Our family usually enjoys traveling the end of October, but once we heard about the winter celebration in Gatlinburg, we decided to travel the beginning of December to this getaway in the Smokies. Gatlinburg is about 13 hours away, and yes, we drove it. This was an experience in itself, but we'll save that for another post. Gatlinburg reminds me of Wisconsin Dells for those of you live in this wonderful state and have been there. While Gatlinburg is nicely nestled at the foot of the Smokies, it has been turned into a tourist town with plenty of fudge and old-time photo shops. I absolutely loved our resort (the Westgate Smokey Mountain Resort) and loved the mountains. Hiking was a true delight and the waterfalls were phenomenal. I highly recommend taking the drive that transverses the mountain range into North Carolina for great picture taking and views. Restaurants were plenty and satisfied all tastes, and of course, Ripley's has taken over a good deal of the entertainment choices, so you can see their many different attractions.
Do I recommend this trip? Well, sort of. The mountains are SO majestic that it is hard not to fall in love with the area immediately and think that you could live there off the land like they did on Little House on the Prairie, but in reality, I am a small-city girl and would never be happy like that. Time with the family is never a waste, even if we sometimes feel like referees during Friday Night Smackdown. Vacations also make you appreciate the comforts of your home and the friends you left behind. Hearts grow fonder for all things home.
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