2023 Nov 27-Dec 2, The Club Diamond Bus, Myrtle Beach ShowTrip Myrtle Beach South Carolina

We traveled with a group of about 37 in a tour bus from Florence, Al to Myrtle Beach, SC.

We left on Monday, Nov 27, at 8:30 AM.  

At about 10:18AM, we stopped in at Walmart in Gardendale to pick up 4 more passengers and picked up a few items there.

Fried Shrimp, with Pinto Beans, Tarter Sauce, and hush puppies 

Our next stop was Cracker Barrel in Leeds, AL for lunch around 11:22AM.

We went through Atlanta GA traffic around 4 PM. 

Our next stop was Pilot in Braselton, SC. around 5:53PM

Arrived at Holiday Inn Express room 126 in Greenville, SC where we spent the night.

Day 2:

We all ate breakfast at the hotel and began our final journey to Myrtle Beach.'

We stopped at Love's Lugoff, SC around 11:08AM for a restroom break and to fill up with fuel.  

We stopped at McDonald's for lunch in Bishopville, SC at 12:31PM.  

Checked into the hotel with a few minutes to spare before getting ready for dinner. Compass Cove Oceanfront Resort, room 323.

Crab Leggs, Corn on the Cob, Baked potato, Shrimp and tartar sauce 

Dinner tonight is at the Giant Crab Seafood Restaurant arrived a little after 4:37 PM.

Christmas Show at Alabama Theatre

Finished the night with a Christmas show at the Alabama Theatre. 7-9PM

Day 3:

Breakfast at the hotel.

We loaded onto the bus around 9AM heading to Conway, SC to LW Paul Living History Museum. 

After about an hour and a half, we headed to Myrtle Beach Boardwalk.

We walked along the boardwalk that was next to the Atlantic Ocean.

We ate lunch at The Bowery where Alabama the band got their start. 

News Paper article about The Band Alabama 

Alabama Band/Wild Country 
Jeff Cook, Teddy Gentry, Randy Owen, & John Vartanian 

The band area was closed but hubby asked the waitress if I could go inside to take pictures. The waitress took us inside and I took a few pictures. They were busy so I did not stay very long. 

We shared a Cheesecake ice cream waffle cone. After several hours of shopping, we headed back to the bus. 

We rode to Walmart to pick up a few items then back to the hotel for a couple of hours. 

We ate dinner at Simple Southern Smokehouse. 

Blues Brothers, Dolly Pardon, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin.

We finished the night with a Christmas Show at the Legends Theatre where we saw the Blues Brothers, Dolly Pardon, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin.

Back to the hotel to rest.

Day 4:

Breakfast at the hotel. 

At 9AM we rode to the Asher Theatre to see A Man of a Thousand Voices James Stephens III.

After his performance, we shopped at Barefoot Beach Boardwalk. We ate lunch at Lulu's and bought some hot sauce and spices. 

We also bought nail polish and 4 rings at De Sol. 

The bus took us back to the hotel to rest.

At 4:40 we rode to Bennetts Calabash Seafood for dinner. 

Caroling Opry

After dinner, we went to see Carolina Opry and were back at the hotel at about 9:30PM.

Packed our bags we are leaving tomorrow after our shopping. 

Day 5: 

Watched the sun come up then walked down to breakfast.

9 AM we rode to Broadway at the Beach to watch, The Jersey Boy sing songs of the 1960s by the Four Seasons and Christmas songs. 

We went shopping at Broadway at the Beach. 

At lunch at Wahlburgers. 

Around 2PM we were headed to our next stop Holiday Inn Express Grovetown, Ga. 

Arrived around 8:30 PM

Day 6: 

Breakfast at the hotel. 

On the road around 8:30 AM 

Stopped at Western Sizzlin Oxford, Al for lunch.

Stopped at Gardendale, Al to drop off passengers and restroom break.

Arrived home around 5PM.

We had a great week with a lot of Christmas Shows, shopping, and eating at Myrtle Beach, SC.

Shows
At the Broadway Theatre, We heard Hot Jersey Nights Myrtle Beach Christmas Show (Frankie Valli and Four Seasons)

At the Alabama Theatre, we saw The South's Greatest Christmas Show.

At Legends Theatre, we saw Legends in Concert (Dolly Pardon, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Retha Franklin & Blues Brothers)

At the Asher Theatre, we saw the man of 1,000 voices. James Stephens III

At the Carolina Opry Theatre, we heard
vocalist Delvin Choice of NBC’s The Voice, national recording artist Brad Long, hip-hop cloggers All That! of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, powerhouse vocalists Christie Templeton, Tangena Church and Chas Croft Sorrells, fiddling champion Trent Wideman and bluegrass virtuoso Gary Brown.

Restaurants
We ate at the Giant Crab Seafood Restaurant in Myrtle Beach
Simply Southern Smokehouse Myrtle Beach 

Bennett's Calabash Seafood Myrtle Beach 
Corn on the cob, cream potatoes, shrimp, and fried green tomatoes

Bennett's Calabash Seafood Myrtle Beach
Lulu's Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach 

Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach 

Wahlburgers Myrtle Beach
Western Sizzlin Leeds, Al

Shopping
We shopped at The Boardwalk, Barefoot Landing, and Myrtle Beach BoardWalk 

1/2 Hamburger and fries at Lulu's Barefoot Landing 

Lulu's
De Sole
The General Store
It's Sweet
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

We stayed in a Resort facing the Atlantic Ocean.
Great to be home.

2023 July 21-23, Trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN

Friday, July 21: 

Today we left Helen, Georgia, early morning, about 6AM. We took the back roads and by 6:51 we were in Clayton, North Carolina. 

By 8:12AM we were in Cherokee, North Carolina.

 We stopped here to take pictures of the bear statues before heading across the mountain. We stopped along with several others to see a herd of elk gracing. 

Herd Elk 

Bears of Cherokee, NC 

We crossed the mountain and stopped several times to take pictures of the smokey clouds lying on them. We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Pigeon Forge. 

We went shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall. Bought two bras and two panties at Victoria's Secret and one bra at Pink. We stopped at several other stores: Disney, Nike, Under Armer, just to name a few. 

The Christmas Place 

We feed the Ducks, Geese, and Pigeons at the Old Mill along the Little Pigeon River 

We rode to the Old Mill Farm-House where I bought my son several different herbs packages, a bag of stone ground yellow cornmeal, and olive oil.

Along the Little Pigeon River near the Old Mill, we saw several geese, ducks, and pigeons 

We ate Taco Bell for lunch.

We checked into Apple Valley Inn a little after 4 PM unloaded the car and filled the fridge with our snacks. 

Spent the rest of the day watching TV and resting. 

 Saturday, July 22: 

We ate breakfast at McDonald's I ordered Muffins and sausage. 

We rode to Pigeon Forge's Visitor Center and bought all-day tickets to ride the trolley. 

We bought fuel at Murphy's and bought a few groceries at Walmart (bagels, cream cheese, drinks, fruit)

Took our food back to the hotel. 

We rode to Parrot Mountain and were there when they opened at 10AM. 

Parrot Mountain 

Had my picture taken with five birds, two on my arms two on my shoulders, and one on my head.

We visited the parrot nursery where we could actually pick up the birds. 

We also went into the feeding area with Nectar several small birds flew down and drank every drop of the nectar from my hand.

Around 11:30 AM we rode to the Trolley from  Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg. 

We took the trolley from the Visitor Center in Gatlinburg to the downtown area. 

We were the last two to board the fully loaded trolley which was standing room only.

A nice young man gave me his seat and hubby had to ride standing up.

It took over an hour to go a short distance because of the traffic. When we were almost there everyone got off except a couple and us. 

Everyone had to get off the trolley when we arrived at the Center near the Aquarium and wait for another trolley to take us into the downtown area. 

The traffic was terrible and we had already waited over 30 minutes for the next trolley.

Where we were going was several blocks away so we decided to walk. 

 We took the scenic route along the Pigeon River which was not crowded and there was a nice cool breeze. 

Seafood Platter at Bubba Gumps 

We were headed to Bubba Gumps for a late lunch. 

We ordered a seafood platter of shrimp, fish, hush puppies, and fries. 

When we finished we walked down the crowded sidewalks and it began to rain so we looked for shelter. 

It did not rain long so we walked further down the sidewalks. 

We walked back to the Trolley Stop and waited for the trolley to take us to Gatlinburg Visitor Center. 

The crowd had thinned out so the trolley was not crowded going back. 

At the cross, there was an accident involving four vehicles. Our turn was blocked by police vehicles.

We had to take a detour which took us a couple of miles out of the way. 

We took the next trolley going to Pigeon Forge which also had to take a detour. 

This ended up being an all-day event. 

It was late when we arrived back at our hotel. 

Sunday, July 22, 

We ate bagels with cream cheese for breakfast. 

Packed our bags, loaded the car, and headed for home. 

We stopped at a couple of rest areas. 

We had snacks with us so we did not stop to eat until we got home. 

🚙2017 March 27-29, Adventures in the Smoky Mts

Before we could get on the road we had to take our Chrysler Van in for body repairs.
We stopped in Elgin to have the front end checked on the Honda Van and had to leave it for repairs so we ended up driving the LS Saturn an older car that got good gas mileage.
We stopped for our weekly B-12 shots and began our journey.
We took I-65 North to 840west to 40west stopping at Pilot in Knoxville to fill up with gas.

We stopped in Lancaster Tennessee Rest Stop where we saw a display about Tennessee in the Civil War, tough men ~ an even tougher war. 

We reached the Inn on the River around 5PM, checked in and rested a few minutes, and rode to the Islands where we saw the ferries wheel, Dudley's Daiquiris, Mellowmushroom Pizza, Margaritaville, and a Carrousel.
We were getting hungry so we decided to eat at Paula Deen's but it was way too much food and we both were watching our weight so we ended up eating at Long John Silvers.
I ordered a piece of Cod Fish (my favorite) and a hubby seafood platter which we shared.
We rode past the Old Mill stopping at Patriots Park which was nearby.

Liberty Bell
Home to a beautiful landscape and several major events, Patriot Park is an area where you can go to relax and have an exciting time.

The park is located behind The Old Mill, off Middle Creek Road. A large expanse of lush greens covers the park, but the highlight of the park is certainly the inspiring Veterans Memorial.

A large, cracked liberty bell was erected within the park to pay homage to all of the Sevier County war veterans. This act of patriotism carries over into the Annual Celebrate Freedom event, a two-week celebration that pays tribute to the millions of men and women who courageously fought for the freedoms of America. When visiting Sevier County be sure to take some time to pay a visit to Pigeon Forge's Patriot Park.

Patriot Missile
Patriot uses an advanced aerial interceptor missile and high-performance radar systems. Patriot was developed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which had previously developed the Safeguard ABM system and its component Spartan and hypersonic speed Sprint missiles. The symbol for Patriot is a drawing of a Revolutionary War-era Minuteman.

Patriot Park City of Pigeon Forge
A patriot is someone who feels strong support for their country. (See also Patriotism.) It is derived from the Hellenic (Greek) word Πατρίς (Patris), which means homeland. It is the female form of Πατέρας, which means Father

Liberty Bell

We rode back to the hotel watched some television and fell asleep.

The next morning we took the elevator from the fourth floor to the ground level and walked to the dining room to eat breakfast.
We then rode through Gatlinburg looking at the sites where the fire had been earlier in the year.

We crossed the Tennessee State line into North Carolina

It was a bit chilly and I had left my jacket back at the hotel

The Smoky Mountains

Our next stop is Mountain Farm Museum & Visitor Center Oconaluftee, NC 
At the Mountain Farm Museum, we saw Corn Cribs, Broomcorn, Sorghum Mill and Furnace, Blacksmith Shop, Sorghum Cane, the fenced-in garden, an Apple House, Hog PINS, the Meat-house, Corn Cribs, AND Springhouse

Cabin

Mountain Farm Museum 

Most of the buildings on a mountain farm are related to the most basic of all needs; preserving food. The historic buildings at the Mountain Farm Museum were moved here from throughout the national park in the early 1950s. These buildings reflect the challenges faced daily by every mountain farm family. John Davis spent two years building this house near Deep Creek, North Carolina. It was completed in about 1900. The log walls are "matched"; Davis split chestnut logs in half along their length and placed the halves in matching positions on opposite walls. 

Oconaluftee River Trail  

Hand-stitched quilts at Oconaluftee Visitor Center 

Inside the Oconaluftee Visitor Center 
We saw cultural-themed exhibits about the people that once lived in the area. 

Our next stop was Cherokee Veterans Park where we saw markers from Indians who had served in the US Army, US Navy, US Marines, and US Air Force.

A bear at the Cherokee Veterans Park representing our US Flag and the American Eagle. 

We enjoyed a Whopper, Whopper Jr, onion rings, and a slice of chocolate cheesecake at Burger King in Clyde, NC.

Slice of  Oreo Cookie Cheese Cake 

Whopper Jr, Onion Rings, and drink
We took a different route (I-40s)back to the Inn on the River and stopped to tour the Bush Museum and Store. 

Come on down to the BUSH'S® Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee, where you can trace the values and events that made BUSH'S BEST® for what it is today. And it's all housed in the original A.J. Bush & Company general store, founded in 1897.

Bush's Truck 

Bush's Visitor Center

3901 US-411, Dandridge, TN 37725

A replica can of Bush's Baked Beans showing the bean's journey 

Jay Bush and his dog Duke 

Bush's Factory 

We arrived in Pigeon Forge just in time for dinner at the Apple Farm Restaurant.
Where we enjoyed Applewood Apple Fritters, juice, chicken, and vegetables.

Applewood Apple Fritters

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 egg (beaten)
4 Tbsp margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 orange, rind, and juice
1 cup apples (chopped but not too fine)
3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Beat egg. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, and melted margarine. Add the orange juice, rind, chopped apples (skin can be left on), and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir into milk mixture with a spoon until blended. DO NOT OVERMIX. Preheat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Drop off the end of tablespoons into the hot oil. Fry to a golden brown. Turn so they brown evenly. Allow cooling Makes about 30 fritters. 

Applewood Farm 

We had enough left over for the next day.
After enjoying a nice meal we rode back to the hotel, took a shower climbed into bed to watch some television, and fell asleep.

The next morning we dressed and rode the elevator down to the first floor and walked into the dining room for breakfast.
We checked out and headed for home. 
We stopped to fill up with gas and stopped at the I-75  rest stop, where we saw a historic marker.

The road to Chattanooga The tide turns for the Union.
This interstate highway parallels the historic line of the East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad. Late in 1863, Union and Confederate armies followed the tracks during a series of battles in the fight for control of Chattanooga, a strategically vital rail center.
     Multiple Civil War-related sites are located in Charleston (Exit 33), near the location of a raid by Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry. The Henegar House was the headquarters for Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Cumberland Presbyterian Church served as a Confederate hospital. The Hiwassee River Heritage Center interprets the story of the Union occupation.
     In downtown Cleveland (Exit 25), late in 1863 Union forces built Fort Hill to protect the railroad. A cemetery was established nearby, with the dead of both sides interred there. In 1914, the Grand Army of the Republic erected a monument for the Union soldiers there, one of three such memorials in the state. Fighting occurred around the Masonic Female Institute in Cleveland.
     The site of a major Confederate hospital is located near Exit 7. Silverdale Confederate Cemetery contains the graves of about 155 of Gen. Braxton Bragg’s soldiers. Most of them are unknowns who died in hospitals in 1862.
  Several units of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park can be accessed from Exit 3, including Orchard Knob, 
Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain. Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s victory there late in November 1863 turned the tide against the Confederates and resulted in the Federal occupation of most of East Tennessee for the rest of the war.

We ate lunch at Taco Bell in Athens and were home by 5:30PM.
My granddaughter brought over her daughter and she stayed with us until 8:30PM.
We had a great time in the mountains but were also glad to be home.