🚙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, a Sorghum Mill and Furnace, a 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. 

🎢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.

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