Catching Up~TN~Gatlinburg Part 3

I love Gatlinburg! I enjoy Pigeon Forge too but Gatlinburg is more walkable.

Let's go for a walk.

Here's a view down the main drag 

where all the action can be found. 

The majority of the shops, restaurants, 
hotels, etc., are side-by-side in Gatlinburg. 

It's a bit more adult-oriented too.

 Several moonshine places have popped 

up since the last time we were there.

They all seem to offer free samples. Tiny shots of the many fruity flavors like lemon, strawberry, and blueberry are available as well as spicy cinnamon, and the less flavorful, super-stout shots are just the beginning. There are plenty from which to choose!

Every time we've been there, live music was being played on the streets and this time was no different. This bluegrass band was playing in the early afternoon on a Wednesday.

Yum!

It's quite tasty.

Seasonal cute and festive decor 

was everywhere the entire trip!

We were happy to find that The Craftsmen's Fair was taking place at the Convention Center. We checked it out one day and found lots of beautiful craftsmanship!

While at the Craftsmen's Fair, we learned that there's an entire Arts & Crafts community in Gatlinburg. It's on a loop that can be driven to tour some of the artist's studios and to shops that sell their wares. We drove the loop the next day but only stopped at one section of shops. We had the dogs with us and were on our way to picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains National park. The artist's loop is on our to-do list for next time though!

We couldn't have asked for more perfect October weather. We experienced cool nights and warm days the entire trip.

The rest of the pics are 

random shots around Gatlinburg.

I hope you enjoyed the walk!

Next up, 

the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Smiles,

D~~~~

Catching Up~TN~Pigeon Forge, Part 2

After four nights at Circle E Guest Ranch (see previous post here), we started toward our next destination, Pigeon Forge. Our reservations weren't until the next day so we needed to find an RV park for the night. We were happy to discover Spring Lake RV Resort in Crossville, TN. It was a quiet, pretty park with spacious sites, most of which back up to a nice little lake.

I love the colorful Adirondack chairs 

lined up next to the tree.

A view across the lake. 

On the far left, you can see 

some of the RV's backed up to the lake.

Our site was down there toward the end.

I snapped this panoramic view of 

the lake when we were leaving.

This cute park was a great place to stop! 

I wouldn't mind spending a few 
relaxing days there sometime.

~~~~~

Driving into Pigeon Forge, you can't help 

but observe the plethora of things to do.

I'm only posting a couple pics though. 

It'd be a good place to 

bring kids and grandkids.

We rolled into Rivers Edge RV Park 

in Pigeon Forge about noon.

The park had lots of mature trees 

but the sites and roads were a bit tight. 

Nevertheless, the park served our purpose.

The road has gray gravel on each side of 

it which makes it look bigger in this 

photo than the actual size.

It's always fun to explore 

The Incredible Christmas Place.

(The link above is a neat video.)

The Place is open all year long and 

it's a must visit for us every time.

It's big and festive as you would expect.

 There are lots of rooms too.

We HOPE to visit again soon.

It's one of my fav places out here!

One morning, we enjoyed breakfast at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant & Grill. It was yummy! While waiting for our food, they brought us biscuits and apple butter in which to dip them. It's akin to getting salsa and chips at a Mexican restaurant.

Once we finished eating, we made our way through the Apple Barn Village to The Apple Barn Cider Mill & General Store to buy some of the tasty apple butter. The store is rather sizable as you can see in the photo below, and lots of apple goods and other stuff line the many shelves. 

The store was crowded that day, and we were anxious to get to the Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair so we didn't explore much. We will certainly do so next time and try the restaurant for lunch too.

Other places in the Apple Barn Village are a 

Christmas and Candle Shop, 

Winery, 

Creamery, 

as well as a Candy store 

and another restaurant.

Heck, there may even be more for all I know.

Much to George's delight, one morning 

we roamed through some man shops.

The sign outside the area 

dubbed it a "Daycare for Men."

I'm thinking Tim Allen on Home Improvement.

Ehr, ehr, ehr, ehr!

Tools! 

A store after his heart!

He had a good time in all the stores though.

We intended to experience Dollywood 

on this trip but that didn't happen.

Between Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg 

and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 

there's an endless amount of things to do 

and we ended up doing other stuff!

I'll leave off here for now. Next up, Gatlinburg and maybe the Smokies. 

Smiles,

D~~~~