The Road Trip Continues...Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN

     It was over twenty years ago the last time we drove through Gatlinburg, TN and we didn't stop. It was 4th of July, and the traffic was bumper to bumper and we didn't want to take the time. We always said that we were going to go back some day and that day finally arrived during our recent road trip. You can see why they call them the Smokey Mountains from the above picture.

     I don't even know how I would describe Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge (they are 7 miles apart). As we pulled into Gatlinburg, there was so much stuff! I felt a little bit like a 10-year-old, excited from all the junk and slightly horrified that they had built layers of buildings in every space that I could see! It was hard to take pictures because there were so many cars, power lines and people. You could take a ride up the mountain (see above), but of course we didn't!

     Ripley's seems to own many things in both towns. We saw Ripley's golf, Ripley's farm, Ripley's aquarium...you get the picture. We did not do this either!

I think you can imagine just how much money

one could spend if they happened to take kids along!

     We did go watch them make a little Moonshine in the Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Distillery and tasting room! Who knew they still made moonshine? 

     It actually came in the 100 proof regular moonshine and a variety of flavors! I did sample the "lemonade" moonshine. It tasted like fire burning all the way down my throat.

     We loved our hotel. I have to say that we travel quite often and this was probably the best moderately priced hotel that we have ever stayed in. We most often stay at Marriott properties, but I read about this Clarion hotel on TripAdvisor and decided to take a chance. We were not at all sorry. Manager Scott Ellis really has a grasp on customer service. The staff is friendly. The lobby always had something to drink available and often cookies as well. I forgot to take a picture of the room with the complimentary massage chairs, but I used them often enough that I actually bruised my back. What a brilliant idea to offer these to guests.

     The complimentary "light breakfast" had eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit and all the normal breakfast foods. They also had a chef preparing omelets and pancakes to order and a cappucino machine. 

     Another idea I had never seen before, tablets with video games posted outside the breakfast room. They are in clear sight of the tables and yet parents could actually eat their meals while the kids played games. 

     The rooms were spacious and very clean. It is certainly the only place I would stay if I was in that area again. We had a wonderful conversation with Scott during our last breakfast there. He talked to us about his CEO Steve Joyce and his desire to work with each hotel to create a very unique and special experience for the guests. It is certainly working at this location. Good little boys and girls might even go home with a darling stuffed black bear!

     Our favorite meal during these couple of days was at The Old Mill shopping area. It is an area with several shops and a few places to eat. We opted to eat in the Old Mill Restaurant for lunch. They had several specials listed for only $9.99. I decided to try what they listed as Catfish served with slaw and hushpuppies. My husband had the Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes. Well, the food started coming and didn't stop!

     I didn't even get a picture of the corn chowder that they brought us with our sweet tea to start the meal. As you can see, with my 2 huge pieces of fish I not only got the hushpuppies and slaw, she also brought mashed potatoes and green beans. We had two baskets on the table as well, one with corn fritters and maple butter and the other with homemade biscuits. My meal would have fed our entire family of four! I did not eat it all!

     My husband also had more than enough to eat and both of us found our food to taste very much like something our grandmothers would have made.

     I wanted to share a few pictures of another hotel that gets high marks in Pigeon Forge. I found it very interesting and the public areas were very well maintained. It is too "busy" for my taste, but if you are really into Christmas-you might like it. It is called The Inn at Christmas Place. It also has an entire Christmas shopping village across the street from the inn.

The decorations were well done and believe me,

they are everywhere. All the pictures

on the walls were of Santa and so on.

     Overall, we had fun the two days we spent in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. It was certainly a tourist trap and something kids would love. Two days was the perfect amount of time for us and unlike Asheville, I'm not dying to go back anytime soon but I'm glad that we went. There actually are some lovely art galleries, a great outlet mall and a few upscale restaurants in the area. You simply have to be able to find them among all the t-shirt and fudge shops and all the miniature golf and Titanic exhibits!

    Next stop...Lexington, Berea and Louisville, KY!

The "New" Bathroom

     I decided to take a day off of posting about the trip, to share with you the finished bathroom redo. Our home has 3 full baths, all average size. Our master bedroom doesn't have a huge master bathroom. I wish it did because I think they are beautiful, but in truth, I'm not the type to lounge in a tub watching my flatscreen television anyway. The bath off the master bedroom is mine and my husband has his bathroom in the basement, it works for us! So, my bathroom has been the last room we updated since no one really saw it anyway.

     I took these before pictures as my husband was starting to empty the bathroom. You are really seeing the before. I had a few goals for this room. I wanted to get rid of the white tile floor. There was nothing wrong with the tile, it was simply very slick and I'd fallen once and almost fallen several times. I also wanted to get rid of the "spec" house look. Our home was built in the late 90's and they used very generic things. I wanted to add a "pop" of color to our mostly deep taupe house and I wanted it to be a bit more upscale looking. There is no window in this room, so the lighting for all the pictures is lacking.

     A white vanity and cabinet above the toilet, as well as an extra piece for storage had to go. The faucets, chrome with the fake glass balls...were out of here. A solution for having to keep my makeup and hairdryer/curling iron on my counter had to be found.

     I actually still liked my shower curtain. I bought it from Marriott Hotels a few years ago. It is the most expensive one I've ever owned...but, down it came.

Cheap looking white cabinet will find a new home in the garage.

    The new look started with a paint chip (Cottage Green) and a square of tile. I love not only the rough texture of the tile, but the combination of gray and brown in it. I opted to pull out the gray in the small rug. When the paint first went on the walls, it was a bit shocking...but as we brought in the other elements I really like it.

     The new vanity, mirror and cabinet are cherry. The granite top is a combination of black and brown (hard to tell in this lighting) and the faucets have been replaced here and in the shower with brushed nickel.

     It is impossible to get a good look at the light fixture. I actually wanted sconces, but that was not only going to require some wiring changes, my old eyes need the added wattage that came with the fixture over the mirror. It is simply a branch of brushed nickel with 3 shades.

     I wanted a chest or cabinet for the end of the room. It is not only extra storage, the space needed something. I wasn't sure what I wanted and then I saw this mirrored cabinet at HomeGoods on our recent trip. It is mirrored on both sides, both shelves and the doors. You can only imagine how thrilled my husband was to empty out our luggage and all the other things we had purchased in the parking lot at HomeGoods to make room for it in the SUV. It fit, and it is perfect in this spot. The lidded basket on the second shelf, holds the makeup I use daily. Easy to reach and yet hidden from sight.

     I found this handmade basket at one of the art studios we visited. I thought it would be perfect for keeping the curling iron and hair dryer in easy reach, yet not cluttering my counter.

     I also found soft green shell towels at HomeGoods (they liked us that day)! The cabinet above the toilet is now taller and holds so much more. You can never have too much storage in a bathroom.

     The soft color in the shower curtain was a perfect match for the wall color and it was the first thing I found. I really hadn't planned on a shell theme for the room, but once I saw that shower curtain...it all came together. I am very pleased that we were able to change the look so much in a space that isn't large

     This is how we spent our weekend!

I hope you had a good one too!

I am joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday

Please stop by and say hello to her!

Underground at Biltmore Estate and Leaving Asheville...

     I had a few more pictures taken at the Biltmore Estate that I thought you might enjoy. I'm still frustrated that I couldn't take indoor shots, but at some point I will post some pictures of pictures from the book we bought. I just haven't had time to read it yet!

     This is the view (using my zoom setting) from the estate to the hill across from it. This is where the swing set of a very young Ms. Vanderbilt stood. We simply didn't have the energy after the gardens and the house to walk the hill!

 
     The path to the gardens begins with this covered area dripping with Wisteria. Do you see the orb in this photo? It is the only photo from the entire week that has that in it. So, do you believe that an orb means the area is haunted? If any place could be...this is it!

We thought this was so odd.

This very old cypress tree had formed a garden of roots.

It was interesting and a bit creepy.

So who can resist a hydrangea?

Don't you just love this color?

Of course the pink is pretty too!

Of course you would expect the Biltmore Gardens

to include a water element.

We didn't expect there to be such a gorgeous waterfall.

     One of my favorite parts of the Biltmore Estate was getting to the winery. The winery is located a short distance away from the actual home in an area called Antler Hill Village. This area contains the Biltmore farm as well as a few shops and restaurants. In order to get to the winery, we entered through tunnels that once housed the Biltmore Dairy. It was so interesting down there and very cool after an 85 degree day filled with lots of walking.

The actual winery is large and the tastings are free.

There is also a wonderful gift shop.

I found this lamp made from wine bottles interesting.

I'm not sure I want one, but it was clever!

     If you want to, you can stay at this beautiful resort on the grounds at Biltmore. It sits high on a hill just above Antler Hill Village. The Inn on Biltmore Estate beautifully blends into the landscape and is certainly stunning to see.



     After three nights in Asheville, we left early Tuesday morning to head for the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge TN area. Our drive took us through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and it was breathtaking. I've only been home a few days and I'm already ready to go back and take that drive again.

Next up-Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!

Stay tuned!