The Smoky Mountains In Tennessee

 It's been a long time since I've had much to post. With Covid and the entire world getting put on hold, there didn't seem much to say, as there wasn't much to do. Luckily, I have been able to have a few state side adventures in the meantime. While I still am itching to get back to traveling overseas, I know it's time to be patient. It will happen, but going right now is not something I'm comfortable with yet. While waiting for those opportunities, I have done some sightseeing in the states, and found a new favorite vacation spot.

In August of 2020, I was of course disappointed my initial planned trip to Iceland was not going to happen. But I needed to get away from work, from my town, and just find somewhere new to see. My partner in crime and I  decided to go to Tennessee and experience the Smoky Mountains. It seemed like the perfect place - it's out in nature so we could avoid people, see some amazing scenery, and not have to be around loads of people. 

Turns out, August in the Smoky Mountains is FULL of people. With the pandemic, it actually made the area busier than ever. Everyone it seems wanted to escape to the beauty of nature. I can't say I blame them. It was stunning.

This is the scenery you get in August when you drive through the mountains. We NEVER got sick of driving through the mountains, surrounded be glorious green trees. Don't get me wrong, it was hot and muggy, and always lots of traffic around. 

But when you put your head out the window, it smelled like trees, and fresh water, and flowers, and just like nature. It's been so long since I've been in an environment where I smelled actual nature. Not smog, or cars, or garbage. It was exactly what we needed.

I'll do subsequent posts about what all we did and saw while here. Let's be honest, I took about a thousand pictures of everything, so I have a lot to show. I didn't realize how much I was craving nature until we got here. I'm just easing you in for now on the initial parts we saw just driving through.

If you plan to visit, the earlier you can get up and moving to wherever you want to go the better. Traffic gets packed and frustrating later in the day with all the other thousands of people doing what you want to do. Most of the roads we were on were only two lane roads as they curve around the mountains. And the main road in and out of town got very packed beginning about 2 pm. This is definitely a busy part of the country. But also, the earlier you get up and moving the more you can beat the heat. Did I mention it's very hot and muggy?

From the research I did, the closest spot to stay was going to be Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge. They are about 5 minutes from the official part entrance. Gatlinburg was just a bit more pricey than I wanted to spend, so we opted to stay in Pigeon Forge. This is a very small town (I'll do a separate post just on this little town), about 3 miles long. And it is ALL for the tourists. Packed with kid things to do, hotels, and restaurants (though I'll be honest, the restaurant selection was very disappointing). Luckily we got a hotel room with a fridge, microwave, and my partner in crime travels with a portable single electric burner. We did a lot of our own cooking in the hotel room. 

But enough of that tangent. First impressions of this place - Amazing.