Gatlinburg Day 1




Alrighty, so we made it to Gatlinburg. Nice long roadtrip but it was fun! I am so glad we choose this week to come up here. The weather is perfect, not too cold but definitely not Florida hot. I bought a ton of cold weather clothes before we left so we will get to use them. 

Here we are, in Downtown Gatlinburg. We are staying at the Brookside Resort, which was just on Hotel Impossible. We got checked in late last night and today we took the time to get acquainted with the Downtown Gatlinburg area. 


I will admit I missed the Florida sunshine and the clouds made it seem a little off than what I am used to but I did not let that determine the day at all. Being from Florida we dont have (too many) coldish days where the sun is not still shining fully, so it was just different for me. The kids didn't notice at all. 


Out front of the hotel there is a stop for the Gatlinburg Trolley but we wanted to walk. We were less than a mile from Downtown. We started off by walking over to the Ripleys Aquarium. I had to stop there to get the tickets for all of the Ripleys Attactions. That was the main reason we chose Gatlingburg for this trip. 


The Ripleys Aquarium Christmas Tree 
 Feeding the ducks outside of the Aquarium. 

 Bridge connecting the Ripleys Aquarium to the other side of Downtown Gatlinburg 
 Ripleys Aquarium 





Sampling some hot sauces. 
The first real stop after we got into the Downtown area was the Mountaintop Mall. It is really an over-sized flea market, or at least similar to a flea market feel to me. I was kinda hoping they would have offered more local stuff. It is 4 floors of some leather goods, some handmade, a few jewelry stores, and other misc stores. We weren't in there too long - long enough to check out all the floors and head back out. 




 
Ripleys Mirror Maze 


She had so much fun!  

The mirrors in here are so misleading. Guess that is the point. 
Right after we walked out of the Mirror Maze there was a little bit of snow. Like little flakes, barely noticeable. We were all hoping it was going to snow more, the kids have never seen snow and I was 8 the last time I was in it.  


 There are wine and moonshine tastings throughout the Downtown area.
Chinese food was the pick for lunch. There are other restaurants but Chinese sounded nice and warm. After lunch we headed back out to walk around a little more.   
About a handful of the shops offer huge windows so we were able to watch candy and goodies being made. 




A "minion fire hydrant"

Free Jerky samples  
We waited outside while everyone else sampled Jerky 
Hollywood Star Cars 

We were on our way to Ripleys Believe It or Not, which was on the way back to the room, when we noticed there was snow up on the top of the mountains. We took  a quick vote and decided to head back to the room, change, jump in the car, and drive till we found snow. 


Comments

  1. love all the great photos and yes I can well imagine was a great trip. It is on my bucket list of places to visit one day
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  2. Obviously you guys have enjoyed a lot. Great pics. Unfortunately, I am not from US and US is not in my travel list at the moment, but if i ever go I will check this place out. :)

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  3. This is not a place I have heard of, but it looks like a great place to take kids. The Mirror Maze would be wonderful for children of a certain age group...

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  4. This looks a great trip for children. I guess many kids would love the idea of a mirror maze.

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  5. This looks a great trip for kids, the mirror maze seems an exciting idea for children.

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  6. I can imagine it was a far cry from Florida which by the way so jealous but it still looks like it was a fun trip!

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  7. It seems like you all had a fun time ! I`ve been to USA once and your pictures made me miss the good time and the free sensation I had when I was there. Greetings from Lake District, Uk ^_^

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  8. Other than the Wine Tasting part, looks fun for kids and quite memorable. Was the big tree with lights real? would love to see this same place during the winter when there is snow!

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  9. Love seeing all the amazing sights you got to see! It looks like you had a lot of adventures, made a lot of memories and the photos really cement how many interesting experiences you had. I am sure you were happy to get back to the almost always sunny days in Florida, but getting away, always shows us how much we love the place we are from. Fun trip for you and the kids!

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  10. What a great trip! Looks like you all had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing all the pics so we could virtually enjoy the trip, too!

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  11. This is such a beautiful resort. I love all the family friendly activities and sites to see.

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  12. Looks like so much fun! I know my kids would have a blast!!

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  13. Other then the fact that being from NY I could live without the snow or cold (although I probably wouldn't think it was that cold in Tennessee) this looks like a fantastic place to visit for a day or so. There seems to be a lot that would capture my attention!!

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  14. Wow, I'm sure you had fun adventure. Florida is my dream come true!

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  15. I had no idea there's so much to do and see in Gatlinburg. I would love to go here with the kids once day and just enjoy what Gatlinburg can offer!

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  16. Love these photos! I went to school in Knoxville and we made the trek to Gatlinburg often. It is always such a great time!!

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  17. This looks like such a great trip for the family! I have never considered a trip to Gatlinburg, but I'll be placing this one now on the list! XO

    Anna || A Lily Love Affair

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  18. What a lovely little family trip. Love exploring different places :)

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  19. I have been to Gatlinburg many years ago for work but it is indeed a great destination for having fun. Must go back soon =)

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  20. Gatlinburg looks like a great place for a fun family outing. Loved all your pictures. Hope you had a good family time!

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  21. Oh my gosh that looks like so much fun. I love the bridge and the way the area looks there. I want to go now!

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  22. Lovely kids! But your youngest daughter wears the sweetest smile. The family seems to have enjoyed the place and the weather. - Sonnie

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  23. Ooo looks like you had a blast!!! I just love Tenn!!!!

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  24. Looks like you and your family had a great time. So many games for kids, and it's look like a fabolous place to visit.

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  25. We have a ripleys aquarium here in canada but our is much different than yours. I loved the scenery in your photos

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  26. looks like an amazing adventure! Love the pictures you took, my faves would have to be the pictures with your kids on the bears! I'd love to go visit there some day : )

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  27. This is one of our favorite places to visit. There are so many things to do and see.

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  28. What a wonderful way to enjoy time with the family. From the pictures they all looked to have had a wonderful time.

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  29. This looks like a fun and also educational outing. You got me on that gigantic Christmas tree and the mirrored room. WoW!

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  30. I never knew this place existed until now haha (from NZ - Living in Aus) but it looks like the kids had a great time. Awesome pictures and memories to look back on xx

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