I know what you are thinking... that we took a road trip to Disney World.... but you would be so wrong this time! This time we took the kids on a 9 state adventure which included mountains, history, the Bible and the biggest most insane playground you have ever seen. Get ready for picture overload!
We started out with a 15 hour drive to Knoxville. The kids are use to these long drives now and do so well in the car. We still try to stop every couple hours so they can run around for a few minutes. We watched movies and read books.
The best part was seeing all the things Jojo had packed in his backpack for the trip. Superhero figures, puppy books and don't forget the tape measure.
We had never been to Arkansas before and really didn't get to stop and do much here other than use the rest area but still fun taking our picture at all the states we drive through.
Our first day in Knoxville we met up with some friends of ours that recently moved there. We spent the day in the Smoky Mountains.
We stopped at a picnic area before heading to far into the park to eat lunch.
After lunch we all piled into the back of Travis' truck and rode around Cades Cove. It is a valley that was home to a large group of settlers in the 1800's. A few of their homes are still there and you can walk through them. There is also a church that still is being used today.
The most amazing part was when a Mama Bear and her 3 cubs walked across the road in front of us. I have seen lots of bears at zoo's but there is something about seeing animals in their natural habitat that is so much cooler.
After we toured all of Cades Cove we drove to Pigeon Forge to The Island. It is an area full of shops, games and restaurants. They have a water/light show to music every 30 minutes that was pretty impressive.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday we woke up with anticipation of going to Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville. It is located in downtown Knoxville but once you get there you forget you are in the big city. It is 300 acres of trails, creeks and rock formations. We hiked 4.5 miles that morning. Jojo wasn't feeling it so Dylan and I ended up carrying him around the whole time. A few times I was ready to quit and request someone carry ME back. It was so incredibly exhausting but also really fun at the same time. Our friends met us there making it a little more fun. They have girls a little older than Carly so the kids had fun running really far ahead of us and exploring together.
After Ijams we made our way to our friends apartment to eat lunch and relax for a little while before riding the free Trolly to downtown Knoxville. They hosted the World Fair one year so their is this incredible Sunsphere that takes you 260 feet in the air and has the most incredible view.
We walked through Market Square and looked at all the great sculptures and even got the privilege of seeing a homeless woman peeing in the middle of the park. It was incredible. I didn't take a picture of that.... your welcome. :)
Then we finished off the day by eating ice cream at Phoenix Pharmacy and Fountain. It had the most delicious ice cream and the biggest portions. Thankfully we shared one.
Day two complete! We went back to the hotel early to get rested for our trip to Kentucky the next morning!
I have to say that Tennessee is incredible. We loved it so much. If we ever leave Texas, which we never plan on doing, then that is where you will find us. At the base of the Smoky Mountains!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment