Galavanting in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

I was in desperate need of  a weekend getaway.  We decided to spend a weekend in the Smokies.  The drive was very simple from Nashville and it was only about four hours.  The worst part of the drive was getting into Gatlinburg from Pigeon Forge.  It reminded me of sitting in the traffic on the strip in Las Vegas.  It took us 45 mins to go 8 miles.  Make sure you are in no rush because you will be waiting. 

Ripleys Believe it or Not Aquarium

Our first stop of the day was Ripley’s Aquarium.  It cost about $45 for admission into the aquarium.  I do think that it was a pretty stiff price for an aquarium.  I do think it is very much geared toward children.  They had a large play area and tanks that kids could crawl under that let them be in the middle of the tanks. The only one that adults could fit is the penguin area which of course I had to try!  It was worth crawling through the tunnel. The next thing that I absolutely loved about this place was the underwater conveyor belt. You could stand on a moving escalator under the exhibit that contains multiple species of shark and fish.  There were not as many tanks as I usually see but they did have areas where you could touch and feed aquatic life.  You could touch jellyfish, stingrays, and feed baby sharks.   I think this was a good way to break up the day. 

Sky Bridge

Our next stop was the Sky Bridge.  You ride a sky lift up the side of a mountain and look out to some really pretty scenary. You then get cross the suspension bridge which is the longest suspension bridge in North America and has 30 feet of a glass bottom.  It cost about $30 dollars.  What I absolutely loved about this attraction is that you can go on it throughout the day.  We left and came back at different times of times of the day which really helped justify the cost. 

Sugarland Moonshine Tasting

This was a suggestion we got from someone and had to try it.  It was only $5.  You stand around a U-shaped bar.  They tell you about the moonshine you are tasting and letting you know what to compare it to.   You get to taste 10 different flavors.  We have a bartender named Sug and she was hilarious.  My favorite flavors were the blackberry moonshine and the banana pudding flavor is amazing. 

The Doughnut Fryer

Our last stop of the day was this place.  We bought some doughnuts for the next day to eat.  This place is a cash only but they do have an ATM machine in the place in case you forget.  The doughnuts were pretty good.  I bought two doughnuts for $5 so it was pretty reasonable.  They were pretty good and a great breakfast treat.