Two More Days in Gatlinburg

Chelsea found another fun family amusement park to visit on August 3, 2022.  Ober Gatlinburg offered a variety of exciting indoor and outdoor activities which we all enjoyed. Indoors, the Bosen's enjoyed the bumper cars and ice skating.

There were lots of outdoor activities such as rock climbing, rides, a maze, mini-golf and a ski lift to the alpine slide. (We even saw a black bear wondering around.)  It was a hot day, and the water slides were the big hit because you did get soaked!

There was even a small zoo, where we had a good time watching the bears and otters at play.

For our last day in Gatlinburg, we started the day with a hike to Grotto Falls. The cool thing about these falls is that you can actually walk behind them! Thomas was the only one brave enough to swim in the frigid mountain pools beneath the falls. We even discovered some small salamanders in the rocks!

On our way back to town, we stopped and ate lunch at a local dive, and popped in to a shop where we found a wood carving for our mask collection wall. And we had to sample a creme soda! We meandered among the cute alley's and shops of Gatlinburg. 

 

And that wrapped up our Tennessee vacation. Gatlinburg really is a great place for a family vacation!  So glad the Bosen's invited us along for all these fun adventures!

Hot Times in the Smokies

There's never a dull moment when on vacation with our family! (Chelsea plans like her mother . . .)  On August 1, 2022, a morning activity took us to the adjoining town for some fun at the "Island at Pigeon Forge", a family entertainment complex.

The kids were champs on the ropes course! Later that day, we headed into the mountains for a short hike to Laurel Falls. This provided another glimpse of how beautiful our surroundings were.

The following day, August 2, we hiked to Clingman's Dome. The website, greatsmokies.com, describes it like this: "At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest peak in the Smokies and the third highest east of the Mississippi. From the parking lot, seven miles west of Newfound Gap, walk the steep half-mile path to the 54-foot observation tower for a 360-degree view of the Park. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144-mile journey." Although the wind was fierce at the top of the observation tower, there were some pretty amazing views.

We couldn't resist wandering along the Appalachian Trail for a bit before returning to our car. Bob's dream is to hike the entire trail someday . . .

That evening, while the Bosen's played in the pool at the resort, Dad and I went to Dollywood. Of course . . . Sharon can't resist amusement parks!  I think the most exciting thing there was to see the drone lights show, which was something new for us. But their world famous cinnamon bread was a treat worth waiting in line for!

Our fun day ended with smiles and fireworks.