Tennessee is a long state...

We got up Wednesday morning and headed to Tennessee...Sevierville to be exact. It is near Pigeon Forge, which is home to Dollywood and, therefore, our next destination. However, we first had to make a "pit stop", if you will, at Bristol Motor Speedway. Geoff salivated when we drove by going out to VA, so we decided to stop on the way back and take a tour of the facility. You could not have wiped the smile off of Geoff's face with a brillopad! We got to drive around the track, climb up the embankment and even stand in victory lane. Even I will admit it was a cool experience! We arrived at our hotel Wednesday afternoon accompanied by thunderstorms, and so after checking in and looking through a large amount of "indoor" entertainment options, we decided on the aquarium. This is supposedly the best aquarium in the US, and I'm pretty sure I believe that claim! The pics do not do justice to the large tanks of every kind of sea creature imaginable! For a large portion, we rode a "people-mover" (like in the airport) under the tanks of sharks, saw fish, and other insignificant fish (okay, probably not insignificant, but compared to sharks and saw fish...come on!). The kids were able to "pet" horseshoe crabs and get in the middle of tanks with puffer fish and sea horses. We finished the rainy evening with dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. A first and very memorable event for the children, I might add!

Thursday morning we got up and went straight to Dollywood. With storms forecasted for that day also, we wanted to get everything in we could before the washout. We arrived just as it opened, and at first glance you might think you were entering a nicer, and maybe more done-up (for lack of a better word) Silver Dollar City. But as we walked and played, we realized there were more shops and food than SCD, but not as many rides or things to do. We had a blast riding the water ride down the hill, watching the kids do the kiddie rides, driving cars (on a track, of course) and seeing a couple shows. The train was a highlight...this is no "amusement train", this is full-blown steam engine with a history. Her name is Klondike Katie and she put soot in our eyes at every turn! We visited the candy shop as the storm blew in, because they had shut down most of the rides because of lightening. After trying to wait it out, and eat candy, for about 30 minutes, we decided to call it a day and make a run for it. We played in the hotel pool for a little while until the rain stopped. That evening, when the sun came back out, we headed out for some "speed" at the Nascar track. The kids had carts they could drive themselves, and enjoyed getting in with Daddy or Mommy and racing each other. Geoff and I decided that evening we had all had enough and would depart for AR the next morning. Tennessee is a LONG state, and the kiddos determined this early on. The trip back was no walk in the park...a huge storm, 5 o'clock traffic and no electricity (which meant no food) were a few of the issues we dealt with. Throw in some irritable kids and you've got yourself some fun!!!! Besides that, we had a wonderful time, and would like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone in VA that opened their home or spent time with us. We miss you all and hope to see you again soon!