2018 May 23, An enjoyable day out Florence & Athens, Alabama

Hubby set off several bug bombs as we were leaving for the day. 

We stopped at the Credit Union for some cash. 

We ate lunch at Trowbridge’s, where we both ordered a BLT, chips, Coke in a glass bottle, and Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. 

BLT

COKE 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

TROWBRIDGE'S ICE CREAM MENU

A COUPLE OF SCHOOL KIDS GETTING ICE CREAM 

WAITING FOR MY BLT

We enjoyed listening to Joseph Baldwin in Wilson Park.

We rode to Elgin to get B12 shots. 

We rode to Athens, stopping at Save-A-Lots and Big Lots. 

Both hubby and I had eye appointments in Athens. 

We stopped at UG White Mercantile, where I bought some saltwater taffy and a pair of Kuhl shorts. 

KUHL was born in the Mountains. KUHL is a product-driven company with a passion for the outdoor experience. The Kuhl icon represents this mountain culture.

Salt  Water Taffy 

I asked if this was the only mercantile store, and the cashier said we have another store in Huntsville near Clinton St. 

There was a large selection of Lodge skillets displayed in the mercantile.  

I remarked that hubby and I had toured the Lodge Factory in South Pittsburg during their Cornbread Festival.

I said cornbread is not good unless it is cooked in an Iron Skillet. We stopped at Murphy's for gas, and Aldies was our last stop. 

Hubby and I ate leftover grilled hamburgers for supper.

After supper, hubby fell asleep on the sofa.

🎢1979 ~The Horror of riding the Chair Lift! in Maggie Valley, Tennessee

We rented a hotel room that was nestled in bustling downtown Gatlinburg. The hotel had an outdoor swimming pool.

Our hotel was located on Main Street and when we stepped out onto the streets we were met by crowds of people.

We visited many shops such as the Village Shops, a Unique Boutique, and a silver shop for a true silver lover. There were candle shops, fragrance shops, and a shop where you could find spices of every kind.

One of my favorite shops was the Christmas Store.

We saw Ripley’s Believe It or Not, the Hollywood Star Car Museum, the Guinness World Records Museum, and the World of Illusions.

We visited the World of Illusions where we saw Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Grim Reaper. At the entrance of Ripley's, Believe it or not, we saw the pepper's ghost display.

We saw Superman using his X-ray vision and we saw Princess Leia the talking statue. 

We traveled across the Great Smoky Mountains to Maggie Valley. 
We stopped to take pictures along the way across the mountain.

I took a couple of pictures of the kids sitting on a rock wall. The view of the Smoky Mountains behind the kids went on for miles.

Stopping to take pictures

Sitting on the Mountain 

The Great Smoky Mountains 

We were going to Ghost Town in the Sky which is a Wild West Themed Amusement Park atop a mountain in Maggie Valley.

The park is divided into several towns the Indian Village, the Mountain Town, and the Mining Town with two saloons, a schoolhouse, a bank, a jail, and a church. 

The only way up the mountain is by a 3,370-foot-long chairlift or an inclined funicular railway. 

My oldest son and husband jumped aboard the chairlift.
My middle son rode the chairlift alone because his younger brother was afraid to join him.  

I put my youngest son in the chairlift kicking and screaming. I jumped aboard the lift with my three-year-old daughter and away we went climbing slowly up the mountain in the chairlift.

My youngest son would not stop crying he was scared to death and my three-year-old daughter would not sit still.

I was frightened! 

I thought to myself what if we fall out. It will surely kill us all!

That was the longest ride ever, but the view was awesome. 

When we reached the top, the employees grabbed the children and I was told to jump out.

What a trip!

The lift was constantly moving and it had to be held by an employee until everyone was out.

Oh, My Gosh! That was the most dramatic ride ever with a crying child and a squirming three-year-old. 

We met up with the kid’s dad and the two older children.

My daughter and I went for a ride on the tilt-a-whirl. 

What was I thinking!  

Riding with a three-year-old on a Tilt-A-Whirl? 

I had a bear hug grip on my daughter while my other hand held onto the guardrail to keep her from being thrown out. 

I could not wait for that ride to end! 

That ride took a toll on my mind. 

Thank God, we were safe.

I will never ride another wild ride while holding a three-year-old.

Riding a Tilt-A-Whirl

There was a gunfight at the Silver Dollar Saloon; two cowboys came running out of the saloon shooting at one another. The Silver Dollar Saloon also featured Wild West can-can dancers.

We listened to live entertainers perform country and bluegrass music.

On top of a hill was a very large slide; each child was given a mat to slide on.

The kids loved this ride and slid down the slide repeatedly. 

Several kids can slide down the slide at one time.

Map of Ghost Town 

Cable car going down the mountain at Maggie Valley

When it was time to leave the park, we rode the incline funicular railway down the mountain, and we sat in the front of the train.

A funicular is also known as an inclined plane or cliff way, it is a cable railway in which a cable is attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails that move up and down a steep slope, ascending and descending vehicles counterbalanced each other.

The train ride did not appear to be any safer than the chairlifts.

If the cable broke the train would go spinning down the mountain out of control.

We were staying in Gatlinburg so we still had a long ride back to the hotel. 

It had been a fun day, with so much activity we were all ready for bed by the time we reached the hotel.

---

PS Borrowed the Map, cable car, and Tilt-A-Whirl pictures from the internet