4770. Go to Smoky Mountain National Park

 Back in the 1990s, we took a family trip to Gatlinburg and briefly drove through the Smokies. I wanted to go back. When figuring out where we wanted to go on vacation this spring instead of Arizona, Florida got tossed out and I mentioned wanting to stop at the Smokies on the way through, the hubby was like why not just go to Tennessee. So I planned on two days in Gatlinburg where initially I only planned on exploring the Smokies the first day but we ended up spending most of our time there, specifically Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) is the most visited National Park in the US. It is located in Tennessee and North Carolina. There is no park entrance fee but it does cost $5/day to park ($15/week) in any lot more than 15 minutes. So unless you are just driving through the park, buy the parking pass. 

GSMNP has 4 visitors centers, three of which are open year round and the 4th on top of Clingman's Dome (yes, I know it has a new name but Clingman's Dome is easier to spell and I'm too lazy to go up the Native American name) is open seasonally started in April. We made it to the other 3.

We started out our adventure by coming in from the southwest through Townsend and then onto Little River Gorge Road. Even though this route was windy, it followed the Little River and you were still in the foothills. The reason I picked this route was I wanted to see Meigs Falls. Meigs Falls can be viewed right along the road (no hiking required) and it's on the right hand side of the road coming from Townsend. There is a small pullout in front of the falls. 

All along the route we saw rapids and falling water of the side of the mountain. I am glad I picked this route to introduce the hubby to GSMNP.

We stopped at Sugarlands Visitor Center to grab a map and doing our only actual hike. We hiked to Cataract Falls. 

Then we drove the Newfound Gap Road. The main road between the North (Sugarlands) and the South (Oconaluftee) Districts. It is windy mountain road so it does close in bad weather. Always check the app or website for closures The hubby handled it okay on the way there and liked it much better on the way back as it is more downhill from Oconaluftee. There are a few tunnels you need to go through. 

About halfway through is the Newfound Gap Overlook which provides you the chance to stand in Tennessee and North Carolina. It is where you can easily pick up the Appalachian trail in the park. We stopped for some pictures and I walked part of the Appalachian Trail.

The main reason I wanted to drive the entire Newfound Gap Road was to try to see the elk. There is a elk herd near the Oconaluftee visitor center. Usually my wildlife quests are unsuccessful but we were able to see the elk. 

On Tuesday, we decided to skip most of the touristy stuff in Gatlinburg and drive the Cades Cove Loop. This was on my list of things to do because it's the one area of the park I never been to and I heard that it's something you should do. Cades Cove Lop is open from dawn to dusk. It is a one way loop with scenic pullouts and old buildings to explore. It is essentially a valley within the mountains. It is also where the bears really like to hang out. We saw no bears but I didn't expect too.

Cades Cove was the hubby's favorite part of the Smokies. It was unique. I loved all the log cabins and old churches. We explored a few off them but after a while there are all the same. Kind of like another castle on the Rhine. 

The only things we didn't get to do was drive up Clingman's Dome and drive Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail which is another seasonal mountain road. I'm not sure the hubby could handle either of them. 

Everyone needs to see the Great Smoky Mountains. I am glad we went at the beginning of March when it is not quite starting to get busy. Spring Break, Summer, and Fall are the busiest times to be there so bring your patience and enjoy the scenery. It definitely now has become my favorite National Park. 

503. Hike the Smoky Mountains

 When I was planning our trip to the Smoky Mountains, there were a few things I knew I wanted to do. A couple of them involved "hiking" and that is not the hubby's cup of tea, especially of late. I knew I had to keep hiking to a minimum. I don't know why when I wrote the original bucket list almost 25 years ago, I thought it was a great idea to include all these hikes on the list. I enjoy a good, easy hike but I probably thought I'd have all the time and money to go hike, camp, and do outdoorsy things. Now it's baseball and road trips. 

One of the hikes I wanted to do was hike the Smoky Mountains. I didn't need to a strenuous or even moderate hike. Something short and easy for the hubby would suffice. Initially I found a nice short boardwalk nature trail hike to do. Somehow in my planning, I forgot to write down where said hike was in the park. I saw a sign for a nature trail from Sugarlands Visitor Center but it was .7 miles and listed as moderate. That was not my hike.

Also on the sign, it said Cataract Falls was .5 mile hike and easy. The hubby and I decided to hike to Cataract Falls. So we went chasing waterfalls. 

The hike to Cataract Falls from Sugarlands Visitor Center is about .5 mile round trip. It is a super easy, pretty flat hike. Part of it is across a parking lot partially due to construction. We did the hike in flip flops. Did you expect anything less?

Cataract Falls is a small waterfalls but has some height. I like waterfalls of any kind. 

The hike to Cataract Falls is a popular hike since it's close to the visitor center and short. It also meets up with the Gatlinburg Trail which does take you into Gatlinburg. No I didn't cross the water to the get to the Gatlinburg Trial. I'm sure the hubby would have had a heart attack if I attempted that. He's so not adventurous. 

Everyone needs to hike the Smoky Mountains at least once even if it's a super short trail. There is just something about being out in nature and mountain air that makes life all better.

If the hubby can make it to Cataract Falls, there's a good chance you can too. Visit the Smoky Mountains, get out of the car, and explore a trail. It's worth it. 

4777. Go to Little Debbie Park in Collegedale

 Several people tagged me or sent me a link about the Little Debbie Park near Chattanooga even before going to Tennessee was even on our radar. I added it to the bucket list. When it was time to plan our trip, I decided to add Little Debbie Park as a stop on the way to Gatlinburg from Chattanooga.

Little Debbie Park is located in Collegedale about 25 minutes from downtown Chattanooga up I-75. It is less than 10 minute from I-75. It is open dawn to dusk. 

There is plenty of parking. We parked on the west side of the park which is only back in angle parking. I am so glad the hubby was driving. I would drove over to the east side of the park where there is a normal parking lot. 

The park is themed around the Little Debbie Snack Cakes and Treats. There are sculptures scattered around the park of their famous treats.. Christmas trees, Oatmeal Cream Pies, Nutty Buddies, and Brownies. You can climb on some of them. The hubby stayed in the car so I couldn't get fun pictures.

At the north end of the park, there is the history of Little Debbie and a statue of Little Debbie.

The park includes a huge playground. If Stacy was with me, we would have had a blast playing. 

The best part there are huge adult size swings with shade scattered around the playground so parents can sit and swing while the kiddos play. 

There are also a walking trail. 

It is a great park to check out for the Little Debbie theme but ever better for the actual playground. If you are ever in the Chattanooga area and need to burn off steam or check out something fun, go check out Little Debbie Park. 

Pizza Snob Adventures: Cesario's Pizzeria Rossville

 When I realized that Chattanooga was on the TN/GA border, I went on search for pizza in Georgia. We already had pizza in Tennessee so I figured it was a good time as any to have pizza in Georgia. A quick search resulted in Cesario's Pizzeria in Rossville. It was only 15-20 minutes from our hotel and rated really well.

Cesario's Pizzeria Rossville is located in an old industrial area of Rossville. If you aren't looking for it, you may miss it. Cesario's is open 11-9 most days. Fridays they stay open until 10 and Sundays they are open 12-8. There is a parking lot. 

We were asked if we waned to eat inside or outside. It was a beautiful evening so we opted for outside which meant a covered patio. It was perfect and reminded me of being in Arizona. I will always take the outside option if they weather is nice.

The menu has wood fired pizza along with pasta, salad, and sandwiches. There was no build your own option for the pizza so we went went with cheese. The hubby was hesitant to do meat lovers in case it was spicy. We also got some cheese sticks. Like most wood fired pizza, there is only one size.

The cheese sticks were very good. They were toasted to perfection. 

Our pizza was amazing. It was fired to perfection. We devoured that pizza quickly.

I asked if the hubby wanted cannoli for later but he was full. They also had gelato and tiramisu for dessert. 

If we are ever back in Chattanooga area, I would definitely go back to Cesario's Pizzeria Rossville. If you are craving pizza while in Chattanooga, check out Cesario's Pizzeria in Rossville just across the border.