Oh Gatlingburg how I miss you!

I am such a vacation freak!  Maybe it is because we didn't get to do a family trip this year or what but I am already planning our 2013 Summer vacation.  Chris will tell you he needed that break, that he was vacationed out.  But not I, I will never be vacationed out.

So for the third time we will be going back to Gatlinburg, Tn.  Hey, what can I say I love it there!  You have the best of both world's.  You have the nature side, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and then you have the fun tourist side, Gatlingburg, Tn.

I mean look at this and tell me you wouldn't want to go here!

We spend a lot of our time in the park.  We love being outside and enjoying nature.  And there is so much to do there!  In the summer time the kids love playing in the rivers that run along side the roads.  Picnics are great all year long also!

                                       

This year we are going to try a few short hikes with the kids.  I can't wait until they get older and can walk farther distances.  There are a ton of great water falls to hike and see.  The kids did love the one waterfall they could hike to though!

 (no one said it was big)

Driving the scenic drives is another great thing we love to do.  Cades Cove is a great scenic drive to take.  We have seen numerous deer and our favorite, bears!  Our first bear sighting in Cades Cove the bear was only 3 feet from the window of the car!  Talk about exciting!


 Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail was where we had our very 1st bear sighting.  This trail is closer to town so we would do this during sunset.  And let me tell you they were beautiful!

sorry about the blurry pic but we accidentally snuck up on this bear in the parking garage!

And there are tons of places to pull over along the way for photo opps with in the park.

 After we have had a fun day in the park we like to hang out in Gatlingburg.  There is so much to do there!  They have lots of arcades, shops, Ripley's attractions, restaurants, and much more!

Ice cream is always a big hit!

 Downtown Gatlinburg

The first time I was searching for a place to stay I spent hours upon hours searching for the right place.  Which is not easy for a family of 5 with 2 small children.  After searching hotels, condos, and cabin rental companies I came across VRBO and Homeaway.com.  That was it, I was going to find our perfect cabin on one of these sites!

For our first trip I found a cabin that I fell in love with, Bearway to Heaven.  This cabin was perfect and had everything we needed and more!  They even provided a pack in play, which was great since Carter was 11 months when we went.  The kids favorite part was the hot tub in the screened in porch or wait was it the big bath tub?!?  I loved the screened in porch.  No need to worry about bears jumping at you! lol  And it was in a perfect location.  Maybe a mile from the heart of downtown.  

For our Fall trip I wanted something with a view!  Again after hours and hours of searching I found a Condo with a great view.  And a great rate to boot!  This condo was a little tough to get to but so worth it. The kids didn't have a big bubble tub but they did have an in-ground pool which they visited often.  It also had a balcony.  I loved to sit out on it and watch the view change.  And that it did often!

So now to start the long search of what cabin or condo will be perfect for our Gatlingburg summer 2013 trip.

I am ready to hang my head out the window and start snapping away!