Fountains at The Breakers

Today I figured I would post some photos of the fountains of The Breakers.  They were everywhere and they were gorgeous! 

The Breakers in West Palm Beach Florida was beautiful - at every turn - my favorite part was the weather!  The Palm Trees I mentioned in previous posts was my other favorite - but - the fountains were pretty amazing, too!

This first one was near one of the 9 pool areas at The Breakers.  You can see the ocean on the other side of it, too!

This next photo was of a fountain that was in the outside courtyard of The Spa at The Breakers.  I was able to go to the spa thanks to 2 gift cards I received.  I opted for a 50 minute massage and it was wonderful.  They did a combination of aromatherapy, hot stones, and deep tissue.  She even worked on my Sciatica, too. 

The aromatherapy scents that were used for me were peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender. 

It was the first time I had experienced the hot stones and I have to say I absolutely LOVED them.

In the courtyard of the spa there were chairs, tables, lounge chairs, etc all in an enclosed area.

This next photo of a fountain at The Breakers was taken in the one side lawn area.  There is a parking area behind it and on both sides but at The Breakers there is ONLY Valet Parking.  There are also lovely walkways, paths, gardens, and things to look at - at each and every turn.

I blogged a bit more about this fountain and the lawn area over at my main blog HERE at MyBlissfulJourney.com

Also at that above direct link you can read more about all of the Palm Trees surrounding The Breakers and my LOVE of Palm Trees!

The layout of The Breakers was terrific because there were a lot of hidden areas that were out of sight including the playground which was nice.

In the middle of The Breakers there was a courtyard, too, it was surrounded by several entrances/exits, shops, and other walkways.

This is a picture of that courtyard and the fountain and seating area there.  At night there were twinkling lights on the trees and plants and it was glowing with clam-ness.

There was marble everywhere, too!

Behind this fountain area you can see a little archway that went out to the lawn area.  This lawn area was the area I spoke about with the photo above.

The area lizards and salamanders enjoyed this spot, too!

With this last photo in today's post - you will see one of the fountains and statues in the beautiful outdoor enclosure that was located right past the historic lobby at The Breakers.

This area had lots of seating - benches, comfy chairs, etc.  It had stone statues, fountains, and railings, too! 

And of course plenty of plants and palms. 

This is one of the many areas that The Breakers holds meetings, parties, balls, receptions, and fundraisers - among other things!  While we were there they had at least 3 gatherings in this area that I know of.  I would sure love to have a gathering there if I were able to - it's a lovely spot!

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!