Showing posts with label apple barn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple barn. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

2018 Feb 19-22, President's Special The Inn at Christmas Place Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Presidents' Day, Monday, February 19
For breakfast, I cooked bacon, eggs, and toast.
Hubby and I rode to Athens to leave the Chrysler Van for repairs.
Filled up with gas at Murphy's in Athens.

We rode to Madison to look at an old Fireo.
We stopped at Dollar General for snacks, meat skins, and drinks.
We rode through Jasper, South Pittsburg, Whiteside, Chattanooga, and Trenton, stopping at Richville Rest Area, where I took pictures of Pushing Forward Knoxville Union Army on the Move.

We traveled US 72 through Huntsville, crossing into Tennessee near South Pittsburg. We then took I-24 through Chattanooga to I-75 N, continuing to Knoxville. From Knoxville, we took I-40 to Kodak, then followed 66 to Sevierville and 441 into Pigeon Forge.

We went to Huck Finn's for dinner, for we had skipped lunch.
My Hubby ordered the small catfish plate with creamed potatoes and fixings.
I ordered the Cajun Grilled Trout with creamed potato and fixings. (white beans, Coleslaw, onions, pickles, and hushpuppies.
Huck Finn's 
We took several pictures at Huck Finn's.
We checked into The Inn at Christmas Place at 4:38 P.M. for two nights.
We took our luggage to the room and returned up front in time to listen to the Christmas Bells Chime.
We rode through Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg, where we saw many Christmas Lights for Winterfest.
We saw Johnny Rockets, Bubba Gump's, Dicks Last Resort, Dude's Daiquiris, Texas Roadhouse, Calhoun's, Hollywood Star Cars, and Cooter's.
We returned to Pigeon Forge, where we saw a building illuminated in green light.
We saw a sign that read Dollywood loves every moment. Turn here.
We saw a storefront with alligators, sharks, and bear statues.
We rode through the archway at the Old Mill, which was covered in Christmas Lights of red and white.
Hubby took my picture in front of a picture of people skating at the Old Mill.
We bought a bag of yellow stone-ground cornmeal and apple fritter mix.
We rode to Patriot Park, stopping to take several pictures and videos. Stayed on the sidewalk because the ground in the park was still full of water from all the rain.
As we rode through Pigeon Forge, we saw Arcade lit up in neon lights and a new attraction called Alcatraz East Prison.

We rode through The Island, where we saw the carousel, fair wheel, Margaritaville, and Paula Deans's Family Kitchen.
We stopped to take several pictures of Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Adventures, which was covered in Christmas Lights; it was closed for the season.
We also saw the Magic Quest on our way back to The Inn at Christmas Place.
At 7:30 P.M., we sat on the balcony at the Inn eating oatmeal raisin, Chocolate, and Sugar cookies served with hot apple cider.
It was a clear and warm night as we watched the flow of traffic and all the Christmas lights that surrounded the Inn.
We retired for the night, for it had been a very tiring day.

February 20, Tuesday
Took showers, dressed, and walked downstairs to the dining room for breakfast.
I got three sausage links and watched the cook prepare my made-to-order omelet.
I chose mushrooms, spinach, peppers, ham, and cheese.
The cook said he loved to cook, and I told him that my middle son loved to cook.
I said you have to have a knack for flipping omelets, but he said it takes a good pan.

It was still a little foggy outside, and too early for stores to open, so we went back to our room. Hubby watched TV, and I wrote in my journal.
Last night, before we went out, we talked to the bellman of the Inn. He said his daughter was the manager at the front desk, and he was a retired Sheriff of 25 years. He still worked part-time to get his 30 years of service. He said that he loved working at the INN.
At 10 A.M., we rode to Gloria Vanderbilt and Lee's, where we bought Hubby a shirt.
We went to the Tanger outlet, where I bought a shirt from Under Armor and a black and white shirt from Nike. (I had only brought long-sleeved tops, and it was 77 degrees outside) It is too hot for long sleeves.
We rode to Bass Pro in Kodak, where we bought my husband a couple of shirts.
We ate dinner at Uncle Buck's, located inside Bass Pro Shops. We had all-you-can-eat shrimp for $9.99.
Uncle Buck's All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp.
We rode to the Douglas Dam and park, stopping to take several pictures.
We filled up with gas at Murphy's.
We rode by the Apple Bar, where we saw two geese waddling near the Little Pigeon River.
We stopped at the Upside-Down Museum, the Hatfield & McCoys, the Hard Rock Cafe, and the Titanic to take pictures.
We stopped at Dixie Stampede to take pictures of the horses.
We parked at The Island, walked around, stopped for Ice Cream, and finally sat down to watch the fountain dance to music.
Hatfield & McCoys 
The Island 
Watching Fountains Dance with the Sunset
Margaretville
We walked to the Margaretville Hotel, a gift shop, and a restaurant to take pictures.
We rode back to the Inn around 7 P.M.
From 8–9 P.M., we listened to Santa sing Christmas Carols and religious and Country Songs.
After the performance, we enjoyed milk, cider, and cookies.

Wednesday, February 21
My husband and I enjoyed a nice hot breakfast, packed, and checked out of the Inn, and started for home.
We stopped at the Rest Area in Jasper, TN, and Richville.
Hubby dropped me off in Athens to pick up the van.
Hubby rode to Madison to buy that Fireo we had looked at before we went on our trip. It had to be towed home. Hubby bought the Fireo parts for his Fireo.
Today is my grandson's twenty-seventh birthday, so we are meeting him, his wife, dad, and sister at Logan's Roadhouse for dinner.
Hubby and I ate hot rolls and fried mushrooms.
I gave my grandson a birthday card with money inside for his birthday. He said they were taking their camper to Fort Wilderness Campground and going to Universal Studios Theme Park for the weekend.

Monday, June 22, 2015

2010 ~ Feb 19-20, Marine Biologist for a Day at the Aquarium in Nashville, Tennessee

2010 ~ February 19-20 Nashville, Tennessee
We took a group of Girl Scouts to Nashville to the Aquarium to be a Marine Biologist for a day, and we spent the night at one of the mom's time shares. We stopped at Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg for dinner.
Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg 
Dairy Queen in Lawrenceburg 

Day 1: Friday, February 19, 2010 
At the Time-Share, the girls swam, ate snacks they danced, and played games.

The next day, the girls dissected a squid, went on a scavenger hunt, and listened to a lecture about the fish in the Aquarium.
We were taken to the Aquarium's back room to see how the fish are cared for and how their food is prepared.
We were shown where the divers enter the aquarium tank. Afterward, everyone was given a quiz; when we finished, we were served a meal. When we finished eating, we divided into groups and took the girls shopping.

Marine Biologist for a day
On February 20-21, 2010, we took eight Girl Scouts to the Nashville Aquarium in Nashville, Tennessee, to be marine biologists for a day.

Day 2: Saturday, February 20, 2010
The girls met at the Aquarium Restaurant at Opry Mills Mall at 8:30 A.M.
The girls were Marine Biologists for a day at the Stingray Reef. Each girl was given a T-shirt and a name tag with "The Nashville Aquarium" inscribed on the front.
Each was given an all-day pass to the Stingray Reef, where they could pet & feed the Stingrays, visit the exhibits, ride the carousel, and receive a 15% discount at the gift shop.

The Marine Biologist asks if anyone was afraid of the snake before we entered the backup room.
If so, to let her know, because she was going to take out a Scarlet Kingsnake to show the girls. Everyone was okay with going into the room.  
The biologist brought out a Scarlet Kingsnake, which is very similar to the Coral Snake. 
We were told it is found in the southeastern United States. We were then told that it's a tri-color pattern of black, red, and yellow that mimics the venomous coral snake. 
She said Just remember that red on yellow can kill a fellow; red on black is a friend of Jack.

Scarlet Kingsnake
The girls petted the Scarlet snake; they could see and feel how smooth and shiny it was, for it had just shed its old skin. 

Their next project was to dissect a squid. On each table, for each girl, was a dead squid, a tray, and scissors.
Dissect a squid
Dissect a squid
Squids are marine cephalopods.
The girls were told that squids are marine cephalopods; there are over 300 species.
The Girls were told about the anatomy of the Squid, how the central body mass is enclosed in the mantle, and how the skin is covered in chromatophores, which enable the Squid to change color and camouflage itself from its prey. 
They went through the anatomy of the Squid from the nervous system to the Reproductive system (they were told to cut the ink sac into), and were shown the ovary of the female and the testis of the male. In the digestive system are the stomach, bolus, caecum (for digestion), liver, and rectum. In the Cardiovascular system, the Squid has three hearts.
The head end bears eight arms and two tentacles, each with suckers along the edge. 

The girls were divided into pairs and given a paper with questions to answer through a scavenger hunt. They had to read the information on each display to find the answers. 
Some of the animals were the tarantula spider, crocodile lizard, Piranha, Coral reef, Rococo Toad Bufo Paracnemis, Stingray, Knight Anole, Emerald tree boa, Potbelly seahorse, clownfish, and sea anemones.
They spent a few minutes petting and feeding the stingrays, and we proceeded to the Aquarium Restaurant, where there was a 200,000-gallon aquarium full of tropical fish. 


Their project was to learn about the fish living in the 200,000 aquariums and their environments, and then to go behind the scenes at the Aquarium. 
After the lecture on the Aquarium and the behind-the-scenes tour, we were all given an aquarium super fun puzzle, and the questions were:
The Stingray's last means of defense was Barbs.
A group of fish is? School
The natural filter of the ocean? Shellfish
How does a fish breathe? Gills
What do divers use to breathe underwater? Scuba
The back support of Squid? Pen
A cartilaginous fish that people are afraid of? Shark
Fish spend 30 days here before going on exhibit? Quarantine
Saving resources for future generations? Preservation
An endangered animal with plantlike qualities? Coral
Opening located on the underside of the ray's head? Fill-slits
A fish skid? Scales
The top fin of a fish? Dorsal
The real skin coral of the green moray eel? Blue
One category of fish? Bony
An increase in the Earth's temperature caused by pollution? Global warming
Using a limited amount of resources? Conservation
A venomous snail from Indonesia? Cone-snail
Cousin to sharks and rays? Guitarfish
A snakelike fish? Eel
Question time
Answering the questions 
group picture
Behind the scenes, we saw the holding tank for the Aquarium, the quarantine system, where the fish's water was prepared, the main pumps, primary sand filters, bio towers, central chillers, and a carbon water filter.    
We walked upstairs to the quarantine tank where the fish were. We entered another area where we walked along a narrow walkway overhead, where the lighting, air conditioning, and ventilation were visible, allowing us to see the workings of the Aquarium. This area is where divers enter the Aquarium and where the chemical is introduced.
Diver in an Aquarium
We visited the kitchen where a fresh fool is prepared daily for the fish and then went to the laboratory.
We all got to look into a microscope to see some of the bacteria that might get on the fish. 
We were allowed to hold a sand dollar, sea urchin, and starfish. After the question-and-answer time in the lab, we all went to the restroom to wash our hands.
Washing our hands
Posing for a group picture
We all pre-ordered our lunch, so it was ready when we finished being a marine biologist for a day. 
Our table was set, so we all sat down. We were given a quiz before lunch. 
Lora and I shared a Lettuce Wrap filled with Grilled shrimp basted with lime marinade and served with seasonal vegetables. 
After lunch, we divided into three groups and went to Opry Mall. I had Emilee, Brianna, and Ashley. Lora had Madison, Santana, Megan, and Sarah, and the other woman had her daughter, Kaitlyn.
We stopped at Build-a-Bear Workshop, the Rainforest Gift Shop (where the girls put snakes around their necks and I took their pictures). Emilee bought a mood necklace; I bought the girls chocolate candy; Brianna bought chocolate-covered cherries; Emilee and Ashley bought chocolate-covered marshmallows; and I purchased a chocolate-covered pretzel. We stopped at one store where Brianna put on an Irish Green hat and a scarf. I took Brianna's picture, and she took my picture. I was wearing a crown that said, "Kiss me, I am Irish." We tried on a couple more hats, took a few more pictures, and then we walked back to the Aquarium. We went back to the stingray aquarium, rode the carousel, and the girls fed the stingrays.
Group picture at the Aquarium
Getting a back rub
Trying on hats 
Trying on hats 
Stopping at the Rainforest Cafe Gift Shop 
Ready to go home 
We waited for Lora; she was still shopping. The other woman said she had to go home. I took Megan, Ashley, Brianna, and Kaitlyn with me, along with Sarah and Emilee. 
We all went looking for Lora, Madison, and Santana. We walked around the entire Opry Mall, and we met up with Lora, Madison, and Santana at the Apple Barn. 


After a few more stops, we walked to the car and started home. It took forever to get out of the parking lot. We went through the drive-thru at McDonald's in Columbia, TN, bought some hamburgers for supper, and rode home. We arrived home at about 6:30 P.M.

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