Our Last Day

Tennessee – 1st Trip

The purpose of this trip was not only to finally get back to traveling after we had a kid, but also to spend some time checking out the Smoky Mountains. We were quite successful at this all the way up to the last day.

Waking up to rain put a twist in our original plans for the day. We had planned on checking out Gatlinburg, then maybe some nice trails to hike. After determining we would prefer to stay dry for the day we scrambled to find a new adventure. After looking online and browsing the little handouts in the hotel lobby, we found our target, Ripley’s Aquarium.

We had to drive from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg and during the drive the wife was able to save a few dollars by booking our tickets online. Full transparency, even with the online discount the tickets are a bit spendy, though I have to admit the aquarium was well worth it. They had amazing exhibits and tunnels with moving sidewalks where you actually go under the water and get to see sharks and fish. As a side note I believe aquariums are great family hacks, and better than zoos if you have really young kids. Why you ask? The reason in my opinion, the fish are constantly moving and you are able to get very close to them. The tanks are normally well lit and often there are exhibits where you can touch sea life. The Ripley’s Aquarium did not disappoint and I would recommend it for families of all ages, but especially if you have young kids. Most activities on family trips when you have young children is geared to what the parents want to see and an aquarium is really something that engages all ages.

After the aquarium we set off to find some food. We ended up at one of the top rated bbq joints in Pigeon Forge. The restaurant was nothing fancy, but the environment made us feel very comfortable, especially with a 9 month old. I will say one of the most stressful events for my wife and I is dining out. Which is unfortunate because we love to eat out. We are extremely sensitive to the experience of the other diners and do not want to ruin it with a screaming kid. We typically carry our kids out of the restaurant and bring them back in once they calm down. Quick tip here, make sure you have some of your kids favorite toys to play with during your meal especially while you wait for food. Our waitress was super nice and made us feel right at home. It was the perfect last meal in Tennessee.

Considering Tennessee was our first long distance trip I think it went extremely well. Were there some things which could have went better, of course. We were supposed to have a fridge in the room which was not there at first, we struggled with weather, and one night with a sick parent. All that being said we had an amazing time and felt confident we could travel again, maybe even further.

Johnny’s Words of Wisdom – Be flexible: I know all of my advice seems so obvious at first, but I have found it difficult to implement in practice. We had to be flexible on this trip switching up our last day to an indoor activity, and not a cheap one. Although this ended up working out great for us I would highly recommend having some backup plans in mind in advance, no matter where you are going. Understanding your options, related costs, and time required in advance will help to relieve some stress when things don’t go your way.