This was our first Thanksgiving in four years that we actually had as a holiday where both Brenna was out of school and Jacob was off work. With just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, we decided to join Jacob's brother and his family for a holiday trip to The Great Smoky Mountains. Dolly Parton was our host as we stayed at her DreamMore Resort for the week. The resort was beautiful and we enjoyed the cool fall colors and weather.
The view from our room was beautiful!
A duet with Dolly!
On our first day we drove into Gatlinburg to enjoy all the tourist traps and they had many. We rode the Sky Lift to the top of the mountain to take in the views. The girls took a walk through the Ripley's Believe It or Not and the Mirror Maze. We listened to a Blue Grass band sing about Mountain Dew (the drink, not the literal interpretation), and we partook in lots of fudge and sweet treats as we made our way up and down the strip. Finally, the girls wouldn't let us leave without a round of putt-putt up the side of the mountain. While it was a little cold for my taste, we had beautiful blue skies and great weather throughout the trip.
That night we enjoyed the number one attraction in Pigeon Forge, Dolly's Parton's Dixie Stampede. There was lots of trick riding, jokes, pigs races, and chicken chases. I was a fun dinner show that our whole family enjoyed and Santa even made an appearance at the end.
The next day we spent at Dollywood where we enjoyed all the rollercoasters and rides we could pack into the day. There was lots of people and the lines were long, but we were able to mitigate most of that thanks to our TimeSaver passes that were part of our DreamMore Resort package.
After a long day at Dollywood, we enjoyed a relaxing night at the pool.
Our next stop was the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. The girls got to touch jelly fish, play with the crabs, and feed the stingrays. They really enjoyed the penguin exhibit, the play area, and especially the largest elf on a shelf that they'd ever seen!
During our downtime at the resort, the girls enjoyed the fun arcade hangout and especially took to the foosball table.
One night we all loaded up in the car and drove out to Sevierville to see the famous Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland where hundreds of thousands of lights are orchestrated to christmas melodies. It was one of the most impressive Christmas displays I've ever seen.
Our final adventure was spending the day at WonderWorks. This upside down building had so much stuff packed into it! There was a simulated earthquake, hurricane, rollercoaster, and sports complex. We did the rock climbing wall, the rope course, and laser tag. There was so many fun activities like the bubble lab and bed of nails. It was a really awesome place and a great end to great trip.
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