Gatlinburg/Great Smoky Mountains Fun

After talking to folks who had been in and around Destin and hearing from an acquaintance that rental companies were calling customers and offering full refunds for Destin vacations because of the oil spill, we decided that it would be best for our family not to attempt the 8 1/2 hour drive. There was no way to know for certain what awaited us on the Florida coast, and knowing that E isn't the greatest long distance car rider (by long distance I am referring to anything over an hour...haha!), we decided to just stay home. Daddy still took a few days off of work for us to do some fun things around East Tennessee. As you saw in the last post, we spent some time with family in northeast Tennessee and went to a cookout in the extreme eastern part of Tennessee. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed watching fire works in all directions while sitting in Meow and Papaw's front yard. It is a great place to spend July 4th every year!

On Monday, we traveled to Gatlinburg where we visited the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. E was fascinated by the sharks, rays, fish, penguins and other sea creatures. We are so glad that we purchased a membership so we can visit many more times this year! While he enjoyed the fish in the tanks at the beginning of the aquarium, he REALLY enjoyed the moving walkway through the underwater tunnel. He pointed at sharks and smiled most of the way through. The rest of the time, he was snacking on Goldfish and enjoying his juice. Here are a few photos of this first trip. We have been having camera issues, so there aren't as many pics as we would like, but these will provide a little glimpse of our day.

After visiting the aquarium, we returned to our house to prepare for a visit from Uncle A, Aunt B, and Cousins D and Z. We made a quick trip to the grocery store and picked up the house a little in anticipation of their arrival. They came on Tuesday afternoon, and we headed down to Sweetwater to explore the Lost Sea. With the help of our guide George, we wandered through the cave down to the world's largest underground lake. Once there we boarded glass bottom boats and enjoyed watching some rainbow trout feed. After our cave expedition, we enjoyed some delicious Mayfield ice cream before loading up and heading home. While the boys and their Daddies played outside then enjoyed bath time, the Mommies snuck away for a shopping trip.

Wednesday morning was full of playing before we packed a picnic and headed for the Great Smoky Mountains. We found the perfect spot to picnic and play in the stream at Metcalf Bottoms picnic area. The boys had tons of fun splashing in the creek, attempting to catch fish, throwing rocks, and actually catching a few crawdads. Here are a few videos of our fun together at Metcalf Bottoms.

Z "Fishing"

E and Z Enjoy Throwing Rocks Together

D Takes a Break from Exploring

Catching Crawdads

E and Mommy in the Creek

B and Z in the Creek

D and Z Explore the Creek

After our fun at Metcalf Bottoms, we made a stop by the aquarium before everyone headed back to their own homes. El had a blast with his cousins. He was completely worn out!

Although playing in the sand with everyone would have been tons of fun, as you can see, we made the most of the situation at hand and had a great time right here in East Tennessee. There is so much to do right here in our own back yard. We are hoping to take more advantage of that in the future...even when there is no oil spill to interfere with our original plans! This week just reminded me once again why East Tennessee is, in my opinion, the greatest place in America to call home!