Grant's puttin' the "G" in Gatlinburg

(Please disregard all grammar and spelling mistakes in the following post. I think my pictures and text are being carried by mule on the Internet connection I have here, so edits are too much effort...)

And so begins our vacation in the gateway to the Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I have many fond memories of Gatlinburg from vacations here as a kid, so I've looked forward to bringing Grant here for the first time.

Our drive down was relatively uneventful. We stopped in Corbin, Kentucky for dinner at the Depot on Main restaurant. Erin had a steak, I had a catfish sandwich, and Grant spit green beans and carrots all over the restaurant. He then proceeded to light a fire in his shorts which cleared out the 15 other patrons in the restaurant. It was a job well done.

The one thing we have discovered this summer is that while Grant is very good about letting us drop him at his grandparent's for overnights, he doesn't do so well on full blown vacations. He slept about six minutes last night, which led to a variety of domestic disputes in our little family. All is resolved though, and I'm sure we'll all sleep better this evening. My view of the stars from our condo balcony should be delightful.

We're staying at the Westgate resort here in Gatlinburg, and so far, we've been impressed. Our unit sits at the top of a mountain, and we have a lovely view from our balcony. As is a prerequisite for any hotel or condo unit in Gatlinburg, you could hit at least three other hilljacks with a single beer bottle from the balcony, so all is well.

For lunch, we ventured into Gatlinburg proper, braving the heat, and ate at a place called Legends By Max. It was fun watching people pass by the window as we sucked down large portions of Italian food. I enjoyed reading the various tattoos as they strolled along, and Erin found the variety of things that can be accomplished with an entire bottle of Aquanet rather charming.

One of the things the misses had decided we should do while in Tennessee was visit the Hill Billy Village and Moonshine Museum in Pigeon Forge. Now I originally questioned why you need to visit a hillbilly village while in Gatlinburg. The concept sort of boggles the mind...it's like saying you want to go to the moon and then go to a moon village. In any case, we made the trip, and what we discovered was a shop selling various types of junk, including many items that an older Grant will most probably find offensive. I couldn't help but take a few pictures...


(Someone had better revive my aunt Barb. She's probably got a case of the vapors from that last one...)

I realize that last picture will raise some eyebrows, but Grant did drool profusely into the mug before placing it back on the shelf. He then gave it the raspberries and moved along.

Out back was the "moonshine museum" which was merely a few rundown structures that appeared to have at one point been an attraction. You'll note in the picture below that a "possum hide" was one of the many wonders to be seen. No doubt the Hillbilly Village will be leveled in favor of an Olive Garden or Walgreens in the near future.


We'll keep everyone posted as the week progresses. We're planning on having a General Lee belt buckle made with Grant's name on it, so we'll let you know how it turns out.