Here we are at Day 3 of our Tennessee trip. I loved waking up to the Smoky Mountains.
We were heading back to Dollywood that morning.
We wanted to hit all of the attractions we hadn't done the day before. First up was Dolly's tour bus.
They only allow groups of 6 at a time so it was a little bit of a wait.
This was Dolly's room in the back.
Some of her tour outfits.
The details were so pretty, down to her dishes.
Our tour guide was wonderful and got choked up talking about his interactions with Dolly Parton. He was a performer at the park and got to meet her a few times.
We toured a replica of her childhood home.
Another fun pumpkin display.
We were pretty amazed by this Tennessee Water Tree! We watched an outdoor show and then headed to the indoor show.
We didn't know what to expect from "Heidi Parton(Dolly's niece) Kin & Friends" but it was quite good.
They end with a song that Heidi wrote and Dolly had recorded with her.
We stopped at the
Front Porch Cafe for some lunch. I tried the chicken club on a butterfly shaped pretzel roll.
On our way out of the park we stopped at the Spotlight Bakery to get a look at the famous 25 pound apple pie!
This is the size of slice should you get one! We bought a cookie for the road.
We were looking for coffee and stopped in this cute area called
The Old Mill. I had to go into the
Smoky Mountain Cat House to say hi to the kitties.
We got our coffee at
Lucky Brews. I tried the white chocolate pumpkin latte.
We wanted to check out the Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and stopped in at the ranger station for directions once we got there. They showed us the map of the stops along the way.
It's an 11 mile, one way paved loop with scenic views, historic homesteads and possible wildlife sightings.
The views were spectacular.
We spotted some wildlife-- wild turkeys!
We didn't stop at every site but got out when we wanted a better look. The drive took us about an hour and a half. We headed back to the hotel.
We tried a restaurant near the hotel called
Bullfish Grill. I got a chicken rice bowl.
We had passed
The Inn At Christmas Place and were curious about it so we stopped in. Santa was doing a bedtime talk/show with some guests.
We peeked around the lobby.
It is Christmas there 24/7!
It is decorated quite festively and felt like a Hallmark movie.
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9 comments:
Another jam packed day for you two! The views are incredible and the food looks so good. Dollywood looks like a lot of fun! She was a true original...
That sounds like another really wonderful day!
How fun to explore Dolly's tour bus.
I love that you take time for the kitties.
xo
So much good in here! I had never heard of the Christmas inn. I looked into and sent the link to Abby saying that we need to stay there. She responded that my sister and I should do so and I agree! We have been talking about driving the Cades Cove loop and I really want to do that the next time we're in TN (we're planning to be SOON!). I will be referring back to your TN posts for sure :).
You guys look like you had a fantastic time! I love the butterfly sandwich!
We saw a bear cub on the way to Cades Cove but only saw turkeys when we drove the loop. It is such a beautiful area!
www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
@Mireille-how cool to see a bear cub!
@Joanne--thank you, it was!
Cades Cove is one of my favorite spots in all the world. Looks like you had a great day there.
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