On The Road From Nashville to Pigeon Forge

In August of 2020, defying all the health department recommendations, we got back on a Southwest 737 and made our way to Nashville. We figured that Tennessee would provide a much needed respite from California. The trip there was flawless. Our flights were on time, each flight had a bunch of open seats, and the airports were completely empty. I look back on Summer of ’20 as the “Glory Days” (of travel). Anyway, our ultimate destination for this week was Pigeon Forge, but we had plenty of other titillating stops planned along the way.

Nashville, Tennessee

We arrived in Nashville, and spent a short amount of time driving around the suburbs looking for Taylor Swift’s home. Doug was really desperate to see it 🙂 but we were ultimately unsuccessful. While heading out of town, we noticed that the Grand Ole Opry House had just started running tours again, so paid the $35/person ticket price and joined the next backstage tour. The Grand Ole Opry is a (weekly) live country music radio broadcast that is recorded here. It is the “mecca” for those wanting to pursue a career in country music, or for those of us who are simply loyal listeners of that genre. The Opry House has only closed two times in history, once in 2010, when the Cumberland River overflowed its banks and most of Nashville was under water, and then, just recently, during the Pandemic.

Grand Ole Opry

The Grand Ole Opry members include Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash. One can only be inducted into the Opry as a member, when invited by an existing member. Guess it is time to start networking!

Our hour-long tour allowed us to walk in the footsteps of all of the afore-mentioned superstars (among others) and provided us with an exclusive look at what happens behind the scenes of the show that is responsible for making country music famous.

A favorite stop for us was the iconic circle that sits center stage here. It may seem like an ordinary piece of wood, but it is actually a tribute to the Ryman Auditorium – the venue that was replaced in 1974 by the Grand Ole Opry House when it was determined a larger venue was necessary, and one with air conditioning. Greg and Roy both got a chance to stand on the treasured six-foot circle of hardwood. Now if only one of ’em could sing…

Chattanooga Aquarium

From Nashville we were off to Chattanooga and the Chattanooga Aquarium. This Aquarium is situated on the Tennessee River and is comprised of two buildings, one primarily for saltwater exhibits, and the other for freshwater ones. The tickets for the aquarium were $35/person. Greg was particularly excited to visit “Penguin Rock” where he got to see the Gentoo and Macaroni penguins in action. Roy preferred standing inside a real shark cage. We don’t typically purchase souvenirs, but caved and bought “Snuggles” (“Buggles”, “Duggles”,…you get the picture), the sea turtle for Greg, and super cuddly “Ray” the Sting Ray for Roy.

Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls

From the moment we headed east on I-24 out of Nashville, we saw advertisements for Lookout Mountain and Ruby Falls. Apparently, these signs have been attracting tourists since my dad was a kid, as he remembers them as well. Clearly the marketing campaign worked, as we stopped to experience the “natural beauty and breathtaking views” of Rock City and Ruby Falls both located on this “historic” Mountain. (The quotes highlighting all the marketing lingo.)

We opted to take a tour to Ruby Falls and descend the 260 feet down (by a glass-front elevator) to see the tallest and deepest underground waterfall, open to the public, in the United States. Our tour guide was NOT in the mood to be touring that day, nor did he appreciate the (many) questions that Roy was directing his way. This really entertained Doug and I, which wasn’t helping the situation.

Note: I recommend skipping the tours here and saving yourself the $26/adult, and $16/child price of admission.

Titanic Museum and Pigeon Forge

We next headed to Pigeon Forge as we had tickets for the Titanic Museum. Upon arrival, each of us was given an actual boarding pass, allowing us to take on the persona of one of the actual passengers aboard the doomed ship. Exploring the museum, we were able to play on the 1900’s Grand Piano, take the wheel on the Captain’s Bridge, and walk down the Grand Staircase. We also got the chance to touch the 28 degree water, (Greg was unfazed), sit in the lifeboats, and then feel what it was like to stand on the deck of the ship at a 45 degree slope.

After walking through the 400 different Titanic artifacts, we learned the fate of the passengers that each of us represented. Doug was an officer who went down with the ship, Greg and I were third-class passengers both of which managed to survive, and Roy was a first-class passenger who survived the sinking of the TItanic, but was then hit by a car while riding his bicycle at age nine. Well, that was sad and depressing. Anyway, we next headed to the The Inn at Christmas Place, our hotel for the next few nights.

The Inn at Christmas Place

This unique Christmas themed hotel is located right in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. The picturesque Bavarian architecture, lushly landscaped gardens, and beautifully appointed accommodations (all decked out for Christmas year round), have awarded it the title of “The 15 Coolest Kid-Friendly Hotels in the World”. While staying there, we wrote letters to Santa, sat on Santa’s Lap, had milk and cookies, sang Christmas carols, and had a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt — all in the middle of August. It certainly extended the season!

Dollywood

Our first full day in Pigeon Forge, was spent at Dollywood. Dollywood, and the adjacent Dollywood Splash Country, are theme parks (with immaculate landscaping) that are partially owned by country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. They both supplied us with everything you would expect from an amusement park and a water park. No additional commentary necessary.

We spent the following day in Gatlinburg, first with a multi-hour wait for Hillbilly (mini) Golf. Hillbilly Golf is a unique experience that includes an incline rail-car up the side of the mountain to an 18-hole (all downhill) golf course. Apparently black bears frequent the course, so there is that to contend with as well. After golf, we had brunch at the Pancake Pantry.

We wanted to do (at least) one hike in the Smokey Mountains, so we selected the short hike to Cataract Falls. This trail, which is less than ten minutes from downtown Gatlinburg, is a 3/4 mile (roundtrip) trek that is suitable for young kids. In fact, even my mom would have managed it.

Sugarlands Riding Stables

The kids were both wanting to ride on a horse, so we visited Sugarlands Riding Stables to take a horseback ride through the Smokies. The kids were each given a horse, and a guide, who, with his thick accent, the kids labeled their own personal “Mater” (from Lightening McQueen). “Mater” was great with both them, teasing them the entire time. Greg and Roy were in heaven.

We finished our trip through Tennessee with Dolly Parton’s Stampede and Dinner Show. This was a patriotic, high-energy show with thirty-eight magnificent horses and a cast of top-notch riders. It is too bad they can’t just sell tickets to the Stampede and scrap the dinner part. The food was inedible.

The next morning we caught a flight back to California, just in time to go back to “in person school”, it just wouldn’t be in a public school.