{Travel} Last Day of our Tennessee Trip-Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Foothills Parkway Drive & The Appalachian

 On our last full day in Tennessee we wanted to hike/walk a trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

We picked The Gatlinburg Trail because a few of the other trails we had wanted to hike were closed and it was only a 4 mile round trip hike.

We stopped in at the Ranger Station and got directions to the start of the trail. It was also undergoing some construction.

We thought we'd have to pay for parking but it was Constitution Day and free parking for all!

This was the perfect walk for us...shaded and serene.

Also very flat!

We had to step off the trail near the road to a photo with the big sign.  It was a pretty easy trail and we ended up in downtown Gatlinburg.  We rested a little, regrouped and walked back to the beginning. It was so hot that day and the sun was brutal in Gatlinburg.

We looked for a unique brunch spot with good views and reviews and found Mountain Breakfast. 

We sat on the balcony overlooking the stream. It was perfect!

After that we were up for another scenic drive.

This time we drove the Foothills Parkway.

There were some really beautiful scenic overlooks and sights.

Afterwards we stopped here for coffee and drove back to the hotel.

We wanted to go somewhere special for dinner and Mr. Click got reservations at The Appalachian in Sevierville.

We were celebrating our anniversary a bit late.

The ambience was amazing and the food was delish! 

Highly recommend!

Our last morning in Pigeon Forge, saying goodbye to this view!

We packed up and drove to the Knoxville Airport for our flight back.

We're definitely fans of Tennessee!

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{Travel} Tennessee Trip - Day 4 - Anakeesta, Pool Day and Mexican Food!

I am back with Day 4 of our Tennessee trip after taking a little break for my Halloween decoration and Trader Joe's posts.

[Outfit of the day]

We were heading to Anakeesta Mountain Adventure Park in Gatlinburg.

We got there as they were opening and found a parking spot right out front.  You can take a gondola up the mountain and they also have vans if you prefer to drive up.

We bought our tickets online and got through the entry line quickly. We boarded our high speed all glass gondola for a smooth, gorgeous ride to the top.

The views at the top were stunning. We climbed up the observation tower for even more views of the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg.

We weren't really sure what to expect of Anakeesta but we loved it.

We caught "The Vampirettes" show and enjoyed their on spin on popular songs.

We were there for the Bear-Varian Festival that begins in late August and runs through November 1st.

It felt like a Bavarian village.

We enjoyed walking around and seeing it all.

We explored The Treetop Skywalk which is the longest tree based sky walk in North America.  It had 880 feet of bridges that hang 50-60 feet in the air to get a birds eye view of the forest and mountains.  It was beautiful but I was happy when we finished, my legs were a little wobbly!

I had to check out Willow's Toyshop.

There were lots of places to just sit and enjoy this spectacular view.

We decided to join in on the Bear-Varian Beer Tasting and got Beer Tasting Cards. We each got 6 samples and could choose from all of these brews from around the park.

We shared this massive soft pretzel with our first beer (and a view!) as part of the Bear-Varian Fall Fest.

We also caught the Bear-Varian Bonanza Games for Oktoberfest fun. 

Willow is the park's mascot and known as the Keeper of The Forest.

Bird Venture had larger than life bird houses, interactive adventure zones and slides.  

We had a great day at Anakeesta!

We came back to the hotel and enjoyed some time at the pool.

Taking in the views from the rooftop area of the hotel.

Heading out to dinner.

Mr Click found a highly rated Mexican restaurant called Cielito Lindo.

The food was great!

We stopped at Andy's Frozen Custard on the way home and we liked that as well

Another full and fun day!

to be continued...

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{Shopping} Fun Trader Joe's Haul

This was a quick run to TJ's and I picked up mostly staples but also got a few new- to-me items.

Fridge/Produce:

 I haven't had the Green Goddess dressing in awhile. I was back for more of the oat creamer.  The tofu is my favorite because I don't need to press it. Those apples looked so good to me.  I always buy Stock flowers now when I'm at TJ's because they last so long and look good in my arrangements. We hadn't had roasted cauliflower in awhile so I bought that too.

Snacks/Pantry: 

I needed to stock up on Jasmine rice and chocolate chips.  Mr. Click likes those potato chips and we hadn't had those Pretzel Slims in awhile.  The multi grain pita chips caught my eye and I'm not if we'd had them before or not.

Frozen:  

I'm restocking the freezer for dinners so the turkey meatballs, vegetable gyoza and cauliflower gnocchi had to come home with me.  I like to keep frozen broccoli on hand because I can roast it when I don't have something fresh for dinner. I've been on a shelled edamame kick lately.  The pumpkin ginger Hold The Cone mini cones are so good!

Household/Misc:

We needed laundry detergent and I've been using this one for year. I've also been liking the toothpaste (dupe for Native brand). The shampoo/conditioner are dupes for Olaplex so I'm trying them out. The Honey Crisp apple candle is amazing and I always stock up on cards at TJ's.

I'll be back tomorrow with the continuation of our Tennessee adventure...

Linking up:

Talking About it Tuesday

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