Tag: Tennessee

Returning to Tennessee – part five

~ Spence's Girl ~ Leave a comment

Since my last visit in 2016, the Foothills Parkway was completed. The Wears Valley entrance was less than a mile from my cabin and I decided to check it out. I drove it several times during my stay; it’s scenic with many turnouts for taking pictures and little to no traffic.
”The Foothills Parkway is a national parkway which traverses the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, located in the southeastern United States”. Wikipedia

33 miles in total distance
I got up early to catch the sunrise.
Turkeys but no bears
In Wears Valley I love to seek out interesting photo opportunities and thought this was a cool old barn. And I love old barns.
It never rained during my stay but it looks like Gatlinburg got a bit of rain this day. The clouds were low, shrouding the mountains.
I pulled off on a side road to take this shot. This is Wears Valley.

Returning to Tennessee – part four

~ Spence's Girl

A trip to the Smoky Mountains isn’t complete without driving the Cades Cove Loop. I drove it three times during the trip choosing daybreak, midday and late afternoon to experience the changing light and wildlife sightings. It’s a one-way 11 mile drive that progresses slowly as you savor the scenery, take photos and stop for animals.

I get a thrill seeing the black bears that are a beloved fixture in Tennessee. I’d been following several Facebook groups in the weeks before my trip with numerous posts of mother bears with multiple cubs. I’ve always had multiple bear sightings on past trips – my hopes were high. I saw one bear cub on my late morning drive. He scampered across the road in front of me and was gone before I could get a photo. He was my only bear on this trip but there’s always next time.

Returning to Tennessee – part two

~ Spence's Girl ~ 1 Comment
I rose every morning before daybreak to watch the sun rise, hear birdsongs in the trees as I sipped tea. Who’d want to sleep through this?
These gliders were my favorite place to sit to enjoy my view any time of day…..a close second – the hot tub.
Sunrise over Wears Valley
In love with this view.
The kitchen had everything I needed to prepare meals (except my cast iron skillet which I brought with me) as well as peppers and herbs from my garden. You may notice 3 bottles of red wine, those would be mine. 🍷
Cozy cabin
Dreamy bed, slept like a baby each night which is rare for me, so restorative.
Jacuzzi tub, perfect for a daily soak. #relaxationisgood

Travels in Tennessee – part five

~ Spence's Girl ~ 4 Comments

Spence and I stay in a secluded log cabin in the mountains of Wears Valley when we travel to Tennessee but love that within ten to fifteen minutes we can be in Townsend, Sevierville or Pigeon Forge and within twenty minutes, Gatlinburg.

We’ve found several fun spots to enjoy a cold adult beverage, people watch, talk to locals and other tourists.  If you’re traveling in the area, these places are worth checking out.

Dick’s Last Resort – Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg – From outlandish decor and servers with “attitude” this is a fun bar with tasty eats such as the Wicked Gator bites (yes gator – tastes like chicken) accompanied by deep fried jalapenos.  And yes, there are numerous bras hung over the bar.  Hilarious.

No Way Jose’s Cantina – Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg – Spence and I love Jose’s with ice cold beer and their outdoor cantina (in Gatlinburg) which overlooks the river.  Food here is excellent as are the complimentary chips and salsa.

Loco Burro Fresh Mex Cantina in Gatlinburg – On a sweltering day, we walked by a doorway and felt a swoosh of cool air – that was all it took to lure us in. We hopped on the escalator to the second floor bar and restaurant (forgoing the rooftop bar one floor up).  When we saw the funny barstools, we decided we’d sit there.  Chris, our bartender, whipped up the most refreshing frozen banana dacquiris for me while Spence had beer.  Chris was entertaining as were the tugboat captain and his wife from New Orleans that we bantered with.  The menu looked great but we weren’t hungry – next time….

Crawdaddy’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar in Gatlinburg – While they have indoor seating, this second floor venue has a wrap-around-the-corner outdoor balcony, overlooking a main street in Gatlinburg which is a people-watchers dream – we always sit out there. I love their pina coladas and we typically order 1-2 dozen oysters as well as oyster shooters. Great service and a full menu of Cajun and seafood selections.

Friendly Falls Food & Stuff in Sevierville – This quaint place borders the Little Pigeon River as you drive along the curving mountain roads.  Not only can you sit and have a cold beer overlooking waterfalls, you can walk down to Norbert’s Gem Mine and pan for gems and crystals (watch for a future post).  It’s a fun, quirky, friendly place that is always on our list of things to do when in Tennessee.

 

 

Travels in Tennessee – part one

~ Spence's Girl ~ 4 Comments

Seven years ago Spence and I were honeymooning in Savannah and Charleston.  Headed north, we took an unplanned detour into the Great Smoky Mountains via North Carolina and ended up in Gatlinburg where we stayed for a few days.

The following year we discovered a special log cabin in the mountains of Wears Valley Tennessee (via homeaway.com) and have returned every year since.  It is secluded, surrounded by the woods, very serene and totally relaxing.  Wears Valley is located between Pigeon Forge and Townsend and we’re a mile from an entrance to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Seveirville and Gatlinburg are a short drive away as is Cherokee North Carolina which is a picturesque drive through the park.

There is so much to do and see here. In this post, I’m sharing the some of my favorite photos of the sky, mountains and the woods.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this, stay tuned – there’s more to come!