© 2019 Rachel L. Shumate | All rights reserved.
I recently traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for my best friend’s wedding. Well, actually I consider Courtney the sister I never had, but that’s not exactly relevant at the moment.
It was our first trip as a family. My daughter, Olivia, is only four and a half months old, so we hadn’t yet ventured far enough for an extended stay anywhere. It was quite the experience! Kendall and I packed up, what can only be described as everything but the kitchen sink, and miraculously managed to fit it all in my car. Unfortunately for us Olivia does not share our love of travel (Kendall and I both suffer a bit from wanderlust). Most babies enjoy riding in the car – mine hates it… Needless to say it was a long trip for such a short distance. The car ride was just one of the several challenges we experienced while traveling with our little bundle of joy, but we are hoping it will get easier with practice. I’m confident that soon she will love to travel too.
The wedding was beautiful – and the only place I broke out my “real camera.” So I must admit the images you see here are courtesy of my iPhone with some creative tweaking in Photoshop. Truth be told, it was a whirlwind of a weekend so I didn’t get an opportunity to go photograph anything scenic that I deemed camera worthy. I would have liked to have had the chance to photograph some mountain terrain or especially all the Christmas lights that were everywhere you looked (I understand Dollywood had quite the display!), but alas, we had more important things going on.
Most people I know go to Tennessee for retail therapy, to see shows, or visit the various tourist attractions. We didn’t get a chance to do much of that, but it didn’t hurt my feelings any. I’m not a shopaholic anyway, and I was there to celebrate my friend’s wedding which is a lot more fun than spending copious amounts of money.
It’s not to say that we didn’t go out and see a few of the sights. Courtney and her family rode on the tramway that goes to the top of the mountain. …I wasn’t brave enough to join them though. I’m sure the view from up there was amazing.
We also visited the Ole Smoky Mountain Moonshine distillery and surrounding shops. Not being a fan of hard liquor, I didn’t try any. However, judging from the crowd clamoring to try the free sample, I’d say it was a big hit. The gargantuan sized still was rather impressive to see, as they have their operations on display for customers to view and read about the process.
The best part about the little area was that they had live music and rocking chairs set out under the open sky for entertainment while customers purchased their moonshine, wine, and other souvenirs. The bluegrass added an upbeat and fun atmosphere to the experience.
Gatlinburg, and surrounding areas, are fun vacation spots – especially if you love to shop. I’ve never been, but I hear many of the shows and other attractions are very entertaining as well. The area is family oriented and the village style design is appealing for outdoor perusing.
I enjoyed the trip and was especially thrilled to celebrate Courtney and Shad’s special day with them!
