After postponing our trip to Tennessee due to cold and wet weather in February and March, we decided to finally head north for a shortened visit. We made the easy 4 hour drive from Atlanta up I-75 to I-40 and then to Pidgeon Forge for our first stop.
Pidgeon Forge
This area has grown so much since my last visit many years ago. Mike accurately commented that it looks like Las Vegas, but instead of casinos there were dinner shows (and miniature golf, go karts, ice cream shops, shopping, souvenirs… you get the idea!) It was spring break week when we were there, so many of the places were busy with families enjoying all the sights.
Opting to forego the more crowded spots, we did venture into town for part of a day. We played at Lost Treasure miniature golf and had delicious ice cream at Mad Dogs. We had to go twice just to make sure that Smoky Mountain Chocolate Fudge was the best flavor! Two cool stores worth mentioning are Uncle Lem’s for great outdoor gear and The Christmas Place which has anything and everything for Christmas decorating all year round.
If you are in the mood for comfort food and large portions, the Old Mill Restaurant is a good choice. It has an 1800’s gristmill, a country store, and is the only structure in Pidgeon Forge listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The mill was originally used to grind grain for local farmers, but then produced cloth for soldiers during the Civil War, and eventually electricity for the city. Although there was a wait to get seated, the service was quick, and the food was very good.
While in Pidgeon Forge we stayed at Creekside RV Park, a small campground nestled in a quiet area away from the main drag. The spots are a little tight, but they have lots of trees for shade. The Pidgeon Forge Trolley has a stop right in the campground so you can get to all the shopping and attractions without using a car and fighting the traffic. Rather than spend a lot of time in town, our main goal was to get outdoors and visit the national park.
Waterfalls
A short trip to Gatlinburg led us to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where we purchased our National Parks passport and our first stamp!
We also revealed our first park on our National Park scratch off map.
The Great Smoky Mountains Park is the most visited national park in the US and has a portion of the Appalachian Trail passing through its center. We chose a moderate 5.4 mile round-trip hike to Rainbow Falls. Seeing the waterfall was a beautiful reward for the steep continual climb the whole way up!
After a few days around Pidgeon Forge, we headed to Clinton where my godparents live. A much smaller town, Clinton is an easy stop off I-75. The North Knoxville/Clinton KOA is very nice with large pull through spots, laundry and game room, and a good-sized dog park. It is a very busy location for travelers, with spots filling up most nights and emptying each morning.
Clinton
On our first day we drove about 5 miles to visit Norris Dam; the first dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Our timing was good as the wildflowers on the 3.2-mile River Bluff Trail were just blooming. We also took advantage of a few sunny days to play tennis and get in some bike riding along the Clinch River. After hiking and biking, we have come to the conclusion that all of Tennessee is hilly!
Wildflowers
The Secret City
We started one bike ride at Elza Gate Park, site of the Elza Gate into the secret community of Oak Ridge from 1943 to 1949. Oak Ridge started when 60,000 acres of land was quietly taken over by the government to be the site that would figure out how to enrich uranium for the world’s first atomic bomb. Secrecy was key and most of the thousands of workers did not realize that they had been helping to build the most powerful weapon the world had ever seen until the bombing of Japan in 1945.
The Museum of Energy and Science does a great job of detailing the history of the Manhattan Project, but also highlights Oak Ridge’s current role in the scientific community. They still maintain the safety and security of the US nuclear weapons stockpile, work to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction, provide the navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion, and respond to radiological emergencies in the US and abroad. In addition, they are at the forefront of research on renewable energy and materials science and technology. This was an amazing place with so much history and innovation–Science rocks!
Museum of Appalachia
On our last day, we visited the Museum of Appalachia. This living history museum was less than a mile from our campground and we had the extra treat of arriving on Sheep Shearing Day. It was fun to see a sheep shearing demonstration and watch a very talented dog herding sheep.
We enjoyed touring the 36 original pioneer buildings and seeing thousands of artifacts that represent everyday life of the mountain folk of the Appalachian region.
It was so nice to spend the week visiting with godparents John and Cindy after too many years away. We were also fortunate to be able to meet up for lunch with friend Susan Blair from our Air Force days in England.
We added a Tennessee to our state sticker map! You may have noticed that our map looks different than before. We got a new smaller map when we bought the new coach and it is positioned on a front slideout. This map depicts the state motto and a picture rather than the license plate pictures that we had before.
I’ve heard of the National Park Passport. A scratch off map is a great idea. 😊
You two sure are making the most of the sights. I’m glad you’re able to take time to enjoy the culture along the way! We seem to always be “driving through”.
Thanks, Jacki. The scratch off map is cool because you can visually see the progress. We are learning that there is so much to see in each area (even small towns) and you could spend years trying to do it all! We did many years of the “driving through” also, so we are thankful for the time to “stop and smell the roses” a little now. lol
Certainly was glad to share a little time with you both while you were here! Rainbow Falls is a pretty hike…that’s the trail I’ve taken up to Mt. LeConte a couple of times. Probably never again! 😂 I really admoire your adventurous spirit!
We so enjoyed our lunch with you too, Susan! I can’t believe how long it had been–time sure flies. Mt LeConte was another 5 or 6 miles up the trial from Rainbow Falls, so that is fantastic that you hiked there. We met a couple hiking up to spend the night in a cabin on the top.
Tennessee is such a beautiful state, I love all the trees and flowers. I’m glad you got to spend some time with John and Cindy.
Yes, after all the rain everything was so green and the flowers all in bloom. We really enjoyed seeing John and Cindy!
Such interesting places and very scenic views!
Yes, and we were just in a small area….not even the big cities. We will definitely go back to see more of this beautiful state!
Great to see you guys are really enjoying the RV life! Your Blog is GREAT! We are meeting up with our Jacksonville RV friends (Rex & Melanie) that were at Lake Jasper and all headed to Great Smoky Nat’l Park area very soon, so your latest was very timely! Hope we have enough time to visit Rainbow Falls (and… whisper…Secret City) this trip. By the way… Rex and Melanie are the ones that introduced us to the ‘RV Afternoon Ice-Cream Diet’ which I see we may have infected you and Mike with as well!
Again your writing style, photos, layout… all very top-notch. Hope our RV paths cross paths again. And you guys always have an invite to stop by up here.
Hey Bob and Dana! Thanks for the kind words about my blog. I am glad you might find our info helpful when you go to Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You guys got us going on the parks passport so now we have a mission to see more parks:) Say hi to Rex and Melanie for us–we enjoyed meeting them and know they are good people since they too subscribe to the ice cream diet. lol We would love to meet up with you both again–please stay in touch!
Good to see that Mike is keeping busy these days!
Yes we are staying active and appreciate you following our journey! Hope you are doing well:)