TN And NC
Just when we think we’ve seen it all, we see more. The trip from Lexington, Virginia to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee took a short day. Since we had already driven parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway, we just hit the freeway.
Didn’t known what to expect about this area, knew it was a tourist area, but that is an understatement. Sevierville, the first town you drive through, is about 18 miles long, and one block wide. It is packed with places to spend your money, then you turn a corner and it’s Pigeon Forge, a town with no soul. The Southern Baptists would burn me at the stake for that, but the whole place is so commercial. There must be 16 or more Outlet Malls, and the only thing that is hard to find is a grocery store. Imagine the Lincoln City on steroids.
The Southerners. Nice, yes, they are very friendly and pleasant. We really haven’t met anyone that was nasty or mean. They really do pour the religion on. We went to the Louise Mandrell show. A good production, very professional, much like Branson Shows. The original Blackwood Brothers from 1954 were a gospel music quartet. Two of them died in a plane crash, and now the heirs are signing and praising the Lord, Amen. We attended that show for breakfast! Then we took a day to do Dollywood. A theme park, and I guess the theme is Tennessee Country Christmas. That’s all we heard and saw. You pay $40 a piece and can see as many shows and ride what you want for the day. Good deal, if it wasn’t 25 degrees. It was so cold I’ll bet even the Baptists were swearing, (but not where they could be heard). We did the merry go round and steam train and three live shows. (Pics) Dolly didn’t show.
Half a day took us to Asheville, North Carolina. We drove over the Smoky Mountains, a distance of less than 100 miles. Views and vistas incredible. It was clear and the mountains really do have smoky haze look. Nearly all the leaves are gone now so it’s easier to see. A lot less color though. (Pics)
What you ask is in Asheville? Have you heard of the Vanderbilt’s and Biltmore Estate? We went to The Breakers in RI, so I had to see this one. 8,000 acre estate, 250 room house. Castle really. It is so over the top. But as tacky as Dollywood was, this is elegance personified. It is run so well. We bought tickets for $51 which included headsets and a narrative of the rooms in the house. Our 2 hour tour took me 4 hours, but there was no one hurrying us. (Pics)
The park is perfect, winding roads through forest and fields of corn. The house sits on the hill like a castle and the four levels take up 4 acres. It was built over 100 years ago and is still the largest home in America. One of my favorite rooms was the library with more than 10,000 volumes of George Vanderbilt’s 23,000 books. A Pellegrini canvas is on the ceiling painted in the 18th century, The Chariot of Aurora, originally in the Pisani Palace in Venice. Each room was filled with original works of art. I’m sure it’s on the internet.
Ross took many pictures, no one told him specifically not to. Home was decorated to the nines for Christmas. There must be a million ornaments. After the tour of the house we walked through the garden and conservatory. By then the temperatures were in the 50’s and tolerable. It is so worth seeing, one of the highlights of the trip so far.
Have a great Thanksgiving. We’ll be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, have a spot reserved on the ocean.
Bye for now.
Susan and Ross
Didn’t known what to expect about this area, knew it was a tourist area, but that is an understatement. Sevierville, the first town you drive through, is about 18 miles long, and one block wide. It is packed with places to spend your money, then you turn a corner and it’s Pigeon Forge, a town with no soul. The Southern Baptists would burn me at the stake for that, but the whole place is so commercial. There must be 16 or more Outlet Malls, and the only thing that is hard to find is a grocery store. Imagine the Lincoln City on steroids.
The Southerners. Nice, yes, they are very friendly and pleasant. We really haven’t met anyone that was nasty or mean. They really do pour the religion on. We went to the Louise Mandrell show. A good production, very professional, much like Branson Shows. The original Blackwood Brothers from 1954 were a gospel music quartet. Two of them died in a plane crash, and now the heirs are signing and praising the Lord, Amen. We attended that show for breakfast! Then we took a day to do Dollywood. A theme park, and I guess the theme is Tennessee Country Christmas. That’s all we heard and saw. You pay $40 a piece and can see as many shows and ride what you want for the day. Good deal, if it wasn’t 25 degrees. It was so cold I’ll bet even the Baptists were swearing, (but not where they could be heard). We did the merry go round and steam train and three live shows. (Pics) Dolly didn’t show.
Half a day took us to Asheville, North Carolina. We drove over the Smoky Mountains, a distance of less than 100 miles. Views and vistas incredible. It was clear and the mountains really do have smoky haze look. Nearly all the leaves are gone now so it’s easier to see. A lot less color though. (Pics)
What you ask is in Asheville? Have you heard of the Vanderbilt’s and Biltmore Estate? We went to The Breakers in RI, so I had to see this one. 8,000 acre estate, 250 room house. Castle really. It is so over the top. But as tacky as Dollywood was, this is elegance personified. It is run so well. We bought tickets for $51 which included headsets and a narrative of the rooms in the house. Our 2 hour tour took me 4 hours, but there was no one hurrying us. (Pics)
The park is perfect, winding roads through forest and fields of corn. The house sits on the hill like a castle and the four levels take up 4 acres. It was built over 100 years ago and is still the largest home in America. One of my favorite rooms was the library with more than 10,000 volumes of George Vanderbilt’s 23,000 books. A Pellegrini canvas is on the ceiling painted in the 18th century, The Chariot of Aurora, originally in the Pisani Palace in Venice. Each room was filled with original works of art. I’m sure it’s on the internet.
Ross took many pictures, no one told him specifically not to. Home was decorated to the nines for Christmas. There must be a million ornaments. After the tour of the house we walked through the garden and conservatory. By then the temperatures were in the 50’s and tolerable. It is so worth seeing, one of the highlights of the trip so far.
Have a great Thanksgiving. We’ll be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, have a spot reserved on the ocean.
Bye for now.
Susan and Ross
posted by Warner Travels | 6:01 AM
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