Pigeon Forge

We just got home from a fabulous Spring Break spent in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.  Pigeon Forge to be exact. We enjoyed great shows, toured fabulous places, and explored God's majestic creations.  Driving through Tennessee is absolutely gorgeous.  Rolling hills, very green, lots of farms.  And I really loved to see all the old barns everywhere.

First, we drove to Memphis and stayed the night at the historic Peabody Hotel.

We arrived in time to see the ducks walk out of the fountain and into the elevator.  Definitely a unique experience.

We walked down the street, passed the famous Beale St, and had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe Memphis.  Always a cool place to dine.

We woke up bright and early Sunday morning, grabbed Starbucks for breakfast (of course!), passed the famous Orpheum Theater (where they were lining up to audition for So You Think You Can Dance),

the Lorraine Motel (where Dr. King was assassinated),

Sun Studio (where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis got their start),

and headed straight to Graceland.

Graceland, home of the King of Rock N Roll, Elvis Presley.  He has always been my favorite singer since my dad used to play his music when I was very little.  It has been a dream of mine to tour his home and I finally got the chance.  We actually got the Blue Suede Shoes Package included on our Peabody hotel reservation, so it was a great deal!  I was just in awe of the whole place.  The decor, the themed rooms, the beautiful land (Graceland sits on 13 acres).  Craig even said afterwards he did not realize just how big and famous Elvis was, and still is, until we saw the many, many awards he received.  I think my family finally understood my infatuation with him!

After arriving at our cabin for the week, we were amazed at how perfect it was.  It was spacious and cozy and included everything we needed.  Here is the link for all of the info to rent the cabin.

Waking up to beautiful scenery every morning was surreal.  Every morning I would grab a blanket, my coffee, and sit on the back porch and just soak it in.

Some mornings were rainy and most mornings had a beautiful fog surrounding the mountains.  So peaceful.

At night, we would have family foosball and pool tournaments.  The arcade was also fun with classic games of Frogger, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and more.  Craig would take the kids to play miniature golf located in our resort so I could do my homework (yes, homework!).  We even enjoyed a couple great meals on the porch.

Driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was breathtaking.  I really miss seeing mountains every day.  We took a short hike and just over a mile up the mountain is a gorgeous water fall!  There was a rumor that a mama bear and her cubs were nearby but we never saw them.

We saw some fun and exciting dinner shows.  Lots of excellent food, great music, and comedy.  We absolutely love that type of family friendly entertainment. Preston and Kaitlyn were even asked to be volunteers for one of the shows and got to bring home a cool souvenir.

The week ended with another tour:  the Bush's Baked Beans factory! Haha!  Actually, we did not get to tour the actual plant.  Across the street is a general store where we watched a short video of the history of Bush's Baked Beans.  It was actually pretty interesting.  They even had a scavenger hunt for the kids throughout the museum.  Fun, free entertainment.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip.  It was so nice to get away and not worry about anything.  As always, it is nice to explore parts of this country that we have never seen and get some new experiences.  We are super thankful and feel so blessed that we are able to do this with our kids.  Hopefully, it is something they will always remember.