Future Trip to The Breakers in West Palm Beach

Monday Morning I opened my email and found out that I won a trip to The Breakers in West Palm Beach, FL.  I couldn't tell you how excited I was - I'm still grinning from ear-to-ear!

Special thanks to Garden of Life for giving me the SHOCK of a life time!

If you are unfamiliar with The Breakers - take a look at the Wikipedia Page for it!  Or click on the link above for the official website!  It's REALLY something!

We hope to travel there in March.

We will be staying there for 4 nights!  I'm told that we will be staying in a Deluxe Resort View Room.

After doing some research...I think our room might look something like the next 3 photos. 

The first one being the living room area.  Another one is a photo of the bedroom and the last one of the bathroom.

I'm totally LOVING the sunshine peaking thru those windows!

And if we go in March like I am hoping - Dale and I will totally be sick of winter by then and be more than excited to go and see sun!

I think - for the most part - weather is between mid 60s and upper 70s even the first 3 months of the year - there - in West Palm Beach area.

Not only are we excited because of the weather but because it's such a historic place!

In the coming months I will be sharing more of our research and findings here on our travel site in preparation for our trip there!

These room photos were found on the Breakers Website.

WAIT until you see the elaborately decorated Mansion/Hotel Rooms and sections!  I will save those for another post, tho!

Moonshine While on Vacation

Yes...that's Moonshine!  Thanks for asking!  Moonshine is now legal in Tennessee.  Because this is so historical we just HAD to visit...and sample!  Yeah...that's it...that's why we visited Ole Smoky Moonshine in Gatlinburg! 

This is one of my favorite photographs I took while on vacation.  I usually take one of my larger cameras but this time I only took my iPhone and I have to say I am impressed and pleased with the outcome.

This photo is of Ole Smoky's Moonshine...White Lightening and some of their Cherries in Moonshine.

And this is just a small look at their shop!  They had walls and walls of Moonshine just like this.  Dale tried the straight up ones where I had to try the flavors.  They are famous for their Apple Pie.  I thought it would be more apple and a hint of cinnamon but it was mostly cinnamon with a touch of apple instead.  It was ok but I was left wanting, I think.  The ones that I really liked were the Pineapple and Blackberry!  We ended up actually buying some of the Blackberry.  Dale liked that one, too!

This was a shot of the outside of their store.  It was beautiful!  Behind the wood sign there was stage area where they had live Bluegrass Music and chairs where people could sit.

Dale ended up buying a hat, too!  Their Moonshine goes for about $25 per jar.

Their set up was in the heart of the Gatlinburg Tourism and Shopping District.  Right next to them was a Mellow Mushroom (restaurant).  I really wanted to go but we didn't go to that one we ended up going to the Mellow Mushroom in Pigeon Forge instead.

Coming Soon...To The Island...

Yesterday I mentioned that we saw some of the construction being done while we visited The Island in Pigeon Forge last week.  Today I thought I would share with you what they were working on.  Yup!  That's a Margaritaville HOTEL.  They also have a separate restaurant and bar they are working on across from this.  Both buildings were amazing!  Here's a list of restaurants they have there along with a few places on their 'coming soon' list.  And here's a list of shops but one that is going to be a real draw is the Ole Smoky Moonshine Tasting Room that is coming soon, too!  I will be blogging about the Moonshine place in the near future.  They have 2 other locations to choose from.  The one we went to was in Gatlinburg.

The photo above is the hotel and this 2nd pic is of the restaurant and bar.  It was right next to a walking/driving bridge that took you to the parking area and in the other direction got you in and out of the Island.  I took the Margaritaville photos for my mom because I knew she was a huge fan of the chain.  Dale and I have been to a few others - such as the ones in Las Vegas and Orlando.

More from the Island is this snapshot of the shops in front near the water fountain and fountain/music feature smack-dab in the middle of the Island.  There is another row of shops behind this front row that they are still developing.  There are Adirondack Chairs all around the fountain and the landscaping is gorgeous.

The Island in Pigeon Forge is still under construction but there is still a lot to see and do there and I would recommend a stop if you are able to swing by while in the area.

The Island in Pigeon Forge

One of the places we learned about online prior to visiting Pigeon Forge was The Island.  We watched YouTube Videos and saw it mentioned on a few different websites and it looked really cool so we decided to go while we were there.  It's FREE to park and FREE to enter.  It's a gorgeous layout and everyone you pass by is extremely friendly.  There are connected shops every where you look.  There are a few rides for kids as well as their center-piece - the HUGE Ferris Wheel. 



Instead of old Ferris Wheel carts the compartments are called Gondolas.  I always think of Gondolas being the boats in Italy that the rowers sing while they float you around...maybe they are spelled different or something.  Either way...pretty cool! 

Here's a better photo of the Wheel.  At night it lights up.  There are surrounding restaurants, shops, games, and other attractions within The Island.  This is a new destination, however, they are currently working on Phase 2 which includes more restaurants, shops, tasting rooms, bars, hotels, and more.  More on that in a future post.

Dale and I did pay to ride the Wheel and it was neat.  There were amazing views.  The climate in the Gondola's was 'just right'.  The Wheel zips around at a steady yet medium speed.  Not overly fast and not slow.  I think we were on there for about 10 minutes - maybe a little less.  We went fully around several times.

As you can see this was great for picture taking.  On the right side was one of the Pigeon Forge area mountains full of trees.  When we were there it was the perfect temperature - during the day - the coolest was about 76 degrees and it got into the upper 80s most days.  My ideal temperature that is for sure!

Another major attraction at The Island was their programmed Water Show.  Their fountains light up at night but spray all day regardless of time.  They have water shows set to music every half hour.  I believe they have 16 different shows with more on the way.  They were really impressive.

I took LOTS of additional photos of The Island in Pigeon Forge.  I really LOVED this place.  In a few years I wouldn't mind going back just to see what The Island has added to their layout.  I think this is going to be the new "place to go" in that area.

More From Dollywood

Here are some more photos from Dollywood!  Again, we had a GREAT time and you can see more photos in the post from yesterday  - below this post.  I mentioned that everywhere you looked we 'dressed up' really nice.  They were fully decorated for FALL and Harvest Time and the colors were amazing!  This fountain was placed in one of the more open areas towards the beginning of the park.

Here was one of the many roller coasters they had.  It was linked to the Firefighters Dedication space nearby.  Towards the end of this ride the roller coaster cars went into a 'warehouse' where it was getting ready to 'explode' and the coaster was shot backwards thru the rest of the ride.   I could hear the rides speaker outside of the 'warehouse' part of the track.  It was pretty neat and we didn't even ride it.  Overall it's a great place to 'people watch' but I still thought the fall and harvest time decor and colors throughout the park was my favorite part!

I'm pretty sure this roller coaster was the Eagle Soar one.  Again, I loved the surroundings.  And nearby there was an Eagle Sanctuary of sorts - which was for Eagles that were previously injured that were nursed back to health but were unable to be released into the wild for one reason or another.  One of the Dollywood Theatres and Stage Areas had an Eagle theme, too!  The weather couldn't have been better!  It was the perfect temperature the day we went.  The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze, and very few clouds in the sky.

Another ride that was popular was the River Boat Ride.  I've seen these before but the path that this one took seemed superior.  You were able to get a good look at that side of the park as well as all of the wonderful seasonal decorations.  After the thrill seekers were done with this boat ride there was a nearby place to drive off.  I think it was called a 'family dryer' or something and it was a couple of bucks to use.

Dollywood certainly didn't lack for water element, eye candy, and scenery that is for sure.  This is one of the other rides that we saw...actually TWO...behind was a ride in a mill like structure and to the left you would see a small 'island' where there was a place to sit with tables and umbrellas and chairs and such.  On the other side of that there was another ride for the younger crowd that was flat but the wooden raft like floats took riders around a path and onlookers could squirt them with water from outside of the ride.

One of the little nooks in Dollywood was set up like a small town "Main Street" or downtown area with shops and a diner.  Next to that was an old time 'used car lot'.  Out front of that were these cars!  They were in tip-top shape.   The diner was an old Red's Diner that you could go in and have a bite to eat.  There were windows throughout so you could sit in there and see what was happening outside with no problem.

One of the things that was happening outside was SONG!  These 5 street performers we singing songs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  I read later that they are nationally recognized - as are 5 of Dollywood's Roller Coasters!   Behind these performers was an old school gas station.  Again LOTS to look at and take in.  Dollywood really does have something for everyone!

WonderWorks - Part 2 - Optical Illusions

WonderWorks - Part 2 - Optical Illusions...yes, it's true...I got way behind on blogging while actually ON vacation so I will be blogging about it after the fact NOW and for the next week or two.

Looking back on our trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, and all of the photos I took...I really enjoyed the Optical Illusions at WonderWorks.  It may have been my favorite part of the building.  Everything from the up-side-down building as a whole to the eye-trickery that was found in many of the displays inside of the building.

The first photo is of one of the staircases inside WonderWorks.  I love the prints, patterns, paint, colors, images...everything!  Every spec of the place was SPOTLESS!  Very clean!  Very creative and fun for all ages!

This 2nd photo is one of the prints in the art gallery section of the optical illusion part of the walk-thru.  Remember those eye-magic books that were really trendy in the 90s?  That's what this reminded me of!  With this one you could stand in front of it for about 30 seconds and it appeared to be moving...but...of course...it really wasn't.

Then there was this 'thing' hanging on the wall.  The wall was pretty plain-jane and had directional lights on both sides of this wire art piece.

This section was sponsored by Crayola Crayons. 

I wondered WHY until I turned the lights on and off to see what all the fuss was about.  It ended up being pretty cool.

It might not look like much now but check out what happens when I turned the lights on and off...

BAM!

Pretty neat, eh!? 

They had another one next to this one that ended up being an outline of the United States.

I didn't know that WonderWorks had 6 locations.  We were looking into Myrtle Beach before booking this trip to Pigeon Forge.  Both of those tourist destinations are home to WonderWorks...but they seemed to have their own things going for them at each location.

Another 'hands-on station' they had was this one! 

Remember those little desk pieces or table top games that you found in toy shops or science shop years ago that you could push your hand or your face into and you would see the indent on one side and the imprint on the other?  Well, this was a life sized one of those and it was pretty awesome.

Of course - I'm a goofball - and HAD to try it...

Dale always KNEW I was a little crazy but I think this trip really wonder about me...

BUT...I wasn't the only one....

There must have been a guy about 6'3"-6'5" that was there before me that tried to press his whole body up against it.  It was a little freaky to see up close and with no one around.  For some reason it reminded me of "Max Headroom" or something.

With the way the lights hit this last photo I thought it looked a little like rainbows and/or like I was reaching for the rainbow!  Yes...I had a fun time at WonderWorks...I guess I still am a kid at heart, eh!?

Selfies at Dollywood

Okay...so they aren't really 'selfies' but they are photos of me while we were at Dollywood.  I will have some more from WonderWorks in the very near future!  

I took soooo many photo's at Dollywood that I will be posting them in chunks.  Dale was behind the camera on these and with this first photo we were on a bridge shortly after entering the theme park.  It was during their Gospel and Harvest Celebrations which last a little over a month.  Within that time they have over 350 bands on site.  

Everything was so festive looking with Fall colors and decor.  But I have a feeling that the park goes 'all out' no matter what time of year it is.  That was probably my favorite part...all of the eye candy!  

Another major part of Dollywood is all of the Rollercoasters.  Altho we didn't go on any of them they all looked pretty intense!  One of the entrances was nearby this large metal eagle.  There were many eagle themes throughout the park and I will probably talk more about that in the near future, too, but in short, Dollywood has a large place inside their park set up as a rehab center of sorts for eagles that have been injured and nursed back to health but aren't able to be released into the wild for one reason or another.

Another theme throughout the park was horses - and I was able to see a few unicorn related items - such as stuffed animals that were in the carnival game area.

It was a wonderful day weather-wise.  There were a lot of vehicles but it wasn't as busy as I am sure if can be most times.  That was completely fine with us, tho, we felt like we weren't rushed and we enjoyed walking around at our own pace and with little to no crowd dodging.

There was eye candy at every corner.  It was a great surprise!  The park was built on the side of a mountain and there were plenty of loops and nooks in the layout of the park that made it quite spread out, too!

Everyone was very nice, too!  More on that in future posts as well!   We spent a nice chunk of the day at Dollywood and I would recommend it to just about anyone...definitely worth a visit!  Stay tuned for more Dollywood posts!

WonderWorks - Part 1

This is part 1 of our visit to WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge.  I took a lot of photos!  Sure - it's IDEAL for families with children but my look will be from an adults point of view.  Or - if you prefer - children young and old will enjoy various things throughout their attraction.  It's VERY hands-on...as you will see!

First up...one of the stops we took a look at is the Google Earth 'booth'.  It had a very large and colorful screen.  Once you figured out the controls and functionality it was neat to zoom in and out on your town or city.  It's much like what you would see on your computer screen but on a larger scale.

Nearby the Google station there was a nice man taking photos of couples in front of a blue screen (or if you are the technical type - it was actually a green screen - but you know what I mean!)  We opted NOT to buy the photos at the end but I think it would be fun for couples or families for their scrapbooks.

Speaking of 'fun facts' I was reminded again just how short I was! Not only was there a place that would tell you your exact height - there was also a place you could stand in front of the average basketball player to see how you compared in height.

There were a few smaller areas where you could try and locate the 'purple' bead in the mix of millions of other ones and it would tell you the odds of someone actually finding that one bead...or you could shoot hoops...or try the virtual batting cages...and they would have neat facts around each station.

I was told I was 5'1"...I thought I was shy of 5'2" so I wasn't that far off.  Dale is convinced he's shrinking...but...then again...I think that happens to us all over time.

There were a few children and families there today while we were there but there were more couples without children than I thought there would be.  It was cool that we weren't the only ones!

There were things to look at EVERYWHERE and I mean EVERYWHERE.  Just a few twists and turns into the exhibit we looked up and saw kids walking on what looked like glow-in-the-dark tight ropes.

And speaking of things that made you almost lose your balance...we went thru a glow-in-the-dark tunnel with a bridge that made you feel like you were spinning and going to fall but you weren't really moving at all!  It was all just an optical illusion.  If you like eye trickery you will LOVE this place.  And lucky for me - I do - so this was GREAT!
But...first more on the fun lights and such! Remember Lite Brights?


Well, this place had a life sized display that you could light up what you wanted.  Continuing with the light and motion theme - there was a room you could go in and 'strike a pose' up against the wall and the light flash would freeze your pose in time on the wall.  Here's one that we did.  I look like a hippie-peace-signing scarecrow and Dale looks like something supernatural.

And just for kicks I decided to have Dale take my picture while posing as a member of NASA.  There were kids in the nearby 'space stations' learning about space and control centers and such.  They looked like they were having a great time, too!

Yes!  I took a lot of photos.  More than I thought I did...so I will have to break this post up into at least 2 parts so stay tuned for more of our adventures from WonderWorks in Pigeon Forge!

One View on One Day

A view from the balcony.  It was about 76 degrees, sunny, and fair outside...a very nice day!  We went to WonderWorks and I will post separately about that adventure but a few other things we did was drive around Pigeon Forge, spend time in our cabin, a lot of time with Paco, and we went Grocery Shopping at Kroger and found a few good deals.  Oh, yes!  Last night we went to Tom & Earl's Back Alley Grill.  It was a neat place in the middle of the village portion of Gatlinburg.  Since we were so tired from our trip I didn't take photos but we hope to go back and spend some time there so I will be sure to take some snaps when we return to that area.  Another thing that happened this morning we already saw our first black bear.  I wasn't able to get a picture, tho, it was about a foot from our parked car in front of the kitchen which is in the front of the cabin.

Before I get to the WonderWorks part - I wanted to post a few photos of the Magic Museum portion of the building.  It was small but neat.  There were a lot of historical magazines, paper clippings, and memorabilia.  A great place to visit for families and any fan of magic.  

They had displayed a few of the magicians classics such as this one.  I really enjoyed seeing the old time media, photos, and pop culture part of it.

And I couldn't help but think of Harry Potter when I saw their collection of wands.

Next up...a post about the WonderWorks Portion of this building.  One of my favorite parts was the eye candy - starting off with this wild up-side-down building!  This is in Pigeon Forge, TN, and was fun...stay tuned for more...

Rocky Top - Let The Count Down Begin...

Dale said Paco was singing this song this morning before he left for work but I don't think that's true!

I'm posting this for many reasons...one because we should be there before the weekend ends...two...because of the song at the beginning and I know a few people on our list who will be keeping on eye on this blog are Bluegrassers...three...because Dolly Parton is just so 'darn cute' and talented...and four...because she surprised me with the sax and I think Dale would get a kick out of that part - eventho - I KNOW - I KNOW - just like 'there's no crying in baseball' - there's NO sax in bluegrass!  She's just having fun, folks!  Simmer down now! LOL

Bear Necessities Cabin - Jackson Mountain Homes - Gatlinburg, TN

Here is the Cabin we will be staying at while in Gatlinburg, TN.  The cabin is called Bear Necessities and it's part of Jackson Mountain Homes.  I will post more photos when we are in a settled but you can view more of the official photos on their website here.

It has a view of the SPUR area in the Great Smoky Mountains.  This cabin has 1 bedroom, 2 baths, but can sleep up to 8.  It's Pet Friendly and we will be taking Paco with us because we want to keep a close on him since he's on medication.  Square Footage for this cabin is approximately 1,275.

There is a short 2 minute video tour of the cabin, too, in case you wanted to check it out!  We don't have any concrete plans YET but will report any activities we end up doing here on our blog!

I'm sure we will be spending a lot of time in the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, TN, areas while we are there!  This will sure be an adventure for Dale, Paco, and I...since this is our very first Pet Friendly centered trip so far.

Welcome to the State of Bliss Travel Blog

Welcome to the State of Bliss Travel Blog.  Blog posts will be made by Jennifer (or Dale) to close family and friends about our travels while we take them or shortly after.  This will be a more in depth look at our visits and stop and will be heavy on the photos!  Thanks for stopping by!  Our first posts will be from The Smoky Mountain Area in Tennessee.  Stay Tuned!