Introduction:
We have tried to take advantage of small breaks to visit new places with the kids. After looking at many flights, we settled on Charlotte, NC, which was a quick flight from Newark and within driving distance (4 hours) of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For this trip, our guest stars were the Halabis, adding another 2 adults and 5 kids to our group.
Day 1:
After an early wakeup Sunday morning, we made it to Charlotte around 10 AM. We rented a minivan, which gave us plenty of space to store our carry-ons and have easy access to our food and supplies.
The first stop (about 2 hours away) was Carl Sandburg’s historic home. I have never heard of him, but he is a famous poet and his home became an NPS site. The only thing that really attracted us to the site were the goats. Carl Sandburg’s wife and their family raised some of the most productive goat herds in the country. After a short walk (about 15 minutes) from the parking lot, you reach the goat farm. Visitors can pet the goats and brush their hair. The kids enjoyed this and of course got their first Junior Ranger badge of the trip!
Next we headed to Sliding Rock in Pisgah National Forest. Here we had fun sliding down the rocks on the natural water slide – even Sharon and Joshua went down and had fun splashing around. It was a nice way to cool down on the hot day. A few minutes drive away was Looking Glass Falls, where we saw a beautiful waterfall. We saw the pretty view above and then were able to walk down to get closer to it. Afterwards we started the 2.5 hour drive towards the hotel in Pigeon Forge. Once we got closer, we picked up our Walmart order for the week and made one last stop at Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. We had a blast on this super long Alpine Coaster built on the side of the mountain.
Day 2:
Day 2 was spent at Dollywood, a theme park designed and created by Dolly Parton. Because school has already started in TN, the park was running on a limited schedule. It was a scorching hot day and we started the adventures at one of the two water rides, where we got soaked!! (There is a separate water park, but it was closed because of the end of summer schedule.) The park was relatively quiet and we were able to enjoy all the rides, some several times, with little to no wait. Since we were with the Halabis, we were able to split into different groups at times to accommodate the kids’ interests. Joseph was the ultimate daredevil of the group. Kids and adults had a great time in this park. There are were also many shows and performances throughout the day, but given how big the park is, we only ended up seeing 2 shows. Favorite attractions included Mystery Mine with its fun theme, a 95 degree drop, and unexpected flips, and Daredevil Falls (log flume). The park really had something for everyone, with thrilling rollercoasters for the big kids and adults, to family friendly rides, and even rides for the toddlers. We ended up staying in the park from opening till past closing!
Day 3:
Today we hit our 27th national park- Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We began the day early to try and see animals at Cades Cove, an 11 mile driving loop. Unfortunately, it was a super hot day again and we were unlucky at seeing wildlife, but we did have incredible views of the mountains!
We then embarked on the Spruce Flats Falls hike in the park. It’s a 1.4 mile roundtrip trail with 460 feet elevation gain. Some kids took the lead and guided us ahead, while others needed some coaxing and holding. The hike was mostly shady in the forest and ends at a nice waterfall where we were able to wade in and get wet. We had a blast climbing the rocks, playing in the waterfall and splashing around. The boys caught a salamander and spent time examining it. Along the hike, the kids encountered many bugs, insects and spiders. They took pictures of their findings and searched online and in their guidebook to find what the animals were. It was very cute to see them get curious about their surroundings and use their resources to get answers. We were all wiped by the end of the hike, but we felt accomplished by what we had done.
Since we hadn’t seen any bears, we stopped at the famous Three Bears General Store, a giant gift shop and home to 3 black bears they we were able to observe. We then came back to the hotel to freshen up and eat dinner before our night activity. This trip was new for us in that we stayed out late for so many nights. (Especially when we travel with babies, we are usually back in the room and ready to sleep by 7.)
Our plan for the night was to do a UTV ride in the Smokies. We rented 3 UTVs (self driving off road vehicles) and had a blast driving through the rocky dusty terrain. The trip included a stop at the “million dollar view” of the Smokies. (This UTV activity made us realize how unique and amazing the UTV ride in Moab, UT really was because the kids tried to make this more thrilling by telling Sam to wait back and then speed ahead, but we got scolded by the guide.)
In general, the park reminded us a lot of Shenandoah NP with the green mountain scenery.
Day 4:
About one week before our trip, a storm in TN washed out the Newfound Gap Road, making it inaccessible while we were there. This frustrated our travel plans and in order to get to the other side of the park, we had to take a 2 hour detour through the I-40 and adding several hours of driving to the day. This meant that we didn’t end up arriving to Kuwohi (FKA Clingman’s Dome) until after 1 PM. We walked the short 0.5 miles to the highest viewpoint, but the steepness made it a difficult climb! Even worse, the view was cloudy and we couldn’t see much. The kids did earn their junior ranger badges here though. It was Allen and Joseph’s 18th NP, Shelly’s 15th and Sharon’s 5th!
We then had the highlight of our day- seeing a black bear eating grass as we drove out of Kuwohi. We stayed for about 5 minutes observing the bear and taking pictures. It was surreal. We also saw a wild turkey, but did not see any elk by Oconaluftee visitor center.
Our last viewpoint was Waterrock Rock, a beautiful view in the Blue Ridge Parkway. Waterrock Knob is one of the highest points on the parkway. The views were spectacular, and we took the opportunity to eat dinner overlooking the mountains. We then continued our drive back towards Charlotte, passing through Asheville – but getting caught in the rain.
Day 5:
As a history teacher, it’s always interesting for me to visit historic sites around the country, especially related to events that I teach. On this trip, we passed through 2 battlefields from the American Revolution. When the British realized that they were being defeated, they devised a new strategy – to attack the Patriots in the Southern colonies. The hope was that the Loyalists would intervene (as there were more Loyalists in the South) and help the British defeat the Patriots. Luckily for America, this strategy was unsuccessful and ultimately the British surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. Our first stop was Cowpens Battlefield, site of an American Revolution battle in South Carolina.We spent most of the time at the indoor exhibit and museum, as the battlefield was mostly empty grounds. The kids worked really hard to earn their next Junior Ranger badge. Next, we drove about 40 minutes to Kings Mountain National Military Park, which commemorates the battle of the American Revolution fought on October 7, 1780. After exploring the exhibit, we did a short walk around the battlefield. We stopped at Patrick Ferguson’s grave – he was the only British commander to be buried in a battlefield and threw stones around his grave to give him good vibes. We then walked a little further to the memorial. Luckily we worked very hard to complete the Junior Ranger book, as the ranger was meticulous and insisted that each page be done completely. Here the kids earned their last badges of the trip. (Did you know that forest fires are actually good for trees?!)
After the educational morning, we headed to the US National Whitewater Center for some adventure and fun. Kids 8+ went whitewater rafting on this man-made river, while those younger than 8 headed to the Wildwoods section for climbing and a jungle gym. Finally, it was time to head to the airport. After a 2 hour delay, we made it home late Thursday night with great experiences and memories!
