Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee

          I can already feel the change of weather. Next month, summer will be officially over, leaves will change color and start to fall. This only means one thing, it's time to plan for your Fall vacation! Not many of us are familiar with Smoky Mountains. In the Philippines, Smoky Mountain is a place where you can find mountains of garbage. That is not what I'm talking about! Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a great vacation place located between Tennessee and North Carolina.

         Where to stay? Book a hotel or a cabin in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg Tennessee. For a more memorable experience, try to stay in one of the cabins. Last time we went, I booked a 2 bedroom cabin in a Pigeon Forge from greatoutdoorrentals.com.  It has a mountain view, pool table, full kitchen, and hot tub. This company is family owned and they don't charge for cleaning fee ($75-100) as compared to other companies as long as you keep the place clean the way it was when you arrived.

In your cabin, you can grill, play game boards and just spend plenty of time with your family. There's also cabins with access to the pool. 

View from our cabin

Here are some things to do for a few days in Tennessee:

1. Driving

     Plan to visit the Smoky Mountain National Park. Pick up a map at the visitor's center located at 107 Sugarlands Visitor Center Loop Rd. Gatlinburg, TN 37738. There are lots of things to do but I will recommend driving along Cades Cove. It is an 11 mile one way loop that offers an opportunity to leisurely do sight seeing of the mountains and other wildlife. Allow 2-4 hours depending if you want to go down and walk around or do some biking. When we went, there were some creeks along the way and we had our kids play in the water for a bit then had a picnic in one of their designated picnic areas.

         You can also drive to Clingman's Dome which is the highest point of the Smoky Mountains with an elevation of 6,643 ft. If you have more time, you can also continue your road trip all the way to the North Carolina side.

2. Hiking

       There's also a lot of hiking spots in the Smokies depending on how much endurance you got. Our girls were so little at that time so we chose the shortest hike. At the end, there's a falls where the kids enjoyed swimming.

      Warning: Don't bring food while hiking! We, of course, were so stubborn at that time so we brought some sandwiches just in case the kids get hungry. What happened? After few minutes, the baby bear smelled our food and was all over our area. I got a little scared trying to run away! Good thing the rangers were there to  get rid of the bear. What an experience!

3. Downtown Gatlinburg

         There are many attractions in this small downtown. You can just walk around the strip and you will see lots of shops and restaurants. There are also some bands performing country music on the street.  

         Take the aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg. It is a 2 mile cable ride up to the amusement park and shops. Activities include indoor ice skating, kiddie rides, alphine slide, scenic chair lift and many more. Check out http://obergatlinburg.com/all-activities/ for prices of tram and other attractions. Note that some attractions won't be open depending on the weather.

4. Pigeon Forge

        This small town is not as busy as Gatlinburg. They have many restaurants and attractions as well including Dollywood Amusement and Theme Parks (www.dollywood.com). If you don't want to spend that much money, there's a smaller amusement park where the kids can enjoy some rides and games.

5. Townsend

      If you plan to do some horseback riding, water rafting or tubing or ziplining, check out their visitors center on where to go. My kids were so little at that time so we didn't really get to do all those things.

      So start checking out the place and book your cabin for an awesome and affordable vacations at the Smokies!

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ATLANTA GETAWAY

     Are you looking for a place to go before school starts or planning for a fall getaway that's warmer than the Midwest? I recommend Atlanta Georgia because this city has a lot of things to offer. It's warm, beautiful and there's plenty of activities for the kids. Atlanta is 12 hours drive from Chicago. Here are things to do in this city:

1.  Centennial Olympic Park

         This is a nice place located in the heart of Atlanta.  There are water fountains, ferris wheel and a park with grassy area and benches where you can either play or just relax while you eat ice cream or snacks. This place is also walking distance to Atlanta Aquarium and Coca-Cola World.

2. Piedmont Park

         This is a 189 acre of park northeast of downtown and entrance is free. There's plenty of things to do here such as fishing, walking, running, skating or playing basketball and tennis. There are bikes for rent and you can also plan on having a picnic in many of the shaded areas. Piedmont park has an aquatic area where adults and kids can swim. Admission is $4/adult and $2/ kids 6-16 y/o and $1/kids 5 yrs and younger.

 

3. Stone Mountain Theme Park

           This theme park is located at 1000 Robert E. Lee Blvd, Stone Mountain, GA 30083. Parking is $15/day. You may get a package depending on what activities you want. I recommend the Adventure Pass which includes the following attractions:  Summit Skyride, Scenic Railroad, 4-D Theater, Skyhike, Camp Highland Outpost, Geyser Towers, The Great Barn, Great Locomotive Chase Adventure Golf, Antebellum Plantation and Farmyard and Discovering Stone Mountain Museum. This package is $25/adult and $20/child. It's usually cheaper to buy your tickets online than at the gate. Plan a full day if you decide to get this option. Visit stonemountainpark.com for other packages, events and park hours.

          Stone Mountain Lasershow at night is a "MUST SEE". It is free with paid parking so if you don't want to do any of the above attractions, you can just come at night and watch the show. Bring a picnic blanket or chairs if you want to stay in the lawn. There's also a package which includes a seat in the terrace, popcorn and drinks.

Can you see me on top of the mountain?

View from top of Stone Mountain

Terrace seat

4. Six Flags Over Georgia

         Whether you have the Season Pass or not, this Six Flags is a place where your kids will definitely enjoy. There are parking options next to the theme park that only costs $5-10 all day as compared to $25. Georgia has a lot of longer roller coasters and the height restrictions for most of them are lesser, which means my 8 and 10 year old daughters were able to try them. Luckily I love thrill rides too so all of us had a blast! When visiting during the summer time, it is too hot in the park during the day especially when you have to fall in line for a long time so make sure to wear proper clothing and drink plenty of water. FYI, the Dining Pass in your Chicago home park does not apply to other Six Flags.

Georgia Scorcher

Ninja

Joker

FYI

5. Flip Burger

          If you're like me who like celebrity chefs, try Top Chef Richard Blais' burger place. There are few locations in the Atlanta area, visit flipburgerboutique.com to check for menu, hours and a place near you. It's really hard to decide what to order but we tried Trio (sampler of 3 miniature burgers) and chorizo burger. They were the best and we will definitely come back here again!

Top Chef Richard Blais

    Whether you're in Atlanta for a day or more, hope my blog helped you plan your awesome and affordable vacation. 

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SAVANNAH GEORGIA in a DAY

          If you happen to be in the southeast, stop by Savannah Georgia. It's one of the most beautiful cities in the world. After our cruise, we drove 2 hours from Jacksonville to Savannah. Here are some awesome and affordable things to do  in a day.

1. Riverfront and River Street Market Place

       The Riverfront was our first stop in Savannah. There were plenty of shops and restaurants along the old cobblestone streets. We spent almost half of the day in the river walk and part of the historic district.  We also stopped by Marketplace to buy my souvenir ornament.

2. Wet Willies

      A small restaurant along the strip where they offer daiquiris of different flavors such as Naked Willie, Mojito Mojo, Bahama Mama, Sex on the Beach, Call a Cab and many more. You can get tasting samples of every cocktails you want. I was a bit tipsy already after tasting almost 20 flavors. My favorite drink was the Bob Marley daiquiri. If you prefer to have a non-alcoholic frozen drink, try Weak Willie. We also ordered fish tacos, steak wrap and fries. All of them were so good!

3. River Street Sweets Candy Store

     Every kid's dream is to be in a candy shop. You can mix and match any sweets for $14/lb. Pretty expensive but we bought some for our sweet tooth kids just to reward them from being a trooper in all our long hours of driving. We also got peach ice cream. Other candy stores also give some taster of pralines, fudge and salt water taffy.

4. Historic Trolley tours

     We wanted to see the charm of Savannah, however, the guided tours are pretty pricey (starts $25/person or more depending on the package). So knowing me, I want it to be an affordable vacation so I took a map of the tour and asked my husband to drive and follow the route, of course yours truly, the live GPS. It was free and we stopped on some of the famous squares for pictures. We also saw Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace (founder of Girlscouts) but we didn't get the chance to go inside to get a badge.

 

5. Forsyth Park

     It is one of the largest park in Savannah. The walk in the park itself was so peaceful. We enjoyed the view of the oak trees lined with Spanish moss, the water fountain, and the playground for the kids. There's also a cafeteria that serves breakfast and lunch including Starbucks coffee.

     It was such a wonderful experience in Savannah. The people here showed us the southern hospitality. There's so many other fun things to do in this place. Next time I will plan to stay for at least 2-3 days to see the Wormsloe Plantation and Tybee island to enjoy the beach.

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