06-23-2020, 08:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-23-2020, 08:40 PM by Mystic Wanderer.)
I was raised in the foothills of the beautiful Smoky Mountains in Tennessee, USA.
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![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.dollywood.com%2Fwp...f=1&nofb=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.dollywood.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F07%2FWE-TrackShot2.jpg&f=1&nofb=1)
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![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gannett-cdn.com%2F-...f=1&nofb=1]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gannett-cdn.com%2F-mm-%2F76171f5df1acca00d70e5e1b2371ed335b186040%2Fc%3D0-0-549-413%2Flocal%2F-%2Fmedia%2F2016%2F04%2F29%2FCarolinaGroup%2FAsheville%2F635975201608573848-Smokies---abrams-loop---falls-from-side---1.jpg%3Fwidth%3D540%26height%3D405%26fit%3Dcrop&f=1&nofb=1)
We had all kinds of critters in the forests surrounding my childhood home. I think we even had a Bigfoot at one time, but that's another story.
The Smoky Mountains attracts thousands of tourists each year. Dolly Parton has several attractions in Piegon Forge, and Gatlinburg offers cabins in the mountains and many things to do in it's small town shops.
This is the tram at Ober Gatlinburg that offers rides to view breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains:
Piegon Forge is nestled in a valley amid majestic mountains. It's more of a tourist town with shops, theaters for live shows, child attractions, water slides, and lots of other fun things to do.
This city experienced a devastating fire that made world news a couple of years ago. They have just about recovered, I think.
Dollywood is separate from the town, but very close by. Dollywood is a major attraction for the Smoky Mountains all by itself. It recently opened the longest and highest roller coaster in the world (or maybe the country ?), called Wild Eagle.
The number of things to do at Dollywood are too numerous to mention.
Dolly has live shows all year round, and even makes surprise appearances herself from time to time, but she always has a Christmas show where she performs.
Along the road going from Gatlinburg to Piegon Forge you can visit Cades Cove, which offers a beautiful scenic drive through a time forgotten, showing homes of days gone by, beautiful green fields, and if you're lucky, you'll see deer, bears, and wild turkey. They offer horses for those who wish to rent one for the hour, day, etc.
I know how lucky I am to live so close to all this beauty, and I have never taken it for granted. It has given me the food for my soul that it so desperately needs in times like we're seeing now.
If you have never experienced this type of peace, you need to make your next vacation destination be The Great Smoky Mountains; the land I love.