After leaving Gettysburg, my family and I headed down South towards Tennessee to stay in a log cabin located in the breath taking Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN.

Our cabin was located at the top of a hill with a tremendous view of downtown Gatlinburg and the mountaintops in the distance. While sitting on the balcony, I could see a family of deer grazing meters away or the Ferris wheel downtown bursting with colors. Fireworks would pop when the sun went down for a small night show to entertain all visiting tourists.

The cabin was like no other I have stayed in. It was very luxurious and modern with A/C and heating, large windows for views, a nice kitchen with a dishwasher and several bathrooms including one of them having shutters that open for a view of the wildlife. The cabin contained very nice bedrooms with king-size beds. A game room was located upstairs with a pool table, Ping-Pong, foosball, PlayStation 2 and even a classic two player arcade table with Donkey Kong. On the back balcony was a nice spot to sit in a rocking chair and relax or bask in a hot tub for a nice stress reliever with a great view of the Smokies. To date, it is the nicest cabin I have stayed in.

We only got to stay for two nights, but it was still very enjoyable. We had just one day to relax and have a cookout away from other human interactions.  On our last day, we started off by going to a candy shop where we bought caramel and chocolate fudge. We then headed over to the Ripley Aquarium and spent a good portion of the day there seeing all the marine life. It was one of the best aquariums I have visited, because the architecture was very neat and I had the opportunity to touch a manta ray. On our way to lunch, we ran into a 7-D shootout arcade game, so we as a family had to check it out. A large theater like room with electric riding horses and a gaming pistol were waiting for us inside. We sat facing a large screen with some special glasses to see pirates, skeletons and bandits. The game was a competition to see who the hero was. Of course I won, but it was a really great time to enjoy little things.  Small shopping stores and tourist shops were next on the list where we bought some interesting things. When we left Gatlinburg, we got to stop by an ‘As seen on TV’ store. They had every single thing from TV infomercials that you could think of. I happily walked out with my Bake-a-Bone dog treat maker which makes gluten-free dog treats as well.

Even though Gatlinburg was short lived, I really enjoyed my stay. If you’re looking for good activities for family time and a beautiful place, Gatlinburg is a good place to start.