We had a blast on our latest Tennessee trip. What could be more exciting than spending a week in the mountains of Tennessee?
Back in September of 2004, to get away from the Florida hurricanes we decided to take a trip to Tennessee. It was a fun trip, but we managed to get right in the path of hurricane Ivan. So, we were able to experience all three hurricanes that struck Florida in the summer of 2004.
But, back to the Tennessee trip...
Our reason for this particular trip was to look for some property to build a cabin and to look into the cabin rental market.
As we arrived at the first rest stop in North Carolina, in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, we were greeted by the nice little dog you see in the picture above. You just know you are entering God's country when you get to this rest stop on I-40.
The grass is green, the air is fresh, the sky is blue and you're on your way to Tennessee, yahoo!
Our first overnight stop on our Tennessee trip was in Gatlinburg. It was nice to walk around town that evening and just look at some of the sights. This wasn't our first trip to Gatlinburg so we were pretty familiar with the sights and sounds of the town.
We do love Gatlinburg but honestly, it is a very commercialized area. There are some wonderful, unique little shops in town, like The Village, but you do have to scout around a bit.
The next morning we rode through the Artist's Community just outside of Gatlinburg. The 8 mile loop around the community features shops, artist's studios, galleries, cafes and accommodations.
You can spend all day in this one little section of Gatlinburg just browsing through the shops. Spend all day browsing if you like, just make sure that at the end of the day you stop by Paul Murray's Gallery. If you miss Paul's gallery on your next Tennessee trip, you've missed what Tennessee is all about.
On our second leg of the Tennessee trip we drove 3 hours to bustling metropolis of Dunlap Tennessee. Well, Dunlap is not really a metropolis, it's a quaint little town about 30 minutes north of Chattanooga.
While in Dunlap we looked at some of the nicest mountain property you will ever see. If you are looking for some land in Tennessee to build your own cabin you must have a look at what the Wagner brothers are doing on Fredonia Mountain.
Our adventure continued the next day as we drove 3 hours back to the Gatlinburg area and stayed in a nice, secluded cabin outside of Townsend Tennessee. While in Townsend for three days we went to the postcard setting of Cades Cove.
If you miss Cades Cove TN while traveling in the southeastern part of the United States, you've missed one of the most picturesque locations in North America.
Since we spent 3 nights in Townsend we had plenty of time to look around the area and explore fun things to do.
The highlight of our Tennessee trip was visiting the Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer shop and then getting to listen to the down home Tennessee mountain music later that evening.
On the backside of little dulcimer shop in Townsend Tennessee was the setting for a wonderful evening of music, relaxation and fun. It was a great way to end our September 2004 vacation in Tennessee.
These kind of memories are what will keep us coming back again and again to Tennessee. We hope you too will plan a Tennessee trip and visit some of these exciting places. Maybe we will see you on our next Tennessee trip!
Keep visiting www.vacation-cabin-rental.com for continued updates on traveling to Tennessee.
