Report on Our Trip

Hello everybody! Sorry that I didn’t have an article in last week’s paper, but I was occupied with getting ready to go to Gatlinburg, TN to celebrate Lisa and my 16th anniversary. We wanted to take a little trip…just the two of us. True…it is a short trip. However, it is long enough so that you feel like you are actually getting away!

If you have never been to Gatlinburg, you are missing out on a real treat. There are tons of shops and restaurants. In addition, there are numerous places that offer all kinds of distractions and junk that will soon part you with your money. In other words, it is a little piece of tourist trap heaven.

My favorite place to eat in the Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg area is The Old Mill Restaurant. Just like the name states, this place was once a working mill. Now, however, it is the home to some of the best chicken and dumplings that I have ever eaten (sorry Mom)! With each meal, you get homemade corn fritters and corn chowder. This corn chowder is AMAZING! It is so thick and creamy that you just want to gobble down buckets of it. And the fritters? Well…..everything tastes better when it is deep fried in grease, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t like a fritter?

After eating a huge meal, we all waddled next door to the Candy Kitchen. In this place you can watch as the workers prepare homemade fudge and taffy. Of course, we had to purchase mass quantities of each. After all….we had a coupon. It would be almost a sin not to use it! Walking out of the store, we clutched our three pounds of fudge and two pounds of taffy like it was precious gold. The vanilla walnut fudge is the best!

Another place that we love to eat in Gatlinburg is Applewood Farm and the Apple Barn. It also serves fritters….apple fritters. With these pieces of heavenly delight, you also get homemade apple butter, apple juleps, and homemade soup. Now mind you….this is all BEFORE you get your meal. If there is one thing about Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge….you won’t go hungry!

Besides eating, one thing that we love to do in Gatlinburg is ride the skylift. This is an annual ritual that takes us up the side of a very steep mountain. Once at the top, we have our picture taken, look out at the Great Smoky Mountains, and then ride back down. Between the price for the tickets and the price for the picture, we spend about $40. Whenever we get to Gatlinburg each year, Lisa will say, “Well, it is time to go and take our $40 picture.” We have one entire wall in our basement that is devoted to all of the pictures we have had made on the Gatlinburg skylift. I have a feeling that this tradition will continue for a very, very long time.

Of course, I couldn’t write about Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg without mentioning the shopping. On this trip, instead of spending our money in the outlet stores, we purchased locally produced products. We bought some great pumpkin butter….just like apple butter but made from pumpkins. We also picked up some local crafts. I got my mom a cat made from clay that was colored with local mineral waters….just beautiful! Lisa found a little basket made from black walnuts. It was so unusual that we just had to have it. Of course, we also had to pick out another couple pieces of pottery to match Lisa’s set…Smoky Blue. I got her a big bowl to set on the kitchen bar.

So, if you love to eat, love to shop, and love to have a great time, I highly recommend a little trip to Gatlinburg. It only takes about 3 or 4 hours to get there. As an added bonus, you can even take a visit to that Mecca of all things Parton…..Dollywood! If you love Dolly Parton like I love Dolly Parton……this is a trip that you can’t pass up!

Until next time….class dismissed!