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.

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...

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.