Author: thetinyhousetravelers

On one of the weekdays, John took the truck into town to work so Angel could have the car to visit Graceland. Neither of us are huge Elvis fans (for a multitude of reasons that we won’t get into here) but Angel’s Grandma and our nieces are crazy about him and Angel figured she couldn’t visit Memphis without a visit to the home of the King. While this was actually one of the more expensive day ventures we have done during our travels (parking plus admission was just under $100, plus lunch and souvenirs), it was really neat and there was SO MUCH to do.

The Graceland Mansion tour was really interesting Guests are assigned a time to board the shuttle to the mansion and is handed a headset while in line. As visitors ride the bus to the mansion, they are prompted to start the audio guide, which is hosted by John Stamos. You are able to progress through the mansion mostly at your own speed and are prompted to choose the corresponding audio selections that match each room. While Elvis was alive, the upstairs of the home was considered the private residence for himself and his family and that is still respected to date- guests are not permitted in the upstairs areas.

The main floor consists of a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, Elvis’s parents’ bedroom and bath, and of course the famous “Jungle Room”. The basement has a billiards room and entertainment room. It’s funny because when you hear “Graceland Mansion” and “Home of the King of Rock and Roll”, you kind of expect the mansions we see belonging to the stars of today- extravagant, giant palaces – but that isn’t the case. The house wasn’t that large or imposing and the inside, which was definitely very dated as it hasn’t changed since The King lived there in the 1970s, wasn’t really that flashy.

The house does sit on a large piece of property however and there are outbuildings that are included on the tour and an equestrian barn and pastures which are not. The outbuildings include a very modest garage with an attached office where his parents worked keeping up with his various correspondence, a wing with several of his awards and other various artifacts from his life and career, a pool, and the indoor racquetball court (which contains private space upstairs and a lounge where friends could watch the matches being played).

The property also contains the graves of Elvis Presley, his maternal Grandmother Minnie Mae, his parents Gladys and Vernon, and Elvis’s grandson Benjamin Keough who passed away in 2020. Since our visit, Lisa Marie has also passed away and will be buried at Graceland as well. There is also a headstone for Elvis’s twin brother who died at birth although he is buried elsewhere.

The Graceland complex also has several buildings that house SO MANY exhibits. One building is dedicated to cars, golf carts, boats and motorcycles that Elvis owned or used throughout the years.

Another building holds costumes from The King’s movies and various performances (SO. MANY. RHINESTONE JUMPSUITS).

Another building has some of the costumes belonging to other performers who Elvis’s style has inspired since his passing. There are personal documents, furniture, photos, and even a special exhibit dedicated to his time in the military. And of course gift shops and restaurants.

Perhaps the coolest thing located at Graceland is actually visible as you drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard (but I highly recommend paying admission to go inside and visit). Here you will see the two private jets that were used by Elvis and his family. The Lisa Marie is a giant plane with dining space, entertainment space, a bedroom and a full bathroom and the Hound Dog II is a smaller plane with luxury seating for a few people. Going onboard these planes and seeing the incredibly luxurious amenities really reminds you how successful, rich and famous Elvis really was.

Graceland was definitely a worthwhile adventure – even for someone who isn’t a big fan. Even if you aren’t into that kind of music – it was amazing to see the cars, the costumes and especially the planes.

The entire time we were in Memphis, my brain would not stop playing the song “Walking in Memphis” on a loop. I had already been to Graceland, which the song mentions, and while I did not see the ghost of Elvis, I did have a nice time. We decided we couldn’t leave without visiting Beale Street which is also mentioned in the song.

I don’t know what I was expecting but Beale was definitely something else. It’s just a street located in downtown Memphis but it is closed to traffic in the evenings and as you walk up and down that strip you can hear music pouring out of every door and window. The street is lined with bars, restaurants, galleries, souvenir shops and the best candy store ever (Beale Sweets-get the unicorn fudge. You won’t be sorry!). This small area actually gave us our fist ideas of what New Orleans would be like when we finally made it there – you could just buy drinks from walkup windows at the bars and carry them up and down the streets with you. We aren’t big drinkers so we just wandered the street taking in the sights and eating candy. We made a few visits to Beale while we were in town (all for the candy shop!) and each night was a different experience. We did try a few of the restaurants which were decent but not amazing. We really just enjoyed peoplewatching.

We were so excited to be able to meet up with a few familiar faces in Memphis during our visit. Our friend Brian and his family had moved there from Ohio several years prior and had invited us over for a visit. We didn’t get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked due to John’s work schedule and Brian’s National Guard training falling during our trip but we did make it over to visit them one evening and had a great time reliving the past, sharing stories, and being entertained by their kids and their dogs. One of the harder thing about travel is not seeing any familiar faces and this was definitely a great cure for our homesickness.

For our final adventure in Memphis, we visited the Lorraine Hotel. This is the location where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated in 1968. The hotel has since been converted into a museum dedicated to the history of African Americans and their experiences in America and serves as the National Civil Rights Museum. This was a beautifully put together museum full of information and emotion and was not an experience I will soon forget. While this was a very somber and incredibly moving experience, I definitely recommend a visit.

A lot of the events depicted were hard to look at but were even harder for the people who had to live them and we owe it to them to learn from our mistakes and to work toward a better future.

I don’t want to take away from the serious nature of the Lorraine but I do want to end this post on a beautiful and hopeful note. One of my favorite unexpected things about Memphis was the incredible assortment of street art that we were able to see throughout the entire city. Some were whimsical, while others were uplifting, and some even a little confusing – but they were all stunning.

With our visit to the zoo on Saturday our weekend was already off to a great start and we decided to keep the good times rolling on Sunday. We woke up early and drove into town for breakfast at Pamela’s Diner. This is a small chain with locations around the city but we opted for the location in the Strip District. When we arrived, we were a little intimidated by the number of people waiting outside- there had to be at least 50 people there! When I went in to put our name down, though, they quoted about 25-30 minutes for a party of two. I was skeptical but they were calling our name in no time at all.

The decor was classic “diner style” and even with how busy it was it seemed very comfortable. The staff was very efficient and kept things moving pretty well inside. Our server quickly came for our orders and the kitchen was just cranking out the orders. John had the Chorizo Hash and I had the Morning After Breakfast Special. It was absolutely delicious. I know it’s a little weird but I LOVE my pancakes on the thinner side with crispy edges. When John saw that this place had crepe-style hotcakes he knew it would be right up my alley and it absolutely was. The pancakes were thin and crispy and sweet and I will dream about them for years to come. !

After breakfast, we headed over to the Allentown neighborhood to shop at an oddities and curiosities shop called The Weeping Glass. I am a little darker than most people and am very much into Halloween and all things creepy and when we read about this shop on other travel blogs and online articles we knew we had to stop.

The lady running the store was incredibly friendly and, being fairly early on a Sunday, we had the entire shop to ourselves. I loved everything there and it was a definite struggle not to max out my credit card. They had a crystals and tarot cards and feathers and amazing posters and so much more. But the items that drew my eye were in one locked case along the left-hand wall. Human bones. Now, I hope I don’t lose anyone here but I am really into bones – but not in an entirely creepy way. About a million years ago when I was an entirely different person (my early to mid 20’s), I actually was studying Forensic Anthropology in school. I had graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Forensic Science and was working towards my Bachelor’s when life threw us a curveball and I ended up having a bit of a breakdown and really reprioritizing my life. But that’s a story for another day.

So, ever since the days of studying anatomy in class and getting to hold human bones in my hands, I had been fascinated. Animal bones, human bones, weird medical devices from the past – I love it all. I already have quite a collection of animal bones (partial skeletons, mounted skeletons, and some pieces made into jewelry) and this was the perfect opportunity to take my collection to the next level because in this case were several medical specimens of real human bone. They had a pair of humerus bones, some radius and ulnas, and two scapulas. One of my favorite bones to study had been the humerus – from the ball socket at the shoulder to the grooves formed at the “elbow” end where it attaches to the bones of the lower arm- it was always one of my favorites. We ended up purchasing a left humerus and a porcupine quill before John rushed me (and my Discover card) out of the store.

After our dark shopping spree, we decided to do something a little lighter so we drove across town to Randyland. This popular tourist site is all thanks to one man, Randy, who turned one corner of this neighborhood into a work of art. The buildings are painted and the lot is full of art installations made from found objects. This man took other people’s trash and made it beautiful. It was a little overwhelming but also kind of beautiful. We only spent a short time walking through but it was definitely something I am glad we took the time to see. The creative mind that went into making this was just astounding.

Before heading home, John had one more stop planned so we drove over to Monroeville to the mall. I know, I know. The mall? That’s the thing we needed to take time to see? This mall happens to be special, though, as it served as the set for the 1978 George A. Romero film “Dawn of the Dead”. Several years ago, I became obsessed with zombie movies and tv shows so this was really something cool for us to see and it was recommended by a friend so we had to check it out. We walked through, did a little shopping, and grabbed a drink in the food court before heading home. There was a spot inside called the Living Dead Museum but it was closed when we were there.

We got back to the park just in time for the weekly Bingo game! I have never played Bingo (aside from playing in class in school occasionally as a kid) so John encouraged me to go over. We played about 10 games in all, each having one card with 6 grids on it. It cost 10 cents per grid per game and neither of us ever won but we had a great time for under $15 and met some of the regular campers at this park.

On Sunday we took care of some errand running in the morning then came back to the house to pick up Harley for a short adventure. We take her on multiple daily walks around the campground but we felt bad that she had been cooped up so much over the past few weeks so we found a nearby park and hit the trail for a short afternoon hike. Despite its name, the Tapeworm Trail at Spring Valley park was really pretty. It was lined with trees and wildflowers and was a really nice, peaceful walk through the woods. Unfortunately, it was around 80 degrees and we had been too busy to hike for the last three weeks so we got tired pretty quickly and decided to head back after about a half mile (one mile round trip).

While Harley cooled down on the couch in front of the air conditioner, John and I hit the pool. The water was so cold but once we acclimated it was really refreshing – especially with temps in the 80’s. We spent several evenings in the pool over the rest of the week and decided that we are looking forward to all the swimming we will get to do over the summer. John is also getting a taste of what life was like with me as a child as I am always ready to get in the pool but never ready to get out!

On Tuesday, John took an extra day off so we could go to see Fallingwater – a “weekend home” designed for the Kaufmann family in 1935 by famous architect/designer Frank Lloyd Wright. While we aren’t huge architecture nerds, we have visited one of Wright’s other houses and hope to visit more in the future. Fallingwater is extra special because it was built into the side of a mountain and on top of a waterfall. It has been on both of our bucket lists for years so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit.

All of the tours were booked up for the weekend and there weren’t many options left during the week, either. We ended up finding an opening for 2 people on Tuesday morning at 8:30am. From our campsite in Butler, it was about a two hour drive so we got up around 5:00am so we could be on the road by 6:00. It was a little earlier than we liked to get up – especially on our days off – but it was so worth it!

Once we arrived, we drove down a long gravel driveway, part of which was previously a logging road and was later used as the driveway for the house by the Kaufmann family. We parked and walked into the visitor’s center which was beautiful in its own right. The center is essentially a large wooden deck with various platforms radiating out from a central hub where the check-in desk is located. It is all covered but is open on the sides and really just feels like a giant tree house. There are walled in sections for the restrooms for privacy, of course, but the areas for the cafe, gift shop, and art gallery are enclosed by glass which keeps things feeling open and airy.

We met with our guide and the 8 other people on the same tour and headed off towards the house. It was about a quarter of a mile walk from the Visitor’s Center down to the house. We started off down a gently sloping boardwalk then walked the original driveway to the house. The boardwalk took us right down the cliff edge and the driveway wound its way through a small clearing and into the forest. At one point on the walk, guests have the opportunity to walk down a path to the stream which feeds the waterfall under the house. The sound of flowing water, trees limbs swaying, and birds singing is all around you.

The house comes into view after a turn in the drive. Most people have seen photos of the house from the side with the waterfall but the driveway approaches from the opposite end of the property so our first view was of the bridge that carries the driveway across the stream and over to the house. We crossed the bridge and went around to the back where the driveway squeezes between the house and the rock wall and the house.

We toured the kitchen, living spaces and terraces on the first floor then headed up to the bedrooms and corresponding terraces on the second and third floors.

We also visited the guesthouse, servants’ quarters and carport. Everything was stunning.

The Kaufmann family loved the outdoors and this house was designed with that in mind. It is built with so many windows and glass doors and skylights and terraces that the indoor and outdoor spaces blend seamlessly. There is even a stairway from the living area on the first floor that goes right down to a platform on the stream.

This house is really special because it actually contains all of the original furnishings and an incredible collection of art. All of these items were donated, along with the home and land, by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in the 1960’s so the house is as it was left by the Kaufmanns and as it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Our final stop on the tour was down a short trail from the house which comes out into a clearing across the falls from the house. This is the view that most people will be familiar with – the house looming above the breathtaking waterfall with the entire scene framed by luscious foliage.

There are so many amazing things to do around the Mill Run area – there is another Frank Lloyd Wright house called Kentuck Knob and a gorgeous park called Ohiopyle just a short distance away but, because we needed to get home to put Harley out, we had to add those things to our list of things to see on our next visit through this area.

With all of the adventuring of the past week, we were actually relieved to get back to a normal schedule starting Wednesday. We finally took the time to get laundry caught up, go grocery shopping, and do all of the boring domestic stuff that life requires. We spent a ton of time in the pool and took Harley for walks around the campground whenever the weather permitted (Harley and I both find the heat unpleasant so we do short walks when it’s too warm).

As I write this, John is working and I am getting ready to pack things up for our next move tomorrow morning which will take us from Butler, PA to Warsaw, NY (which is just about 45 minutes outside of Buffalo, New York). I am looking forward to some pool time tonight and hopefully an uneventful trip tomorrow which will end with us checking another state off of our list!

After a very stressful and busy two weeks at home, we were more than ready to leave Ohio behind and head to Pittsburgh on Saturday May 20. We got up and got ready quickly and were pulling out of the park around 10:30. We stopped off for food and gas just before crossing into Pennsylvania and arrived at Smith Grove Campground around 3:00 without any major issues. We had encountered some CRAZY rough roads around Akron and there were a few messes to clean up in the house (and several cats to comfort) but nothing too bad. It did take us several tries to get lined up in our spot due to some really uneven ground and some freshly laid gravel but we finally got it figured out and were able to level the house and get hooked up.

We drove into the town of Butler to grab some dinner and explore. We had found a decently reviewed restaurant on Yelp called Anna Marie’s Winery and Cafe that was only about 15 minutes away. I had the Grilled Steak Salad and a glass of Moscato and John enjoyed an order of Chicken Parmesan. The food was pretty good and the wine was delicious. After dinner we headed into the downtown area and took a stroll around some of the local businesses. Many had closed for the evening but we did stop in a great comic shop called New Dimension Comics to fill in some of my Firefly comic collection.

On Sunday, we spent the morning lounging around the house then decided to explore Pittsburgh for the afternoon. We got to drive through TWO tunnels (I love tunnels and bridges) and cross a few bridges on our way to the West End Overlook Park. We walked up a pathway covered by a beautiful trellis and came out to a gorgeous view of the city. John flew his drone and we got some great photos of Pittsburgh.

We decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Primanti Bro.’s in the Strip District. We got a Sweet Sausage sandwich and a Roast Beef sandwich to share. We also had to order one of their cocktails – the Duck Duck Juice (banana and raspberry liqueur, coconut rum, and more) – which came with a little rubber duck floating on top. After lunch we walked through some local shops before calling it quits for the day and heading back home for naps and relaxing.

Before we started travelling, neither of us were super into birds. John has always wanted one as a pet but hasn’t really had much interest outside of that and I am honestly a little afraid of them. Once we hit the road, I have definitely taken more of an interest in birdwatching and enjoying all of the plant and animal life around us. Because of this newfound love of birds, we decided to visit the National Aviary on Thursday – which happens to be located in Pittsburgh!

We did a little research ahead of time and found that the National Aviary offers a few animal encounter opportunities. If you know us AT ALL, you probably know that we enjoy animal encounters as often as we possibly can. We had a hard time choosing but ultimately decided on the Owl Encounter. We booked earlier this week and John took a half day so we could go. We got there around 12:30 so we had about an hour to kill so we spent a little time checking out some of the exhibits on the way to the meeting place for the experience. We also spent about an hour walking around after the encounter, too. The exhibit spaces include Canary’s Call, Condor Court, Eagle Hall, Grasslands, Penguin Point, Tropical Rainforest, and Wetlands. We got to see some really beautiful birds and were even splashed in the face by a mischievous penguin named Bettie.

At 1:30, we met with a staff member for our Owl Encounter! We were taken to an igloo shaped tent outside along with 2 other guests and were given a wonderful presentation about birds of prey and owls specifically. We learned that if humans had proportional eyes to owls, our eyeballs would be the size of softballs! We also got to touch some owl feathers – they are so incredibly soft! The softness and the fringed edges mean that when the owl flies, it is much quieter than other birds-it hardly makes any noise at all! This “stealth flight mode” along with their amazing camouflage helps owls to get the drop on prey!

After the educational presentation, we got to meet our owl! Cedar is an 8 year old Eastern Screech Owl who was found as a baby and was had raised by his rescuer, who wanted to keep him as a pet. While they did mean well, there are laws prohibiting keeping owls as pets and he was eventually surrendered and ended up at the National Aviary where he enjoys top notch care and serves as an ambassador for his species. He is absolutely adored by everyone he meets.

We all took turns wearing leather gloves and having Cedar’s handler place him on our arms. He was so light that you barely even noticed that he was there. We would have definitely felt his presence if it weren’t for the special gloves, though, as his claws were super sharp and looked terrifying. He was very calm and curious and just sat there casually examining us and the rest of the room. When our turn was up, the handler coaxed him back to her using small bits of meat (mouse, we were told) and would then hand him off to the next person. The whole experience was so fun and the staff did a great job of educating us about owls and making sure that we all had plenty of time to spend with our new friend and that we got tons of great photos.

After leaving the Aviary, we had a nice lunch at Bae Bae’s Kitchen – Tempura Veggies, Korean Fried Chicken and Beef Bulgogi before heading home to review over 700 photos that we had taken that day and spend time loving on Harley.

On Saturday, we got up early and decided to visit the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. It was about a 45 minute drive to the zoo from our park and, by the time we got ready and grabbed some breakfast, we were pulling into the park around 10:00am. It was a little busy already but I think we managed to beat most of the crowds by getting there about half an hour after they opened. We waited in line for just a few minutes for our tickets (half price thanks to our Nashville Zoo Membership!) and were quickly on our way.

The entrance to the zoo is at the bottom of the hill but the zoo is at the top so the first thing guests experience after getting their tickets is a very tall, very steep escalator that takes you to the top of the hill. They do have the option of an elevator for guests in wheelchairs or strollers or they also have a hiking path to the top if you like long walks up steep hills. We opted for the escalator. We also got to walk through a pretty cool tunnel once we got to the top of the hill. I am a sucker for cool bridges and tunnels.

The zoo itself was okay – not a huge selection of animals but the habitats were nicely done. We stopped to watch an educational program and were shocked to learn that the zoo is 125 years old! With the help of a few animal visitors we learned some neat facts about owls, snakes, and tortoises. We also got to see exhibits for rhinos, giraffes, several different primate species, leopards, elephants, sea lions and more!

We also really enjoyed the aquarium portion of the zoo. The building looked a little newer and more up to date than most of the rest of the park and they had a variety of aquatic life from several different environments.

Over all, we spent 3-4 hours at the zoo before coming back to the park to put Harley out and cook some dinner. We have eaten out a few times this week but have really enjoyed being home in the evenings to actually cook dinner. While we were in Ohio we didn’t really have time (or access to water) to do a lot of cooking at home and we were getting really sick of eating out. This week we enjoyed some shrimp and broccoli foil packets, the best tasting and easiest to make meatloaf, bratwurst (although trying to find a place to buy beer to boil them in was a NIGHTMARE), and some delicious salads with grilled chicken. We are also looking forward to grilling a TON over Memorial Day Weekend.

We have had a blast for our first week in Pittsburgh and are looking forward to our second week. We have some exciting (and slightly nerdy) things planned and some activities around the park to look forward to as well! Join us next week for the rest of our time in Pennsylvania.

On December 3 (John’s Birthday!) we packed up and headed to Memphis. Thankfully, we didn’t have any huge problems along the way – we had to stop briefly when the truck ran out of DEF but that was easily remedied at the gas station. John had to help wrangle the cats, however, and Pallas ended up biting through his finger and leaving him with some nasty wounds – Happy Birthday from Pallas! We washed it out and put on some Neosporin. Cat bites are absolutely no joke even though our cats are all healthy and well cared for and up-to-date on all vaccines, bites should always be monitored carefully.

We were greeted in Memphis by some of the worst driving we have ever seen. We have learned (from experience and by speaking to some friends in the area) that Memphis is something else entirely when it comes to driving. Speed limits and lane dividers seem to be merely suggestions and parking is an absolute free for all. John compares our experiences on the highway to Mad Max. We also had to drive through some pretty sketchy areas (lots of busted street lights, closed/condemned/abandoned buildings, roads with crater-sized potholes) to get to our park but once we arrived, we felt much more comfortable. Our home for the week was T.O. Fuller State Park which sits on over 1100 acres of forest. The campground is kind of in the middle of the park – down three dead end roads- and there are 2 Camp Hosts on duty plus regular ranger patrols. We had a little trouble backing into the site but thankfully a neighbor in a motorhome offered to help (maybe out of the kindness of his heart, maybe because he was afraid we would run into his rig) and we were quickly settled in our spot. The campground was kind of oval shaped off of the entrance road and we were at the very back of the loop under some trees and near some wooded hiking paths. We had a few neighbors off and on during our stay but were mostly one of only a handful of people in the entire park. The center of the oval held a playground, bathhouse and laundry room and one of the camp hosts was our neighbor and we got to know him a little bit while we there.

It was really a quiet, beautiful spot – except for the fact that we had ZERO CELLPHONE OR INTERNET SERVICE!!!!!

One thing that a lot of people tend to forget is that we are not, in fact, on permanent vacation. John works from home Monday through Friday from about 8am to 4pm EST (7-3 Central Time, which is where Memphis is located). To do this, he needs internet access and a reliable phone connection. We currently have internet through T-Mobile and Verizon – just to be safe and guarantee that wherever we are, we can get a connection. Neither worked here. Even after spending around $500 on a cellphone signal booster. John was fortunate to find a co-op space where he could rent a desk for his two weeks in town. The downside to this is that he now had to get up even earlier than usual and make the 25-minute commute into downtown Memphis every day. We didn’t feel safe taking the truck into the city (plus it is hard to maneuver due to its size and gets really low gas mileage) so he drove the Kia. This means that Angel was left at home with no internet or phone access and no real means of getting out of the park during the day. To make matters worse – it rained almost every day. Not a nice, warm sprinkle. A gloomy, cold downpour. Our two weeks in Memphis were certainly one of the hardest times we have had for our mental health but we still managed to have some a little fun and go on a few adventures.

Our first meal in Memphis was Gus’s Fried Chicken with greens and fried okra and a slice of chess pie for dessert. It wasn’t the best we’ve ever had (that would probably be Miss Mary Bobo’s in Lynchburg, TN) but it was pretty damn good and was a great way to end our move day.

We also discovered that right inside of the T.O Fuller State Park was an archaeological site called Chucalissa Indian Village. This Native  American village was founded around 900 AD overlooking the Mississippi River and was discovered quite by accident when workers began digging to install a pool for the nearby campground. From there, it became a protected site and has been excavated and maintained  by the University of Memphis since the 1960’s.

While I don’t usually like driving the truck around “just for kicks”, I decided I could probably handle taking it just down the road from our campsite to the Chucalissa complex one day while John was working. When I was growing up in central Ohio we lived near Moundbuilder’s Park which was also a Native American site inhabited by a mound building society so I was very excited to visit this village. There was a small museum that had a variety of information and artifacts and then there was the village area itself. There were no active excavations going on at the time of my visit but there was a marked trail leading through the area that had signs describing what the village layout had been like and different things that had been a part of daily life there. It only took about an hour to view everything but it was still a nice little solo excursion.

John and I also made sure to visit the Memphis Zoo while we were in town. This zoo was really unique in terms of décor and we really the way exhibits were laid out. The entryway is Egyptian themed complete with hieroglyphics and statues and really made this zoo stand out from others that we had visited. This zoo was a little on the smaller side but definitely made up for it in the diversity of animal species that we got to see. They had a small but nice aquarium complex that included jellyfish and eels, a reptile building with Komodo dragons and alligators and so many beautiful snakes, elephants, hippos and bears, oh my! We really loved the lion exhibit – it was really like the lions were posing just for us. We also happened to be there on a day that they were celebrating their cheetahs and we were able to buy two paintings done by the cheetahs that live there – one for us and one to give as a gift.

The thing that really surprised us, though, was the pandas. Memphis Zoo was, at that time, home to two pandas and we got to see both of them during our visit. A few weeks after our trip there, they announced that the animals would be returning to China so we were really glad to have had the opportunity to see them. It was actually the first time I had seen pandas since I was a little girl and my great aunt and uncle had taken me to see them at our local zoo when they had them on temporary display. It really brought back memories and made me a little emotional to see them but it was so worth it!

After leaving the zoo we had dinner at Central BBQ which has to be some of the very best barbeque we have ever eaten. We got so much food because we wanted to try as much as possible and it was quite nice because we had plenty of leftovers for the next day. If you ever have a chance to eat at Central, you have to stop in. So damn good.

We also had a chance to face our fears in Memphis. A friend had told us that we should absolutely visit the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid while we were in town. Neither of us are hunting or fishing folks so we hadn’t really shopped at a Bass Pro Shops store before but our new lifestyle definitely had us spending more time outside so we decided to give it a shot. This location, in addition to being a store, is shaped like a pyramid and has an elevator that you can take up to the restaurant and observation deck at the top of the 321 ft tall building. The pyramid is the 10^th biggest pyramid in the world and is 535,000 sq ft and includes, in addition to the retail space and restaurant, a hotel and pistol and archery ranges. Watch where you walk because the floor space also features several ponds with fish, ducks, and even alligators.

We paid the $10 each to take the elevator up to the top to the observation deck. The ride up was terrifying for me (I am afraid of elevators). The walls of the elevator are glass so as you go up you can look out and see the store displays and other shoppers getting smaller and smaller. It didn’t help that the base of the elevator was in the alligator exhibit so even if the elevator crashed and you managed to survive the fall you would find yourself surrounded by sharp-toothed reptiles whose space you had just invaded.

We survived the trip to the top and walked out on the glass observation deck. Now it was John’s turn to feel sick. He has a serious fear of heights so the glass bottomed deck hanging out over nothingness was a bit much for him. He elected to stay back up against the building while I walked out to the railing and enjoyed a beautiful view of the city below. We were even able to catch a glimpse of the Mighty Lights light show on the Hernando de Soto bridge. It was rainy and very cold and windy that high up so we took the elevator back down, finished our shopping and headed home for the evening.

One of our Facebook followers recommended we check out a place in Memphis called Mud Island. Mud Island today is very different than it was in years past but we still had a really fun time exploring. This island is a small island that sits in the middle of the Mississippi River. There are houses and shops at one end which is accessible by bridge and the other end used to be a really unique park and was accessible by monorail or footbridge. This is the end we chose to visit. Sadly, the monorail doesn’t run anymore but the footbridge over the monorail track is open to the public and provides great views of the island and the river. Mud Island Park features a scale replica of the entire Mississippi River that runs throughout the park. The river is a cool water feature that starts at one end near the monorail station near the middle of the island and flows down towards the southern point of the island where it dumps into a giant pool representing the Gulf of Mexico. The banks of the scale river are a topographical map of the actual areas surrounding the Mighty Mississippi and if you follow along it has maps of some of the larger cities that the Mississippi passes through. While guests can still visit the park, everything is mostly closed. The stores and restaurants that once filled the train station and the area around the river are all locked up, some of them boarded up, and the water has been drained from the water features. We rented e-bikes and rode the entire length of the park but only saw a handful of other people. The mostly empty park and the empty, dilapidated storefronts largely resemble an apocalyptic movie set. I seriously expected to round a corner and find a zombie horde at any moment. I could just imagine what this place looked like in its heyday, with tourists streaming off the monorail and strolling along the water feature sipping lemonade and licking ice cream cones. I could almost hear the sound of kids laughing echoing off the empty walls. It felt so haunted. I hope that one day the city receives the funding to restore this park to its former glory.

Perhaps one of the weirdest things we did in Memphis (which is saying something because we did several strange things) was visiting the Peabody Hotel for the Duck March.  Yes, ducks. These ducks (known as the Peabody Ducks) live in a Duck Palace on the roof of the hotel and spend each day in the lobby fountain. They walk from their palace to the elevator, ride down to the lobby, and walk the red carpet to the fountain every day at 11am and reverse the routine each night at 5pm. The Duck March is a super popular event and has been a Peabody Hotel tradition going back to the 1930’s. We attended the March but were unable to get pictures of the ducks walking from the elevator to the fountain (you have to get there at least an hour early to get a good spot and we got there about 15 minutes prior) but we made sure to visit them and say hello once they were settled in for the day.

While all of this was definitely exciting, we still had more exploring to do. Be sure to check out our next post for the conclusion of our Memphis stay – Graceland, Beale Street, and the National Civil Rights Museum.

We kept up our busy schedule on Sunday by moving from our last minute, temporary home in Plain City to the campground we had reserved in Delaware, OH. We were really excited because the trip was only about 36 minutes and since we hadn’t spent any time at home since arriving in Ohio we didn’t really have anything that needed packed up. I ran out for some McDonald’s (it was so nice to have food options about 5 minutes away again!) in the morning, came home and ate, then hit the road. The drive was short and uneventful (Thank goodness). We checked in at Alum Creek State Park and found our spot fairly quickly.

Our first fun surprise for the week came pretty quickly after we started setting up when we realized that our site has no water hookup. When John went back through and looked at our reservation, it shows that there is water available within 50 feet. We took that to mean that there was a water hookup but what it actually meant is that there is a water fountain on the site next to ours (which turned out to be broken). We expected not to have sewer hookups but were not prepared to go without water for the next two weeks. We had previously purchased a collapsible bladder that can be used to haul water but we didn’t have everything necessary to hook up the bladder so we started making a shopping list for Home Depot.

We had made plans to have dinner on Sunday night with my best friend and her husband at one of my favorite local restaurants, Huli Huli Tiki Lounge, located in Powell, OH. We swung by Home Depot to pick up a few things and our storage unit to drop off a few things and were on our way to eat. We had a lovely dinner and a fun time catching up but didn’t get home in time to set up the water bladder that night. So it would be another night of no water for us.

On Monday, we showered in the shower houses at the campground and got started with our busy week. John worked from home so I took the car into town for my errands for the day: dropping off a fecal sample to the vet for Harley on the way to my dentist appointment at 9:30am, a little shopping, Harley’s vet appointment at 2:00, and John’s Lasik consultation at 5:30. We had been experiencing some car trouble for the past few weeks and were just hoping to make it back to Ohio to get the car taken care of and while I was out it died on me several times. While I was running around in the afternoon, John was making arrangements to take the car to a mechanic and get a rental car so we added: “Drop car off at shop” and “Pick up rental car” to our to-do list for the day. John was able to use a service called Turo to rent a Tesla for cheaper than a standard car would have been through a rental company like Enterprise. I was a little hesitant about getting a Tesla but was very curious about it so I was looking forward to picking it up. Unfortunately, picking up the rental car was scheduled at 4:30pm across town from John’s appointment at 5:30. It was hectic but we made it.

John’s Lasik consultation went well and we set a date for surgery for Friday. We did a little shopping at Easton then headed to the grocery. Challenge #2 of the week hit us as we were getting out of the car at Kroger. Somehow, we had lost the “key” to the Tesla (an access card that is placed on the console to start the car but can then be moved and this must be when we lost it). At this point, I was already stressing out because, while the Tesla was really nice, I was absolutely confident that I would not be able to figure out how to drive it and was panicking about having to drive it to run errands until we could get our Kia back. Now we had lost the key and were stranded at the grocery store. John was able to contact the owner of the car and get access to control the car through the phone app. New key cards are $35 so the owner agreed to invoice us for the cost and allow us to continue using the app for the remainder of our rental period.

Starting the Tesla with the app, we picked up our Kia and dropped it off at the mechanic for it to get checked out the next day and John drove us home in the Tesla. For anyone who hasn’t ever been in a Tesla, they accelerate very quickly and, for anyone who gets carsick, this can be a very unfun experience. The car also had been cleaned thoroughly and had a very powerful air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. This is great for overall customer experience. This is not so great if you are a person who is super sensitive to smells and gets migraines from certain fragrances. (ME!)

By the time we made it home, I was exhausted. It had been a stressful day and I had another busy day scheduled for Tuesday. I was feeling very sick from the car ride but had to give one of our cats, Poe, a sedative for his vet visit the next morning. John and I were already having a little tension because I was definitely not feeling the Tesla and was a upset that he had made the decision on what vehicle to rent without consulting me (he had always wanted to drive a Tesla and this was the perfect opportunity but he wasn’t the only one that had to drive it) so we had gone our separate ways upon getting back in the house and I was left to medicate the cat on my own. Neither Poe nor myself was excited about this happening but usually I am able to get it done. This time, he went crazy and clawed by arm, bit my hands and tried to go for my face. I was so frustrated that I threw the syringe, screamed at EVERYONE in my immediate vicinity, and left a voicemail for the vet cancelling the appointments for the next day. I laid in bed for a while, crying and bleeding from many scratches and bite wounds, before yelling at John, “I’m fine by the way! Thanks for asking!” and falling asleep angry.

John went into the office the next morning and I stayed home to work on some stuff around the house. We hadn’t had time to get the water hooked up (yet again) but I did manage to gather a few more things to take to storage and put away some of the packages we had picked up from family members when we first got to town. After work, John came to get me and we had a nice talk while he drove us to “niece #2″s band concert. I apologized for losing my temper and he apologized for not consulting me about the car rental and not checking on me after my wrestling match with Poe the night before. Poe did not apologize for anything and feels absolutely no remorse.

John also let me know that the mechanic couldn’t replicate the issue with the car dying so John had to go back over there and demonstrate the issue for them and they said they would look at it the next morning so we still had no idea what was wrong, how much it was going to cost, or how long we would be without our car.

We made it to the concert and got to see some family again. Being a former band geek, I was super proud of my little oboe player!

John enjoyed showing off the Tesla to my dad and I had a SUPER FUN AND NOT AT ALL INFURIATING AND UPSETTING car ride with my sister. There isn’t enough time in the world for me to explain all of our issues but we do not get along and seeing her was not something I had wanted to do while in town. This was really shaping up to be a great visit back home.

Wednesday brought another doctor’s appointment and another unpleasant surprise. It turns out that one of the medications I have been on for several years causes health problems (which I have experienced for several years) and there aren’t great options for alternatives. Add a little more anxiety to my plate.

We ran some more errands but finally got home in time for John to get our water hooked up! This portable bladder can be unfolded in the back of the truck, filled up at any water source, and hauled back to our campsite. From there, it hooks up to a water pump and can be used for our shower and sink in the house. Once it is no longer needed, it can be emptied, folded back up and stored away for another time.

It was so nice to have one stressor off of my plate (and to be able to do dishes for the first time in a week!). We also got word from the mechanic that the issue with our car had just been some gunky oil. We were about 400 miles overdue for an oil change and had planned to get it done while we were here in town and that was the only issue. With the diagnostic, the system flush and the oil change it came to just shy of $200. An expensive oil change but, again, another issue handled and resolved. We returned the rental and picked our Kia up that evening.

I had really been looking forward to my plans on Thursday for a long time- it was New Tattoo Day! I fell in love with the work by this shop and really wanted my memorial tattoo for my Grandpa done by them so I made the appointment back in February and had been anxiously awaiting the day. John worked a half day from home then dropped me off at the Body Stain Tattoo in Columbus on his way in to the office in the afternoon. This was my biggest piece so far but I did well through the appointment and I loved the result – Ailene was an amazing artist and I can’t recommend her highly enough.

I was sitting on the sofa waiting for John to come get me when I started feeling dizzy. I had been at the studio since 1:00 and it was now going on 6:30 and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast so I figured it was just low blood sugar. They gave me an apple juice and I laid down until John came to get me. He was driving me to get a sandwich when I absolutely lost it- my vision went black, my ears started ringing and I threw up in the car. Somehow, I had the presence of mind to dump out a bag on the back seat and vomit into it so thankfully there wasn’t’ much of a mess but it still sucked. I came home, inhaled a sandwich, and went to bed.

I woke up feeling better on Friday (Thank Goodness) and was able to take John to his Lasik surgery at 1:30. I did a little shopping while he was inside and the whole thing went so quickly that we was already done as I was pulling in the garage to get him. I brought him home and, per instructions from the doctor, he slept for several hours. I woke him up to eat some dinner and he was already seeing super well. John woke up feeling well and seeing great the next morning. We were amazed at the immediate improvement and so was the doctor when we went back for his follow-up at 7:45 on Saturday. Aside from having to use eye drops for several weeks and sleep in sunglasses for a week, he was able to get back to normal life immediately.

We spent Saturday morning at Butternut Farms Wildcat Sanctuary where I used to volunteer. Leaving Butternut was one of the hardest things about moving away to live our traveling life and it was great to see the animals again. I have kept up with Rick, the man who runs it, during our travels but it was wonderful to see him in person and get some snuggles from the cats.

After our visit to Butternut, we met with some former coworkers of mine from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for lunch at Red Robin. We had a great turnout and it made my heart happy to see so many friendly faces at once. I wish we had more time to talk to everyone but I definitely walked out of there with a smile on my face and a lightness in my heart.

Mother’s Day happened to fall during our time in town so we stopped by my parents’ house on Saturday evening for a visit with my Mom, Dad and Grandma and then spent Sunday morning with my Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law for our belated Christmas gift exchange and Mother’s Day brunch. We also got to spend time with John’s Aunt, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents at a cookout on Sunday evening.

Our second week in town brought on more “dates” with friends. We had dinner with John’s best friend and her wife on Monday night, I had lunch with a friend on Tuesday, and we had dinner and a movie with friends on Friday night which was an awesome way to end our visit. We enjoyed food from our favorite restaurants while in town, too! We had Mongolian Beef from Molly Woo’s, popcorn from Al’s Delicious Popcorn, Lobster Roll Sliders from Coastal Local, Stir-fry Shrimp from Mr. Hibachi, The Sticky Maple and the Five and Dime from Maple Street Biscuit Company, and a Lobster Roll and fried dumplings from Huli Huli Tiki Lounge. We have had some amazing food on the road but we really missed some of our favorites from home.

With the second week being less insane we were finally able to get some house cleaning done, catch up on dishes and laundry, and just be together for a little while. It was nice to be home but we are absolutely itching to get on the road again just so we can relax a little bit! Next stop- Pittsburgh!

Wednesday (November 30^th) we had another full day. We started the day at the Country Music Hall of Fame. We enjoyed seeing some of the incredible outfits and costumes worn by classic country music stars over the years and it was really cool learning about singers that our grandparents used to talk about listening to in their childhoods. We purchased the audio tour but we found that just reading the display information and moving at our own pace worked better for us. We were amazed at the variety of artifacts in the museum – from the flashy clothes and boots to trophies and awards and even a gold plated Cadillac that once belonged to Elvis Presley. It was unbelievable that this car had a television in it all the way back in Elvis’ day.

Housed in the same building as the Hall of Fame is Hatch Show Print. This company has been in business since 1879 and has printed concert/show fliers for some of the biggest names in entertainment – including Elvis Presley and Dolly Parton and regular advertisements for the Grand Ole Opry- and are still printing using the same methods and standards that they were working with over 100 years ago. Don’t think you can email them an order or shop online – all orders must be hand delivered to the shop, mailed or faxed. Seeing the presses in action was really something special. We also did the tour – an option that can be done individually or added to your Country Hall of Fame ticket for a small upcharge- which I highly recommend. We were able to learn so much about the history of this business, see some incredible prints from amazing events, and even print a poster of our own to take home as a souvenir. And we bought the cutest Christmas decoration!

Following our time in the Hall of Fame building, we walked a short distance to the Assembly Food Hall for some lunch. We were able to try Prince’s Hot Chicken where we enjoyed a Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich – a true Nashville institution. We also had a lobster roll and Hot Crab Queso from The Dock, a seared bao from Steam Boys, and some donuts from Donut Distillery. This walk also took us by the Country Music Walk of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium (previously the home of the Grand Ole Opry), and Honky Tonk Row.

Our final activity was a show at the iconic Grand Ole Opry. After stopping by the house to put out Harley and take a short nap (we aren’t used to staying out late), we headed out. The Opry House was huge but we were surprised to find it nestled in behind a large shopping mall. That took a little bit of the magic out of it but that was quickly restored once we were inside and listening to the performers. The lineup for the evening was Connie Smith, Logan Mize, John Conlee, Louis York, Mandy Barnett, The War and Treaty, and Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell. We honestly hadn’t heard of most of the acts but we absolutely loved every single one and really enjoyed the entire experience.

We had also scheduled the behind-the-scenes tour following the show so we made our way out of our seats in the balcony and down to the front of the theater at the end of the show. We were led by a really wonderful, entertaining guide through the backstage areas, the dressing rooms, storage areas, the green room, onto the stage, and into the on-site recording studio. Being involved in theater in high school, we had both been backstage a few times but this was such a different experience. The dressing rooms were so luxurious – just standing at the doorway looking in made us feel like stars. Each room has a different theme (some dedicated to former Opry stars like Porter Wagoner, Minnie Pearl, and Little Jimmy Dickens) and the green room was fancy but very comfortable. We learned that the Opry has its own little post office where Opry members each have their own mailbox and can receive their mail. Of course Dolly Parton’s box was fairly full. Our guide also pointed out the box belonging to Trisha Yearwood which was mostly empty because the mail had just been picked up a few days prior by Mr. Trisha Yearwood – aka Garth Brooks! While we were standing in the post office, we also got to see a dress worn by Loretta Lynn which, due to the alarming number of rhinestones and sequins, weighed over 60lbs by itself. It’s hard to imagine tiny little Loretta being able to move under all of that! And, while we were all still in shock from the beautiful surroundings, Loretta’s dress, and the beautiful portrait of Saint Dolly watching over us – Emmylou Harris walked right on by on her way out for the night. She greeted us with a smile and a wave!

While we both grew up on country music, we had gotten away from it in the past decade or so but this definitely brought back some great memories and we had an awesome time. This experience was absolutely the best way to say “Farewell, for now!” to the Music City.

Saturday (November 26) was again moving day. This time we were only going a short distance from Wartrace, Tennessee to the Grand Ole RV Resort in Goodlettsville, Tennessee just outside of Nashville. Check in time wasn’t until 4pm and the drive was only about an hour and 40 minutes so we planned to leave around 215. Somehow, with all the downtime of the last two weeks and the late departure, we still managed to be running late. John was busy finishing up his solution to the mini-split problem – cutting a hole in our house. This would allow the mini split to be housed under the living room area in the ”garage” space instead of being bolted to the back of the house (because that plan DID NOT WORK as we found out in the middle of the highway just outside Louisville when it abruptly fell off) while still giving it enough ventilation to run. By creating a separate compartment for it and sealing that off, it also keeps the house fairly well insulated and the installation of two vents stops any curious critters from getting into the house or storage space while still letting in air for the mini-split to function. We finally got everything squared away and got on the road.

Once we got parked and went to release all of the krakens (cats) from their carriers and secure areas (we let Pallas, Herald and Poe stay in the house under the couch during this trip while everyone else rode in the cars), we discovered that only Pallas and Herald had been secured under the couch and Poe was nowhere to be found. The house is only so big but it still took us a long while to find him. Apparently, he snuck out of the space under the couch while we were wrangling everyone else and hid in the bedroom closet. Before leaving we wedged the laundry basket and John’s desk chair against the closet doors, not realizing he was in there, so he spent the drive tucked in amongst our clothes. We were scared to death but he didn’t seem to have minded his experience at all. We did lose a piece of hose out of the back of the truck that goes to our portable gray water tank during the drive but thankfully that was the worst of our issues this time.

We arrived at Grand Ole RV Resort in Goodlettsville just as the sun was setting (do you notice a pattern with us?) and stopped to check in at the office/store. The staff was so nice! They let you know your lot assignment upon arrival and someone in a golf cart escorts you to your site and even helps you back in. They were still friendly after John accidently ran over a pole marking the site and a pile of rocks and even hung around a few minutes to ask about and admire the tiny house (or maybe to make sure we weren’t going to break any more of their stuff). While the campgrounds was a little disappointing on first glace (mostly gravel with very little grass or trees, campsites practically on top of each other), this is actually one of the nicer places we have stayed in terms of amenities. The office has a little store inside with camping accessories, snacks, drinks and a few souvenirs and a coin operated laundry with 4 washers and 4 dryers that only cost $2 per load! Every day, they serve breakfast from 8am to 10am offering standard fare (eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, oatmeal, etc) at very reasonable prices. Each night, dinner (served 5:30 to 7:30pm) was a different theme : Monday is Lasagna with salad, Taco Tuesday, Beef tips and Noodles on Wednesday, Spaghetti and Salad on Thursday, BBQ with beans and potato salad on Friday, Saturday is Taco Soup, and Sunday is Chicken and Dumplins with Applesauce and Biscuit – each for $10 or less. They also had full water, electric, and sewer hookups (something we hadn’t experienced at any park yet)!

At first, we were a bit concerned about only having one week in Nashville but John took vacation for the week and we figured we would get to do everything we wanted at a leisurely pace. Of course, that means that Angel had to come down with a sinus infection. We still managed to do almost everything we wanted, balancing days of running ourselves ragged with a few rest days squeezed in.

Our first full day in Nashville happened to fall on the weekend of their monthly flea market, which is consistently rated one of the top on the country. We don’t have a ton of room in the tiny house but we still enjoy browsing and seeing what neat things we can find. This was a smaller flea market than usual since it is winter and some of the vendors had begun packing up early because it was really cold and extremely windy but we were still able to find a few items to purchase (earrings for Angel, a t-shirt for John, and a few Christmas gifts to send back home to family).

After wandering through the flea market, Angel was feeling a little worn out due to being sick so we stopped at Twin Peaks for a quick lunch/dinner. This was a pretty big sports bar just about 15 minutes from our “home for the week” and, despite not having super high hopes, we actually enjoyed it. The premise of the restaurant is a lot like Hooters (female servers in short shorts and tight, low-cut tops) but the service was actually good and the food was very enjoyable. Angel had The Hangover (a burger with a fried egg on it) and John had the Spicy Meatball Parmesan sandwich. Neither of us have ever been very into pro-football but almost all of the televisions were tuned to the Titans-Bengals game and, while we probably should have been rooting for the Ohio team, it was kind of fun to get swept up in the excitement of over 75% of the restaurant cheering for their local team.

On the way home from lunch we drove by the municipal building for Goodlettsville and had to stop and check out the super cute little cottages that were decorated and sponsored by local businesses that had been set up in a Christmas Village outside. There were lights and decorations as well and it was just one of those adorable small-town things that leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

On Monday we decided to squeeze in a few things outdoors because the forecast for the rest of the week was mostly rain and we wanted to take advantage of the nice day. We drove down to the Gulch neighborhood for brunch at Biscuit Love. Angel had the Southern Benny (their play on eggs benedict but served on one of their famous biscuits and topped with ham, over easy eggs and sausage gravy) and John had the East Nasty (biscuit with fried chicken, cheddar cheese and sausage gravy) and we got the Bonuts (sugar coated biscuit donuts with lemon mascarpone and blueberry compote) to share. We decided to walk off our breakfast by exploring the neighborhood. We stopped in a few stores and did some Christmas shopping, saw some cool street art including the famous “What Lifts You” mural, and bought a sunflower from Amelia’s Flower Truck.

Then we drove over to Parnassus Books. Ever since we closed our bookstore, we really miss the small bookstore vibe and when we found out this store was owned by author Ann Patchett, we decided to make the trip to visit. We just missed seeing Ann there but were able to purchase an autographed copy of “Bel Canto” which we had both read a few years ago and John really enjoyed. The staff was so sweet and helpful and we ended up chatting with her for a few minutes about the tiny house and our travels.

We still had a few hours to kill before Harley would need to be let out again so we wrapped up our morning by driving to the Nashville Parthenon at Centennial Park. This is a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece that was built in 1897 for Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition. We opted not to go inside to view the Athena statue but did enjoy walking around the outside of the building to admire all of the beautiful carvings and strolling through the park before heading back home for a little rest and relaxation in preparation for our evening plans.

One thing that we definitely wanted to see while in Nashville was the Zoolumination event at the Nashville Zoo. We had grown up near the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio which puts on an amazing holiday light display each year called Wildlights so we were expecting a similar event at this zoo. It was something all together different. This event was more of a Chinese Lantern festival and was full of breathtaking sculptures of silk stretched over wire then lighted from within. The photos that we took do not even come close to capturing the colors and the contrast of the brightly colored lights against the darkness. The exhibits were set up throughout the majority of the park and, while most exhibits were closed, they did have one building open with fish, reptile and amphibian exhibits inside. We already had plans to come back later in the week in the day time so we weren’t too worried about missing any animals and just enjoyed a leisurely walk around the zoo enjoying the different light displays. Maybe the most unique part of the experience was that they were running their small zipline ride that evening. Normally this would just be a kind of scary kids ride but during this event, there was a long line of lights running the length of the zip line. It was only $8 per person so we decided to give it a try. While this is probably not too scary (as it is a child’s ride) in the daylight – being hauled up backwards in the dark was a little nerve-wracking. But it was really worth it to get a bird’s eye view of so many of the lights. Although we had previously purchased a Nashville Zoo membership, this was still $17 per person for admission to Zooluminations but it was money well spent. Neither of us have ever seen anything quite like this and we learned that this is the largest display of its kind in the country.

While we absolutely had an amazing day on Monday between exploring the Gulch, book shopping, visiting the Parthenon and walking the entire Nashville Zoo we were absolutely exhausted and Angel was getting sicker. We decided to take Tuesday as a rest day and got Angel a doctor’s appointment at the Kroger Minute Clinic. John did the grocery shopping while Angel was diagnosed with a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics.

We had really enjoyed our visit to the Nashville Zoo for the light display but we wanted to go back for a daytime visit to see the animals, too. Because of Angel’s history working with animals at the Columbus Zoo and at Butternut Farms, we love animals and take every opportunity for up-close animal encounters. The Nashville Zoo offers a sloth feeding experience!

We arrived at opening and met our guide for our sloth experience. We were led behind the scenes to meet Fern. We were warned that Fern can be a bit of a diva and does not like to be touched but she was definitely in the mood to eat! Sloths spend most of their lives hanging upside down in the trees of the rainforest so Fern was hanging from a perch in the middle of the room. She has been trained to hang onto the perch with all 4 feet and will be rewarded with food treats when she exhibits this behavior. Fern did fairly well with this but grew a little impatient for her treats at times and would reach out to us and her trainer for them. She definitely had a bit of an attitude but we really enjoyed our visit with her. This experience was a bit expensive ($150 per person for non-Nashville Zoo members) but most of the fee goes towards conservation programs to help sloths, as Fern is an ambassador for her species. Please keep in mind that interactions hosted by AZA accredited zoos are much different than “pay to play” animal experiences with your average Joe Exotic. Fern lives in a top-notch facility that is subject to regular inspection and review and is cared for by a team of experts. She is given the option of participating every day that she works (if she doesn’t voluntarily go into her carrier to come to the interaction room, she isn’t forced and can remain in her habitat all day) and only works 2-3 days per week.

Following our time with Fern, we were able to explore the rest of the zoo on our own. We loved the setup of the zoo – it occupies a smaller space within the city but uses the elevation changes in the terrain and a wonderful bamboo forest to make the best use of the space. At times, you feel like you really are all alone in a bamboo jungle and can forget that the next exhibit (and gift shops, restrooms, and concession stands) are just around the next corner. Some animals that we really enjoyed seeing were the Hyacinth Macaws and Meerkats. The Red Pandas were very active and the tiger exhibit was set up so that the animals had a great napping spot right up against the glass so guests could get a great look.

I think maybe the best part was the Kangaroo exhibit. Like other zoos, we were able to walk into the exhibit with the animals as long as we stayed on a pathway. Unlike other zoos we have visited, we were permitted to touch the kangaroos if they approached us. It was a beautifully cool day and there weren’t many other guests so we were able to sit quietly on the path and allow the animals to get used to us. Some were wary (or napping) but a few did come closer to check us out. John was able to make friends with a small kangaroo who actually came right up to him, sniffed him, tried to pickpocket him, and nuzzled into John’s armpit. Angel had touched a kangaroo pelt before but it was an educational tool used by the Columbus Zoo (which does not allow contact with the roos) and had been worn down by countless hands touching it over the years. The kangaroo fur was incredibly soft and the roos themselves were very gentle and sweet. This was definitely an incredible experience for both of us and will remain one of our favorite memories of this trip.

Following our zoo time, we drove to Hattie B’s for more Nashville Hot Chicken. We had been told that Hattie B’s and Prince’s are THE places to eat so we had to make sure we had both. We love a good food rivalry and often are able to pick a clear favorite but this one had us stumped. We loved both. Seriously, if you are going to Nashville and want some incredible hot chicken, you can’t go wrong at either location. We didn’t try any desserts at Prince’s so we can’t speak to theirs but we did have the peach cobbler and the banana pudding at Hattie’s and they were unspeakably good. The cobbler was ooey and gooey and warm and was a perfect counterbalance to the cold, creamy vanilla ice cream that was served on top. The banana pudding was unlike any we had ever had before. We aren’t sure, but it tasted like more like banana bread instead of vanilla wafers in the pudding and definitely had walnuts in it. It was moan out loud in the middle of the restaurant good. Don’t miss out on those.

I feel like this post has been super long but it doesn’t even cover our whole week! Be sure to check out the next post for more Nashville eats and the rest of our adventures in Music City, USA!

On April 30, we packed up and pulled out of Norris Dam State Park and began the drive to Kincaid Lake State Park in Falmouth, Kentucky. While packing up, we had our first unpleasant surprise of the day-we found our first dent in the truck! It must have happened when we backed in to the spot at Norris Dam. John had to cut the turn so sharp and the gooseneck turned so far in the bed of the truck that it hit the spare tire we keep back there and forced it into the inside rail of the truck bed, bending it out of shape. The damage is fairly minor which is why we didn’t notice it until John was in the bed of the truck packing up for the move. We weren’t incredibly upset, though, because it was minor damage and really not very noticeable. John said, “Well, it was bound to happen eventually.” We shrugged it off and went on with prepping to move.

Ever since our arrival, we had been dreading the trip down the mountain. The road was so steep and had so many sharp curves that we were a little afraid of taking the house back down. We knew that we had enough stopping power on the truck-we had picked our truck for this very purpose- but we knew that John would have to drive in both lanes in order to make the curves. I drove ahead in the car and made sure the road was clear. I came up on one oncoming car, waved them down and explained the situation, and they were kind enough to pull off to the side to let John pass. It was all smooth sailing after that and, aside from a little traffic, we enjoyed beautiful views for the remainder of our drive.

All the trouble started when we arrived at the park. The first thing we noticed was how unlevel the spot was but we figured we could always level things once we backed in. We also noticed that the water hookup was in a really odd location that was kind of far from where the front of our house would be once it was backed in but we thought we could always run out and pick up some extra hose to cover the extra length. We decided to make the best of things and go for it.

You can see in the photos below how uneven the site is. In the top right photo, John points to the water hookup way back in the distance. It would hook to the house about where John is standing so you can imagine how much hose we would have needed.

The spot was a little tight with trees and an electric post on one side and a tree on the other side. John was backing in the house and I was standing at the back of the spot giving direction. We were both so focused on getting the house as close to the electric and water hookups as we could that we both missed the fact that the rear of the truck was headed right for the tree on the opposite side. Thankfully, due to the angle that we were backing in, the house didn’t hit the tree at all. But the truck did. We dented in the passenger side rear fender and busted one of the small lights. We were upset but we managed to get the house straightened up and backed in the rest of the way.

We are fairly well equipped to level the house but even with our wheel chocks in, the house was still about an inch out of level from side to side. When we opened the front door, we could see cabinets and drawers hanging open. We were debating if we could make it work for the week when we realized we also had zero cellphone reception. John needs internet to do his job and we have internet through Verizon and StarLink. We couldn’t get a Verizon signal and, thanks to a lot of tree cover, were worried about the StarLink signal as well. We noticed that many of the sites were just as uneven but we drove around the park and made a list of spots that we thought would work for us and then headed up to the gate booth to see if it was possible to move.

John and the young woman at the booth worked together and found that one of the spots we were interested in was available for the entire duration of our stay. This spot was a large, pull-through spot a little further up the hill. The worker let us know that, unfortunately, it was a more expensive site and we would have to pay the upcharge. At this point we were so frustrated that we just agreed to pay whatever it was. That’s what credit cards are for, after all. The difference came out to 11 cents. I scrounged some coins from the console of the car and we were all paid up. We moved the house to the new spot with minimal fuss. The new spot was uneven from front to back but it is much easier for us to level from front to back than from side to side. (The photo below looks a little wonky but that is my poor photography skills, not the site).

The drive had been a little rough so we came inside and cleaned up a few things that had come loose in the move and checked in on all of the animals. Thanks to the traffic we hit and the drama with moving sites, we finally settled in about 6 and a half hours after we left our last park and we were tired and hungry. We pulled up Yelp and found a well rated place nearby called the Smoking Pig Tavern and decided that sounded perfect.

We arrived at the restaurant and were greeted promptly. The dining room was at about half capacity but we figured it was kind of a weird time in a small town on a Sunday night so it wasn’t surprising that they weren’t slammed. We ordered Fried Green Tomatoes as an appetizer and they were DELICIOUS. We had very high expectations for our meals – a BBQ Burger and the Kickin’ Chicken sandwich. For sides, we went with the corn pudding, jalapeno poppers and fries. The poppers were great and the fries were pretty decent but everything else was terribly disappointing. My burger was super thin and very gray and had absolutely no flavor at all. It was topped with one onion ring and a lake of the worst bbq sauce I have ever tasted. Likewise, John’s chicken sandwich tasted like canned chicken and the sauce was just also disgusting-but spicy. The corn pudding was so dry and crumbly that I could barely get it on my fork. When I did manage to get a bite, it had no flavor except for stale.

John managed to eat his but I gave up on mine. We ended up going through a McDonald’s drive-thru for a Happy Meal for me on the way home.

We don’t like to move with a lot of food in the fridge so finding a grocery store is usually one of the first things I do at the beginning of each week. There are a few smaller grocery stores around but the nearest Walmart is about 45 minutes away. John discovered, though, that we were about an hour away from Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati. For those that don’t know, Jungle Jim’s is an ENORMOUS store that is part regular grocery and part international market. They also have a large bakery, produce section, candy shop, and even some toys and games. There is an incredible soda wall with so many different kinds of sodas. The store is full of amazing decorations too. It is over the top with whimsical and tacky displays but that’s what makes it so fun.

We also LOVED the restrooms (which I know is a weird thing to say). Restrooms are just inside the entrance and look like a plain port-o-potty. When you open the door, though, you see that it’s just an entryway into a really large, very clean regular restroom. It’s just the perfect introduction to the fact that this store is so much more than it appears to be.

We ended up getting our regular groceries (cat food, chicken breast, eggs, etc) but also got two 6 packs of bottled sodas from their mix-and-match section, some amazing Mexican cookies that we fell in love with earlier in our travels, and some frozen naan and pierogis. They even had Strawberry Smoothie Cow Tales! And you know I visited the bakery for some macarons and a truffle. Stores like this are one of the few things that make me regret the tiny house – we just don’t have room for a bunch of amazing spices, sauces and other goodies.

We spent the rest of the week just relaxing around the house. We cooked at home a lot using the food we had purchased from Jungle Jim’s. We caught up on some tv shows and movies and just had a nice quiet week in preparation of moving on Sunday.

On Thursday, however, we changed plans and had to scramble a little bit. Two of our favorite children in the world, Marley and Joplynn, are probably what we miss the most from home. They are the daughters of one of my cousins and they are absolutely the lights of our lives. We were so excited a few weeks ago when we got Marley’s track schedule and found out that her last meet would be while we were in town. We were so excited to watch her run! Cut to this Wednesday when we found out that the last meet had been cancelled. She had a meet scheduled for that same night and if she qualified then she would run this Friday night and that would be her last meet. If she didn’t qualify, Wednesday night would be it. It was too late for us to do anything about the Wednesday event but we kept our fingers crossed and waited for the update about her times. Her mom texted Thursday afternoon to let us know that she did qualify to run on Friday and that would be her last meet.

I got emotional knowing that we were this close (3 hours away) but would miss out on seeing her run this year. Of course, John came to the rescue. He has this crazy habit of doing whatever it takes, moving heaven and earth, just to make me happy and boy did he come through this time. Within a few hours he had rearranged his work schedule to take a half day on Friday and called around and found us a campground for Friday and Saturday night. We weren’t able to just extend our stay at Alum Creek where we would be moving on Sunday because 1) the site was already booked and 2) Ohio state parks have a rule where guests can only stay 14 consecutive days and this would have put us at 15. Thankfully, we got the last available spot at a small campground in Plain City, Ohio which is about 35 minutes from Alum Creek and about an hour from our hometown where the track meet would be held. It was going to be a crazy weekend moving 3 hours on Friday then moving again on Sunday but it would be so worth it to cheer on one of our favorite humans.

We decided to keep it a secret just to make things more fun. Only my cousin, Heather, knew that we were trying to work this all out because I had to get all the details from her about the event. We hit the road around 12:30 on Friday afternoon. We stopped for gas and had a few delays due to road construction but we arrived at Pastime Park Campground around 4pm. We quickly walked Harley, hooked up the electric and water and got the house mostly level, checked on the cats, filled the water dishes then locked up and got back in the car for the drive to our hometown. The track meet was scheduled to start at 5:30. We hit a few traffic issues but pulled into the parking lot for the meet around 5:25.

We ran into my aunt and uncle at the entrance and walked in with them, keeping an eye out for our family in the stands. I think they were surprised to see us-especially my Grandma who I had just spoken to on the phone before we left Kentucky. We got to see our girl run three times (I’m not a track person so I have no idea what events she ran in) but we were so proud! The best part was when she was able to come up to see us in the stands. She gave me a really big, really long hug (which is amazing from a 13 year old who is starting to be too cool for that kind of stuff) and whispered “I’m so happy to see you!” in my ear. That absolutely made the mad dash and 4+ hours in the car worth it.

We hung out in the bleachers with family until the meet ended and we started the hour long drive back to our campsite. We were absolutely starving as we hadn’t eaten since before we left Kentucky except for sharing a hotdog and a shredded chicken sandwich at the concession stand so we stopped by one of our favorite fast food places for a quick bite- Swenson’s. We got home around 1030, devoured our food before we could even think to take any photos, and fell into bed.

We used our bonus day on Saturday to visit family and pick up some packages that my parents were holding for us. It was like Christmas opening things that we had forgotten we had ordered in the months prior. John left me with my parents and ran out for a haircut and to visit a comic shop owned by a friend of ours and picked up a few comics for me.

We visited one of our absolute favorite restaurants in Columbus, CM Chicken, for a late lunch/early dinner (we had the garlic soy wings and the snow onion wings), and then came home for food coma naps.

We woke up and headed out for a walk around our park – we had been living here over 24 hours but hadn’t had any time to explore. We met some of the nicest people and had a nice chat then continued on around the gravel pathways. The campground is a large city park with the campsites arranged a bit haphazardly in a large field but it is very clean, has decent shower houses/restrooms and a scattering of picnic tables and fire rings, and is super conveniently located near several restaurants and stores. There is easy nearby access to the main highways of the area and several attractions are within easy driving distance (it’s 16 to the Columbus Zoo). There are ball fields and playground equipment and a nice walking trail around the outskirts of the park and it’s only $28 per night. I definitely recommend this park for any visitors to the area.

We still have to move campgrounds in the morning but the next park is just over 30 minutes away so hopefully it’s a smooth trip for us and we can get back to enjoying our visit with family and friends.

On Saturday (November 19), we were proud to participate in a volunteer day at Better Days Dog Rescue (the location where we were staying).  The owner, Savannah, had previously lived out west and run a successful mobile dog grooming business. She eventually sold her business and used the funds to buy 11 acres in Tennessee where she wanted to start a small dog rescue. We had met with her during the week and talked out a few issues and provided advice based on our experiences building fencing at our prior home and lessons learned from Angel’s previous jobs at a vet clinic and our mutual experience at Butternut Farms Sanctuary in Ohio where we had both volunteered for years. On Saturday, several volunteers came out and our goal for the day was to start work on a large privacy fence right off the barn so the dogs would have a safe outdoor space. John and Savannah drove into town to pick up an auger from the local rental store and thank goodness for that auger. The soil in the field where we were was thick clay and when they had leveled the land for the pole barn, it seems that the top layer of soil was just scraped back and left, pretty much doubling the layer of clay just below the surface. It took three men and the auger (catchy title for a movie perhaps?) about an hour to dig the first hole. The freeze line for Tennessee is about 12 inches plus the fence was going to be an 8ft privacy fence so we needed to dig deep enough to get the poles in and pour the concrete without the fence blowing over easily. Thankfully, after the first few holes we hit regular soil and things moved quickly after that. While the holes were being dug outside, work was also being done inside to put down waterproof mats in the stalls that had been built and then fuse the seams to make it easier to keep clean. We all worked for several hours and managed to get some work done inside in addition to digging the post holes and cementing in most of the posts. John also continued working off and on during the rest of our stay to finish hanging the stringers for the fence pickets.

On Sunday, we drove to the tiny town of Bell Buckle (which John has butchered the name of in every way possible – usually some combination of the words Blue, Belt, Bell and Buckle) on the recommendation of a friend who insisted that she had some amazing Fried Green Tomatoes at one of the cafes there. Unfortunately, fried green tomatoes are out of season in that part of Tennessee in November. Fortunately, it was an adorable little town with a handful of small businesses, including a café and a post office, arranged in a row opposite a railroad tracks (if you have ever seen the movie or read the book Fried Green Tomatoes – this town made Angel feel like she was in Whistle Stop which she pointed out several times during our visit). While we didn’t get our green tomatoes, we did order lunch from the café which came with one main dish and THREE sides each plus bread. We ordered the chicken pot pie with new potatoes, broccoli salad, broccoli rice casserole and cornbread and the pork chop with carrot casserole, sweet potato casserole, fried okra, and a dinner roll. Because we are also insane, we ordered the fried biscuits with apple butter as an appetizer (think homemade biscuit donuts).

After having lunch and spending a few hours in Bell Buckle, we still weren’t ready to head back home so, John chose to take us for a hike Short Springs State Park in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Unfortunately, John didn’t tell Angel that he planned some hiking so she wasn’t in the best hiking clothes or shoes and we were a little rushed because sunset was quickly approaching but we still managed to hike to Machine Falls and Busby Falls. The trails were fairly easy but very uneven and covered in slippery, fallen leaves so it was kind of slow going. Once we made it to Machine Falls, Angel decided it was best to not try to hike down the steep, slippery hill in tight fitting jeans and her Vans to avoid injury so she waited at the overlook area while John slipped, climbed and scrambled his way down the side of the ravine to see the falls up close. It was absolutely gorgeous and he spent some time just admiring the water cascading down the rocks and even laid on a large rock outcropping and enjoyed the sunshine while listening to the water. He then clamored back up the slope using vines and roots as climbing holds like he thought he was Tarzan or something and we continued the hike on to Busby Falls.

These were less impressive than Machine Falls but much easier to get to with a clear trail leading down to a wooden bridge over the stream. We stood and watched the water for as long as we could until we finally had to admit that we needed to head back to the trailhead to make it before dark so we played one game of “Pooh Sticks” (if you don’t know what this is then I suggest reading/watching more Winnie the Pooh), which Angel won, and headed back through the woods to the car.

We treated ourselves to McAlister’s Deli on the way home because we were WAYYYY too tired to make dinner and had definitely worked off lunch. Angel had the Black Angus Club with Mac & Cheese and John had the King Club with a fruit cup. We were amazed to learn that there was a McAlister’s in the Columbus area but our terrible friends had just let us go on living our lives without sharing this life-changing knowledge so we never got to experience this deliciousness until now. So good.

This year was our first Thanksgiving away from family and it was definitely different. Typically, we are rushing to go to multiple houses and eat at least two giant meals during the course of the day so we were utterly stumped about what to do with ourselves for an entire day. Thankfully, the weather had finally turned nice (70 degrees!) and John and his obsession with waterfalls (he seriously looks for them everywhere we go) saved the day so we loaded up Miss Harley Q, grabbed a camera and hit the road for Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park (try saying that three times fast – or even once for that matter!). We hiked the Enclosure Trail (1.4 miles) and part of the Moat Trail (.45 miles) and loved every minute of it. Most of the trailway was easy going and we were able to go right up to three different waterfalls- Step Falls, Blue Hole Falls, and Big Falls.

The sign at the entrance to the park let us know that this area was an American Indian hilltop enclosure from the early mound building period, which was very cool as we had both grown up near Mound Builder’s Park in Heath, Ohio. These mounds were built following the edges of the Duck River and Little Duck River and the enclosed area was a large, flat field covered in tall grasses. We were also able to find the remains of an old paper mill that we explored a bit.

The waterfalls were amazing and this was probably the most fun thing we have done on our travels thus far. At one set of falls we were able to actually walk out into the river and sit on a ledge right over one of the falls. John crossed the stream and explored a small cave and Harley even got in on the fun by charging straight into the unknown waters and falling flat on her face several times. It turns out that our dog, who is afraid of literally everything, has absolutely no fear of rivers of unknown depth or very high cliff edges. Or maybe she is trying to end it all and escape this terrible life of abuse and neglect. Who knows?

I feel like this writeup is super short for the falls but there really aren’t words to describe how incredible the experience was or how at peace we felt just sitting on rocks in the middle of the river, basking in the sun, with water tumbling down rock faces and into crevices all around us. It was breathtaking. We Facetimed as many of our family members as we could from some of the falls but it just wasn’t enough. I really wished I could just pluck everyone I cared about from their homes back in Ohio and drop them right where I was standing so they could really understand and appreciate the serenity of this experience. Of course, no offense to my family, but having everyone together on a rock in the middle of a river would probably not be very serene for long as I am sure that someone would manage to start an argument about something and someone would probably end up being thrown off of one of those picturesque cliffs.

We are sharing a few photos here in this post but if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages for posts on Thanksgiving for more pictures and video. Or better yet, go visit this beautiful park yourself. You won’t regret it.

We finally had to drag ourselves away from the park because, once again, darkness was fast approaching and we were getting super hungry for Thanksgiving dinner. John wanted to be in charge of dinner this year so while he was preparing the turkey and mashed potatoes, Angel laid out some snacks (goat cheese and jam with crackers, summer sausage, and deviled eggs) and we just grazed while dinner cooked and then enjoyed our meal. It was definitely a modest meal in comparison to the insane feasts that our families were having but we enjoyed it.

AHHH! We started this week out by doing something I had been wanting to do for a very long time – we visited Dollywood!

The Dollywood theme park, located in Pigeon Forge, is just about an hour and 15 minute drive from our current campsite and I absolutely could not be this close without going. We checked online and, although it is a little pricey, we decided to go ahead and splurge and get our tickets. We also discovered that our visit would fall during the first weekend of the Food and Flower Festival! For this event, the park is decorated with plants and flowers made into sculptures and has special food offerings in addition to the amazing regular selection in the park. We wanted to be able to spend all day at the park without worrying about rushing home to get Harley out so we booked a full day pet sitter through Rover.com, did a meet and greet with her on Friday night, and dropped Harley off for the day on Sunday morning around 9:30. It cost us about $50 for the day but it was such a great price to be sure that our girl was well cared for and wouldn’t be stressing about us being gone. We even got a few text updates during the day to let us know that things were going well which was a HUGE relief for us.

I do want to mention that Dollywood does have kennels called Doggywood where you can board your dog for the day. Instead of staff walking them, however, you are responsible for making your way back to the facility throughout the day to walk your dog. We considered this option but ultimately decided an in home daycare through Rover would be less stressful for all of us as Harley gets really anxious in cages-especially in strange places.

We got to the park shortly after opening (around 10:30) and were able to park in lot C (for Cotton Candy as we were reminded several times to help us remember what lot to return to at the end of the day). We caught a tram from the parking lot to the park entrance and were soon inside and ready to begin our adventure. Our fist stop was to pick up our Food Tasting passes. We had added these on for around $36 per person when we bought our tickets. These passes allowed us each 5 different items from the Food and Flower Fest menu at various stands throughout the park. We had a little confusion and frustration trying to find the right place to pick these up (our email confirmation said to go to the Sweet Shoppe, the Sweet Shoppe employee directed us to the ice cream counter, and the ice cream counter employees directed us to a kiosk outside) but we eventually got our passes and were ready to eat.

The park has a main street that takes you back away from the entrance that is lined with shops, a bakery, a candy and ice cream shop, souvenir stands, and plenty of photo ops. To one side is a 1950’s era setup with fake storefronts, a few shops, a retro diner, and one of Dolly’s tour buses that guests can walk through. This is the bus that Dolly bought in 1994 and used through 2009. I included a photo of the sign below – be sure to read some of the impressive facts about this vehicle!

In the back right corner of the park is an area that has a County Fair theme. There are carnival type rides, games, food stands, the Heartsong theater, and the train depot for the Dollywood Express-an actual coal fueled train that guests can ride through a portion of the park and a small distance up the mountainside and back. The train was loud and kind of stinky but did provide a neat experience for riders of all ages.

A corridor of shops and attractions leads guests off to the left hand side of the park to many of the larger rollercoasters. This shop, known as Craftsman’s Valley, has some amazing shops for various trades and offers live demonstrations throughout the day at the glass blower, blacksmith, and leatherworking shops. This area is also where you will find the Grist Mill – one of the locations in the park where you can find the famous Cinnamon Bread. This bread was hands down the best food we ate all day. It is $10.99 per loaf and you can add on a cup of icing or apple butter for dipping. When we first got our loaf I thought “there is no way we can eat this entire thing”. It was gone within 10 minutes. So freaking delicious. There are also several souvenir shops and food venues in this area. With a small stream running through the area, it is the perfect place for a leisurely stroll.

This area of the park is also where you will find the Bald Eagle sanctuary. Dollywood is home to several birds that have been injured and are not able to survive in the wild. They also have other birds including vultures, Desert Eagle Owls, Red Tailed Hawks, and African Pied Crows that appear in shows at the Wings of American theater.

At the end of Craftsman’s Valley, you will find the Wilderness Pass, Wildwood Grove, and Timber Canyon areas of the park which loop back around to the entrance. As with the rest of the park, there are lots of food and beverage options here in addition to several rides and even some games.

The entire park was well laid out with tons of seating areas, live music, food and shopping. As I am still having some issues with nerve pain in my leg, we take a lot of breaks and we never struggled to find a place to sit. Each time we would get something to eat using our festival food passes we were easily able to find a table or bench where we could enjoy our food, listen to live performers, and people watch. It also seemed like there was a bathroom around every corner and we found all of the restrooms we visited to be clean and well stocked and we never had to wait in line. We didn’t ride too many rides (I get super motion sick and John is afraid of losing his glasses) but we were impressed with the way that the big roller coasters were mixed in with rides for smaller kids – it seemed like a good setup for families with children of mixed ages.

With our Tasting passes, we were able to try the Garlic Shrimp Mac & Cheese, the Blue Woog (a blue lemonade drink), Strawberry Lemonade, Bulgogi Nachos, Loaded Potato Tornado, Pretzel Crab Melt, Street Corn Salad, and the Berry Funnel Cake. We also got a cookie and a cupcake from the bakery to take home.

All in all, we spent about 6 hours at the park. We were pretty worn out when we finally got back to the car (thank goodness for that parking lot tram!) and started the drive back to Knoxville to pick up Harley. I was absolutely shocked when I pulled up my pedometer on my phone and it said we did over 13,500 steps for a distance of about 5.25 miles. Hopefully it balances out some of the junk we ate during the day! All I know is that we were both relieved that this was the only thing we had planned during our stay here at Rocky Top and we could look forward to another week of relaxation. We sure needed it to recover from this adventure!