This!!! Is me and my happy place 
I love the rivers and mountains. They could be in Mexico, Georgia, or Tennessee. They call my name and whisper promises of peace and beauty. So for a summer weekend getaway, we decided to check out a destination on our bucket list, Gatlinburg, Tennessee! And Pigeon Forge, it’s next door neighbor. And it did not disappoint.
I love a good road trip. The views are worth it all! The mountain views just got better and better the farther north we went.
Traveling with young kids means we stopped where and when we needed to. One place we stopped in was Cherokee, North Carolina and it was truly unique! It is part of the reservation home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation and their story is depicted through out the town. From the many distinctly painted bears to the statues and so much more, it is rich in history and I would love to go back and explore it fully. We even got to check out their little river!
Even the best laid plans can go awry when you travel. We took longer than our anticipated 9.5 hours to get to Gatlinburg and our GPS had as passing through Bryson City, right past a place on my list, Clingman’s Dome! We were able to stop and check out the views… or the beautiful lack of! It was pretty cloudy when we got there…
It was really cloudy when we got there. 
At least, he tried! 
The halo appeared in perfect timing… we were meant to be here! 
We found a perfect little spot in the trees on the way up. 
The boys were full of energy and excited to climb the rocks. 
I was so glad it was only a 1/2 mile trek and within Juanito’s ability to complete.
One of the reasons this was on my list, wasn’t just because it is the highest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains. With an elevation of 6,643 feet, it’s also the highest point in Tennessee and on the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. I put this on my list because the trek to the top is only 1/2 mile. Juanito isn’t much of a walker, especially if it is hot out. We got doubly lucky in that the weather was cool enough to want a long sleeve or the poncho, and it was a short enough hike for Juanito. I think he climbed it easier than I did! And we made some new friends on the way.
The Clingman’s Dome trail winds to an end at the top of the 54 foot high observation tower. With half the Dome in Tennessee and half in North Carolina, the views are pretty amazing usually. We were in the clouds when we went up and it was clear to see why the mountains are called The Smoky Mountains. It was still amazing to see and gives us another reason to back!
The trail ends with views from the 54 foot high observation tower. 
Little legs get a boost to see the view! 
They don’t call it the Smoky Mountains for nothing. We had our heads in the clouds, literally! 
Clingman’s Dome actually straddles the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina. 
Catching a selfie in progress with my own selfie!
By the time we got to Pigeon Forge where we ended up staying, we were tired and hungry, so we stopped at the Bullfish Grill for an early dinner and then took the kids to The Island for a little fun to round out our first day.
The first thing we did at The Island was stop by the Ole Smoky Distillery, Tennessee’s first legal moonshine Distillery. Juan did the Shine Tasting and sampled 9 different flavors of moonshine, including the White Lightening and the Moonshine Pickles. Then the kids got to conquer the Ropes Course, with me in tow! Juanito only had a little trouble at the zipline section, but he did great maneuvering around the course, including the final jump at the end. Next, they got to fly high in the Thunderdome. We called it day with a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Wheel where we got to see some great views of Pigeon Forge and the surrounding mountains.
There are many, many, flavors of moonshine to be found here… including Pickles 
The Moonshine tasting was 9 shots of different flavors of moonshine for only $5. 
Holding on for dear life on the Ropes Course… well, I was! 
The kids always love flying high, and the Thunderdome gave them a chance to do just that. 
The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel provided great views of Pigeon Forge and it’s mountains, and some shelter from the heat and light rain. 
The Fountain Show is a sight to see and runs every 30 min for two songs.
In the morning, we headed to Gatlinburg, and decided to stop at one of the many small pullover parking areas along the road. We were able to walk down to the river bank where the kids got to play in the river for the first time. They got to stand on the rocks and feel the force of the current as it swept over their feet. They tried to catch minnows and explored the river rocks. It wasn’t a good place to go swimming as the current was strong, but swimming in the river was definitely on the books for the day!
The river was fascinating to them and they wanted to swim in it. 
There is something about the feeling of water rushing over your feet. 
Juanito went a little deeper in the water and the current was much stronger, even just a foot farther in. 
River rocks have a different look and feel to them and Juanito loved them. 
Derick really wanted to catch some of the little fish he saw.
Once we got to Gatlinburg, we were supposed to experience the Gatlinburg Skylift Park, but the incoming storms caused it to shut down temporarily, due to lightening in the area. But I had done my research before we left home, so I was prepared for any contingency! As we did not know how long the Skylift would be closed, we decided to visit the Gatlinburg Space Needle (also on my list) since it was practically across the street. Based inside the Arcade, their glass elevator took us up to the deck of the 407 foot tall observation tower where we had great 360° views of Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains.
Once we came down, and saw the Skylift Park was still closed, we decided it was a good time to take one of our scenic drives. But that didn’t stop us from enjoying the views along the main street as we walked back to our truck! We got to see sights in front of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, a cowboy-riding horse and bears!
We grabbed some Subway for a picnic lunch later and headed towards Cade’s Cove. Based on my research, I knew there would be a couple of stops to check out in between. The first was Cataract Falls. Normally, I don’t plan to do any amount of extended walking with Juanito. He just won’t do it. But I had learned that the walk to the falls was only about 3/4 mile round trip. And since it was only 30 min from Gatlinburg AND on the way to Cade’s Cove, it was a perfect chance to enjoy some of the natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains!
Back on the road, we knew we would drive past Metcalf Bottoms and that was where we planned to stop to swim in the river and have lunch. We loved the spot! It had a little pool of some calmer waters for the kids to play in, but the river wasn’t deep and we couldn’t wade in it, taking great care not to slip on the river rocks! The water was cool and felt so good. Juanito did not want to come out and only did when he saw lunch was ready.
We drove by Metcalf Bottoms and stopped for a swim and lunch. 
He balanced on rocks, tried his hand at floating in the current and did not want to get out of the water! 
Even with water shoes, I had to be very careful wading through the water over the rocks. 
Derick found a great rock to catch some warm rays. 
Even Juan got his feet wet, noting that the water was not as cold as our 72° Florida spring waters! 
We agree, rivers are one of our favorite places to be.
We went to Cades Cove and thoroughly enjoyed the views. We saw animals and including 8 bears that we could have seen. The boys and I only got to see 2, but Juan saw 5. The others were there but by the time we got to where they were, they had already disappeared! Juan had better, quicker eyes than me, so he saw some of them as they were on their way into the woods 
. We saw some deer and butterflies too, but the bears were our favorite.
We were supposed to keep our distance from the wildlife. 
The Cade’s Cove road would disappear around the bend or after a hill. 
We loved the views and Cade’s Coves has lots of them. 
We almost missed the couple of deer that were eating in the grass. 
The animals seemed to be aware that they were safe even around people. 
Juan had already caught a glimpse of a bear before it disappeared, but the boys and I missed it. So this was OUR first bear sighting!
One of my favorite roads has to be Little River Road. Back when they were logging, a railroad had originally been built along the river. When the logging ended, the railroad was replaced by the road. Such a beautiful scenic drive along the river. I would have recorded the whole drive if I could. We stopped at The Sinks, and learned some history while we watched some folks jump off the rocks into the river. It’s an unnatural man-made falls created back in the 1800’s when a log jam was so bad that they had to use dynamite to free it… and that altered the course of the river and created The Sinks. It’s beautiful! and it’s right off the road, so it was easy to stop and enjoy.
The Sinks are an unnatural, man made waterfall, created from dynamite that freed up a bad log jam back in the 1800’s 
People stop and jump off the rocks into the water. 
The currents can be strong in the water, but especially here at the sinks, you must be careful when swimming around the rocks! 
I love that Derick wants to see the sights too and that he appreciates learning some of the history!
We got back to Gatlinburg around 7:30pm and with the a couple hours of light still to go, we were finally able to go on the Gatlinburg SkyLift and the Gatlinburg Skybridge – America’s Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge. Everything happens for a reason, and the delay of our Skylift trip meant we were able to experience the Skylift in daylight and at night! We weren’t there long and Gatlinburg was lit up by the time we were ready to head back down the lift for dinner.
The Gatlinburg Skylift was fun to ride. 
The Skylift provides a very smooth ride and the chairs seat up to 3 people at a time. 
Be ready to jump on and jump off, cuz the ride never stops, like a ski lift. 
We only stayed about an hour, but on the way down, Gatlinburg was lit up for the night and looked beautiful! 
Juan did great walking around and cooled off as we headed down. 
Can you see the Space Needle lit up blue?
The Skylift was just the first part, though. We reached the Skydeck but decided to do any shopping before we went back down. It was time for the Skybridge! It only took us a few minutes to cross the 680ft long bridge. Some visitors who were too afraid to walk across. The boys wanted to do it again! And the 30ft of glass in the middle was probably one of the reasons why.
At the other side of the Skybridge, is the Skytrail. The Skytrail is a walkway made up of 3 sections and connects both ends of the Skybridge. We walked The Path first, which follows the natural hillside, to the Tulip Tower. This section, accessed by rope bridges, includes the new 70′ steel tower with 4 viewing platforms, each with interesting bits of information. The last section for us was The Boardwalk. The elevated wooden walkway gave us great views of the Skybridge against the backdrop of the Smoky Mountains and took us back to the Skydeck. The Skytrail did not take long to walk, so Juanito was able to enjoy it all. I love all the interesting facts they have posted and even Derick had fun reading them!
The Path (behind us) runs along the natural hillside and is part of the Skytrail. 
Part of the Skytrail is the Tulip Tower, accessed by rope bridges. 
The Tulip Tower is a new, 70ft steel tower with 4 viewing platforms. 
This elevated boardwalk, almost 1/3 mi. long, is another section of the Skytrail. 
The boardwalk has great views of the Skybridge from end to end.
Back at the Skydeck, we relaxed in their lawn chair. The views of the Great Smoky Mountains from the Skydeck were amazing. At night, the deck is lit up subtly and is a very pretty spot to relax and enjoy the night views!
This is a great portrait of our family… we enjoy new experiences. So does Juanito, but in his own way! and that is OK 
The Skydeck lights up at night, including the tiered waterfall. It’s beautiful. 
The Skylift Park gets lit up at night. 
The Skydeck bears were so cute especially when they are lit at night.
On our last day, we headed out right after breakfast to the Jayell Ranch. I had picked this activity to be a morning activity because I knew lines would start to form before too long, and because I wanted to get as much done before the heat really got too much for Juanito. So we got there right after it opened at 9am. We filled out our waivers and paid for the activities there as the online reservation system isn’t completely setup yet. We opted to ride horses first, but we checked in to both the horses and ATV activities so we could reserve our places in line.
I was really looking forward to today not just because I love horses, but because Juanito has been asking to ride horses lately. This is huge for him, because he hasn’t wanted to touch a horse since he was in PreK! So the fact that he has wanted to ride horses made this activity special to me. The ride was only to be an hour long, which was long enough for the kids to get a real ride in, their first ever. They were super excited and I felt comfortable letting them each have their own horse.
We were the second group to go out and we were on the trail by 10am. Little Derick got the biggest horse it seemed like and handled him like a pro! I was a little worried about Juanito at first because he had trouble understanding how to lead his own horse. I thought his autism was going to keep him and I from being able to go, but our guide was amazing with him and tethered him to her horse and took great care of him. I was able to relax and enjoy my own ride!
Our guide went over the rules with the boys and made sure we all felt comfortable setting out. 
Juanito was happy to stay close to our guide. 
And Derick handled his horse like a pro. 
I am so glad we got to ride horses here at Jayell Ranch. The horses did most of the work, but it was fun and relaxing! 
Our guide took great care with Juanito. She wouldn’t let his autism keep him from enjoying her beautiful friends.
After the horse ride, we headed to the ATVs and it was really starting to get HOT! I knew we would be cooler once we got going, but the wait for Juanito started to get to him. We did not wait long at all though, as we had checked in earlier and only had to wait long enough for them to finish setting up the next round of ATVs and for the guide. Juanito did fuss a little about the heat and having to wear a helmet, but by the time they went over the instructions and started up the ATVs, the guides were very friendly with him and were able to coax him into it before we took off.
Our guide, Pops, was amazing!!! He was great at guiding us through tricky areas, letting us have a chance to GO and making sure we stayed safe while doing so. He could see the experience the group had and when we got done early, he invited us down another more advanced trail and really put us through some paces! We left muddy and happy. Pops was happy to see Juanito having a good time and gave him double fist bumps when we left. I know Pops had a good time himself!
It was super fun and I highly recommend the Jayell Ranch and their staff! Make sure to take some cash to tip the guides because they do their job well, are very welcoming and friendly, making sure you have a good time despite the heat!
After picking up some burgers to eat on the way, we made our way to the Smoky Mountain Outdoors outpost for the only activity I didn’t research, white water rafting! This place was recommended and it did not disappoint. We went prepared to swim, with water shoes or tennis shoes and I had my phone in a waterproof bag. I had already booked our reservation that morning to make sure we had a spot, and filled out their forms online. We had to check in 45 min from our departure time so we had been watching the clock on our ATV ride! But we were on schedule and arrived on time. Then we waited to meet our guide.
Our guide was a sweet young lady, Abigail, and we had the pleasure of riding with Abigail’s parents who were visiting her from New York. We got to see some white water which the boys loved! But I think Juanito loved swimming in the river the most. We all got in and cooled off in the cold water. We were told to stay close to the raft and then we found out why. A guest in a raft behind us got carried away too far from her raft. So we assisted with a rescue mission and we were able to pull her into our raft just before she could get tangled up in some tree roots and big river rocks! It was pretty close and the lady definitely was scared and thankful we were able to rescue her. We pulled alongside her raft and she was able to safely cross back to her group.
Excited to see some white water! 
On the Lower Little Pigeon River, which is a lot easier to ride when you have little children. 
Juanito’s favorite part was swimming in the river! We just had to stay close to the raft. 
Derick took a break from helping guide the raft. 
We all got in and it was so nice to cool off in the cold water.
We were able to travel the last of the way without further incidents and the hour long trip seemed to have just flown by! We got out of the river where our buses were waiting to drive us back. We were only able to go on the Lower River because Derick was 7. But after next year, we look forward to being able to hit some bigger rapids! We had a great time and will definitely do this again the next chance we get.
Little Pigeon River was beautiful! 
We had the best guide and crew! 
There were a lot of people getting out of the river and our “Ketchup” bus was waiting for us. 
The Bus will either take you to the beginning of your ride or take you back to the outpost after your ride, depending on which part of the river you went on.
When we got back, it started raining. So while we waited it out, we checked out the gift shop and the boys enjoyed some sweet treats.
Once the rain stopped, we headed off for the last activity on our trip before heading to the hotel: Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail! Even though I knew we were going to have a long day with the ATVs, horse riding and white water rafting, I knew we would be able to enjoy this 5.5 mile long trail with a leisurely drive around a one-way loop, without having to worry about how long Juanito would last, if he would get tired, or too hot. It’s about 1 mile outside of Gatlinburg so it is easy and quick to get to.
The Motor Nature Trail is a one- way narrow road that hugs the mountain side. With the mountain face on one side of the winding road and a steep drop on the other side, driving slowly was definitely important! There are various historic buildings, cabins, and mills that are accessible to guests.
But my heart sang with all the many rushing mountain streams we saw and there were many. The trail sometimes crossed over them with small bridges and gave us the best view of the little mountain rivers!
This was just one of the many rushing mountain streams that we got to see as we drove the trail. 
We never tired of the river rushing over the rocks. 
There were many little bridges that crossed over the streams, giving the best views of the mountain streams! 
This was one other time I would have recorded the whole trip if I could have.
We got to see several bears, including a mama bear with her 4 cubs!!! We saw them just before the Trail started and there was a line of cars also trying to catch a glimpse of them. Stopping on the road is not allowed though so we slowly rolled past so we could enjoy watching them as long as we could. They did not stick around long and were soon moving deeper into the woods.
The Motor Nature Trail offers some majestic views, and various places you can pull over to enjoy them. We saw a little water fall right on the side of the road. But the real highlight was just a little past it, the famous waterfall called “The Place Of A Thousand Drips”. It was getting dark as we came to the end of the trail and I was so glad we had time to enjoy it in the light before ending our long but very good day!
The next day, we got an early start on our drive home. We were tired but happy. This time our GPS took is straight to Georgia and then on to Florida. We made a couple of stops for gas and food along the way, including a very big Buc’ees on the south side of Atlanta, but made it home safe and were happy to be in our own beds.
I’m really glad we got to experience Gatlinburg with the boys. We made sure to stop at the souvenir shops when we could for little reminders we could take home and for little gifts to share. Here are some of the things we thought were pretty neat. We even brought home a bear cub!
We got the puzzles and shirt from the Gatlinburg Skylift Park gift shop; we got the bottle opener from Ole Smoky at the Island in Pigeon Forge. 
The Cades Cove shirt we found at little store on the way to Cades Cove, the hoodie was from Ole Smoky (The Island in Pigeon Forge) and the Shirt was from the Gatlinburg Skylift Park gift shop. 
We got the 2 sets of shot glasses, hot sauce, and bottle openers from Ole Smoky at the Island in Pigeon Forge; the little mason jar cups and the baby bear picture we found at the Gatlinburg Skylift Park, and the Butterfly sticker was from the Gatlinburg Space Needle 
This is one of my favorites because it is a map of the Little Pigeon River, which I found at the Smoky Mountain Outdoor outpost gift shop!
I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip. I have to say that our trip turned out pretty well, and I owe a big part of that to the planning I did beforehand. Check out my 5 Tips For a Great Vacation to see how I will be planning our next adventure!
