NPS Adventures 2026: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

 I have been trying to get us to Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park in Kentucky for several years now. I always felt it was out of the way of where we were. This year the hubby said that we are just going to go.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park is located in Hodgenville, KY. The visitor center is open 9-5 daily. 

Because we spent too much time exploring the Obed Wild and Scenic River, we got there around 3:30 and was told that memorial building closes at 4:30. We promptly headed up the Memorial Building. The Memorial Building is the first Lincoln Memorial in DC and houses the Birth Cabin. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1911 to preserve the historic cabin.

After viewing the birth cabin, we walked the path to Sinking Spring which was a dependable water sources for the Lincoln Family. Unfortunately you can not get close enough to the spring to actual drink of the water. 

Unfortunately due to time constraints, we did not get to the Boundary Oak or follow the Pathway of a President. There is a second segment of the park which is the Boyhood at Knob Creek up the road which we did not see either. I believe is was there as a kid back in the 1990s. 

Even though it was a quick visit, it was a nice visit. It is definitely worth checking out. If you find yourself at Mammoth Cave or in Bowling Green definitely take the time to check it out.

I am up to 67 National Park Sites now. I wonder what will be number 68. Stay tuned to find out. 

NPS Adventures 2026: Obed Wild & Scenic River

I am not one for checking out scenic rivers per se but when there is one along our route it was a no brainer to stop. I was figuring it would be a quick stop for a stamp and we'd be on our way. However, sometimes these NPS stops don't always go as planned. 

Obed Wild & Scenic River Visitor Center is located in Wartburg, TN. The actual river is out of town. The visitor center is open 9-5 daily. There is not much in the visitor center but the rangers were very helpful. They gave us a few places to view the river. They also suggest another National River to check out but it was out of the way. 

We decided first to check out the Nemo Bridge. It used to be a railroad bridge back in the day. It now is bike and walking trail crossing the Obed River. I did not walk the bridge but we saw views of the river and the bridge. Maybe one day I will be back to actually walk across the bridge.

We planned on doing a short hike the Lily Bluff Overlook Trail. We never found the overlook. We got to the right area but I don't think we followed the road far enough. 

We did find a trail head though. From the looks of it was the Bridge Trail which was a .5 mile round one way trail that was moderate to strenuous. We actually had shoes on for this one. We made it about 1/4 of the way before turning around. It would have eventually led us to the overlook I think. 

Despite our mishap with the Lily Bluff Overlook Trail, we still got to see the river and it was gorgeous.

If you ever find yourself on the back roads of Tennessee between Knoxville and Louisville, check out Obed Wild and Scenic River. It's worth the detour.

Next time maybe we will take the detour to check out Big Fork South National River. 

There are  400+ National Park Sites across the US and I've now been to 66 of them. Stay to tuned to see which one is number 6-7. 

NPS Adventures 2026: Manhattan Project K-25 History Center

 The last time we went through Knoxville, I wanted to stop at the Manhattan Project NPS but we didn't have any time. This time I made sure we had a chance to visit at least one of the sites throughout the Knoxville Area. There are many locations including several museums. I gave the hubby the option which museum we were going to visit. We decided on K-25 History Center.

K-25 was one of the gaseous diffusion plant that helped create the atomic bomb during WWII. It was a mile long building where they diffused the uranium. It is located really in the middle of nowhere on the outskirts of Oak Park. 

K-25 is not really a museum. It is really just a display of history of K-25 on the second floor of this building. 

There is a model of the entire mile long complex.

There are videos, timelines, and diagrams that explained how their diffused the uranium.

You can look out the windows and view the outline of the complex that has since been knocked down. 

It is not that exciting of a place in the typical museum sense. However the science and history lessons presented through video are fascinating. When I saw what little there was too see I was disappointed but it was actually worth our time. I was glad I still went in with an opened mind.

There is still a lot of places we have not seen of the Oak Park Manhattan Project, including the Y-12 plant (which I need to figure out how to actually get a tour of). I know we will continue to knock them off as we find ourselves in the Knoxville area. If you are ever in the Knoxville Area the Manhattan Project sites are worth checking out. 

Stay tuned to find out which Manhattan Project we visit next in the next few years. 

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. 

Shopping Adventures: Smoky Mountain Farms Jelly House

After we checked out the Salt and Pepper Salt Shaker Museum, we walked across the parking lot to Smoky Mountain Farms Jelly House. The Pumpkin Butter sign drew our attention despite me hating anything pumpkin.

Smoky Mountain Farms Jelly House is located in Winery Square just off downtown Gatlinburg. It is open 9-5 daily and has plenty of parking.

Smoky Mountain Farms Jelly House sells homemade jellies, jams, preserves along with pickled vegetables and hot sauces. If you are looking for a particular type of jam, they probably have it. If you are looking for something new, they will let you taste all their varieties. 

They have some very unique flavors of jam and jellies including corn cob jelly, ginger jelly, garlic jelly, and port wine jelly.

I did sample a few of the more unique flavors. The sticks they give you to sample made getting the thick jelly out difficult at times. The garlic jelly definitely had a strong garlic taste.

We ended up getting Peaches in Brandy Jam and homemade Sorghum syrup which is similar to molasses. The hubby wants to try the Peaches in Brandy on top of ice cream. Stay tuned to see how that is.

This is a definite must stop when in Gatlinburg. The owner is super friendly and there is something for everyone. It is on my list to return to if we ever get back to Gatlinburg area.