon Forge isn’t complete without a dinner show! There were several options to choose from - most of which are owned by Dolly Parton. We opted for the Dixie Stampede. It was pretty similar to Medieval Times -- show with horses divided into two teams (the North and the South) and eating food without utensils. 

Just on the other side of the Smoky Mountains is Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We went there for a day and surprisingly didn’t take any photos! We rode the aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg, an interesting “amusement park” that had some small rides for kids, water slides, and alpine slides outside as well as an indoor ice skating rink and carousel. We played on a small playground for a bit and rode the carousel, but didn’t end up spending too much time there. For the rest of the morning, we walked the main street and visited some shops, had lunch at a really yummy pancake restaurant, and checked out some moonshine distilleries. 

Since we were so close to the mountains, we wanted to at least do one hike. It seemed like the Clingman’s Dome hike was the best option for something that was paved and not too difficult. It was a pretty steep climb though! We brought the stroller because we knew the kids would otherwise want to be carried. It took Marc and Ross pushing it together at times, but everyone made it to the top!

There were a few areas where kids were climbing up rocks, and Jackson wanted to try. He did really well and made it to the top of one that was pretty high. He was very proud of himself!

On our way back, we wanted to stop along the river to let the kids swim (or at least play in the water). They each took a turn driving with Grandma and Grandpa in their convertible.

We picked a nice spot along the river that was pretty easy to access. But, the water was quite cold, so no one went in.