We moved to Pigeon Forge RV Resort and got a nice corner site. The campground is very nice, it is large and has concrete pads with gravel ‘yards’. It is more of a parking lot campground which is a compromise that we make in these more touristy areas. Having a large rig limits places we are able to stay and we do prefer to have sewer for longer stays, as this is our home, so we do like to have the luxury of a connected sewer. It’s all about balance. We would stay here again as it is centrally located and had all the conveniences we were looking for.
We love the Pigeon Forge area. We enjoy the ‘vacation’ vibe that we fall into here. Having the Smoky Mountain National Park right here provides a good yin/yang for us; we can enjoy the park and it’s beauty with long drives and hikes and also enjoy the entertainment/food/fun that the tourist area provides.
We did a good variety of things. We drove through the park several times and I realize now, that since I am the driver, I don’t take many photos. Ed is not much of a photo taker, so I can always tell when I have fully immersed myself in what we are doing, as there are very few, if any photos. So I don’t have many of when we were enjoying nature and the park.
We saw Dolly’s Pirate Dinner Show while in town, it was really fun and the food was good. We have always enjoyed the Dixie Stampede, so we had a good indication that we would enjoy this show also. The show was engaging, the actors seemed to be immersed in their roles and the food was quite good.
We spent a few days wandering around “The Island” area of Pigeon Forge, downtown Gatlinburg and generally just exploring the area shops and venues.
I thought this shirt was funny, being from the land of Buc-ees.
Being Guy Fieri watchers, we had to check out Flavortown. We didn’t eat there, as we had already eaten, but Ed did play a game and won a prize that landed him on the Flavortown Facebook page! Ed is a pro at the claw games.
We went to the Lumberjack Feud dinner and show. The food was HORRIBLE, like shockingly bad. We go to many dinner shows and honestly, we don’t usually expect much from the food, as most of them are pretty mediocre at best. This was bad. The show was cute and fun. We had read reviews about the food, but wanted to see the show and there was no option for a show with no dinner. They really need to consider dropping the dinner and just sticking to the show, as the show was quite enjoyable.
We drove out to Bryson City, NC to take the Smoky Mountain Railway train ride. We have done this one before and enjoyed it, so we were looking forward to it. The bonus for this is the drive is beautiful to get there and back, so it’s like a two for one! We had a great time. Saw these guys along the route.
Did my obligatory hiking the entire width of the Appalachian Trail.
I have to get better about trying to get photos of Ed and I both during our adventures. I love looking back on these.
Saw an eagle fishing on our return train trip.
Here is a shot from the drive back to camp. I love the mountains.
We spent two days at Dollywood. We had a great time. I made a grave error and ate a corn dog. I know that hot dogs hate me, but man oh man do I love them! I suffered with sour stomach for DAYS after that darn corn dog!
Did I catch an elusive Ed grin/smile??
We also went to the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show. We have been to this one before and enjoyed it, this time was no different. Fun show and good food.
I don’t think we’ve ever been to Pigeon Forge that we didn’t go to Dixie Stampede. It is classically entertaining and the food is always on point. I could live on the vegetable soup!
We tried breakfast at a new restaurant while we were here, called Five Oaks. It was GREAT! I wish we had tried it earlier in our stay, as we would have gone for supper. This will be a priority on our next visit. Ed got a cinnamon roll that was enormous and I had a skillet that was huge, both were delicious.
We rode the Alpine coaster, but were too cheap to pay for the photos. LOL I snapped these as a reminder. The coaster was a blast! However, when I got home and was reading about it, I found that several folks had experienced bears along their ride in the past! I may have been a bit more hesitant if I had known that. C’est la vie!
We went to this store called Country Barn and they have a “photo park” out back where they have all these fun areas where you can take ‘selfies’. Ed tolerated my antics and indulged my “Instagram modeling”. LOL! He is such a champ, he even posed for one!
We also visited a place called Beyond the Lens. We went there for a ‘fly over’ ride, which was the most pitiful excuse for a fly over ever. 100% DO NOT RECOMMEND, it was awful. The other part of the experience was somewhat fun. We got some fun photos.
We had a great time here, it’s hard not to. There is so much to do and so many options for any type of activity. We look forward to returning in a few years.
Next stop…Kentucky