Our last minute getaway to the Smokies was a hit. We stayed in a Simply Breathtaking cabin and enjoyed mountain life for a few days. Finding things to do with a 16 month old can be challenging. There are so many age, weight and height restrictions. Determined to enjoy our short retreat away from reality though, we made it work.
As you may know, I love to plan and be organized but with DanielBoy’s surprise of bolting to the mountains, I was left with little time to plan. Wandering around a new city without a mapped outline is definitely not me but being with my guys was fun so I settled into the latter.
Upon check-in we were given several booklets filled with things to do. It was vacation pamphlet overload! After reviewing several, a list of things that would fit our families needs was selected.
One thing I noticed was our son truly enjoyed the simple things. You know the things that didn’t cost extra cash to do or see. (Kind of like buying him a toy and he plays with the box thing!) What a better time to save some cash and relax a bit, since he certainly was happy. I know the days are coming that the little things won’t be entertaining enough. This season of our life with Precious-One is so special and calming. Times do get hectic and out of control but over all, the moments are simply sweet and joyful. Everyone always tells us “Don’t blink. He will be grown before you know it” and it’s already coming true.
After a wonderful nights rest, off we went to town. My best suggestion is to always have some sort of a plan so we went with our list and a map. The traffic was horrible with one main road in and out. I suggest purchasing a Road Atlas. This will not only help save time but give you an alternate route in case of gridlock. There is nothing worse than a crying baby while stuck in a compact car.
Here are a few free travel maps I picked up.
- Trails: Visit Sugarland Vistor’s Center for a trail map. Walking tails to the waterfalls is so pretty (weather permitting of course)
- Deer Farm Exotic Petting Zoo: Open year around you will find something for any age
- Ripley’s Mirror Maze: Face to face with your cute mug you will navigate though a mirror maze
- Apline Slide: Your ride combines a scenic chairlift ride up the mountain with a fun-filled weaving, wandering, dipping descent on one of two 1800′ tracks
- Carousel: The indoor carousel is a great place for kids – and adults!
- Ripley’s Aquarium: Touch sharks & stingrays! Experience the world of jellyfish, eels colorful fish and poisonous predators.
- The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel: 200 feet tall, climate controlled, scenic views, 1 million LED lights and handicapped accessible
Here we are at Ripley’s Aquarium. There were so many hands on areas for even small children to explore.
The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel was a nice relaxing ride. The gondola was climate controlled. We had to wait upon boarding but once we enter the gondola they we continued around 3-4 times before stopping . We chose the VIP Experience. The floor in this gondola is glass (scratched a bit) and there were 4 separate seats rather than bench seating.
Parking in the main tourist areas was tough, but there were several streets with all day parking available and we chose one of those. If you are looking to save a few bucks you can always try the back street for free street parking but it is hard to find.
About 3 years ago we started buying a Christmas ornament from every destination we visit. When dressing the Christmas tree it has been so much fun to place each ornament on the tree bringing back memories and conversations of those trips. With every new year there is a few new ornaments which call for more reminiscing. You should try it starting with your next trip.
We will definitely return to The Smoky Mountains. It was truly an enjoyable trip especially our cabin. Next visit will not so last minute and I will have time to gather my compiled essentials list. Oh, how I love lists!
Katie Girl
