"One Day You'll Wake Up And This Life Will Be Over"

PREFACE

Few things are greater than exploring on the open road...except when there aren't any cars to rent.  Our trip to traverse through the beautiful state of Tennessee got off to a rocky start when we decided to rent a 4x4 car, rather than use one of our own.  Living in Chicago, we imagined there would be a bountiful inventory.  Even after making a reservation well in advance, upon arriving to the rental counter @ O'Hare NOBODY had cars.  They were literally having to provide cars being returned in real-time from previous renters to new ones.  So, food for thought, take your own car on the road if you can; COVID has thrown a major wrench auto supply chain.

HAVING SAID THAT, after a few hours of waiting, we were off and running!  Our first stop along the way to Tennessee; Mammoth Cave National Park.  Located primarily in Edmonson County, Kentucky, Mammoth is the longest cave system known in the world.  Established in 1941, the caves are composed of Limestone and Sandstone, which has made them remarkably stable over time.  The formations inside the miles of cave tracts have some intriguing geometric characteristics; One example is called, "The Drapery Room" a tract that appears to have pleated drapes coming from the top of the cave; another called "The Snowball Room" contains several formations that have the appearance of snowballs.  NOTE* pets are allowed outside of the cave trails but NOT allowed inside.

INTERESTING FACT

Several Tuberculosis patients that passed away here in the early 19th-century. TB Patients were housed in some of the caves, in hopes that the environment would help to heal their lungs.

As we crossed into Tennessee our first stop was in Music City.  My fiancé had never been to Nashville, and wanted to spend at least 1 night experiencing some REAL singer-songwriter country music. QUICK NOTE; if you travel with your dog (which we did), The Virgin Hotel in Nashville is BEAUTIFUL, dog-friendly and not far from Broadway (downtown) area.  We grabbed dinner and headed down to music row for a party awaiting.  COVID restrictions were recently scaled back, and the crowds were out in full force. (we wore masks inside).  I was elated to find a musician I'd previously seen in Nashville, Daniel Donato, playing that night @ Layla's Honky Tonk.  Talk about guitar prowess, this kid is an absolute BEAST with an axe.  His music seems to be a hybrid of old country and psychedelic jamming and was a refreshing alternative to some of the country standards you'd expect.  Here's a quick video of him playing alongside another guitar favorite of mine, Robert Randolph Donato & Randolph Jam

From Nashville we made our way south towards Chattanooga, with a stop along the way at historic, Bell Buckle, Tennessee.  This small town is a tourist attraction for anyone looking for some old-fashioned charm.  The downtown almost looks like a movie set from the old west, filled with Mom & Pop boutiques you won't find anywhere else.  The downtown street even has a quilt pattern painted right into the asphalt.  Great pit stop if you have an hour or two!

Nearing the Georgia border, we made our way to Rock City Gardens.  Located by Lookout Mountain (incredible rock face/waterfall) Rock City was a fascinating attraction, that allowed us to trek through ancient rock formations and gardens. (400+ native plant species) Although it was too cloudy on our visit, there's point along the trail which provides tourists panoramic views of 7 different States. The gardens also featured "Fairyland Caverns" where scenes of childhood stories were brought to life through incredible pieces of folk art.

Our journey then took us east towards Gatlinburg, to visit The Great Smoky Mountains; stopping along the way at the LARGEST flea market in TN, the Great Smokies Flea Market. With 200,000 square feet of space, the market featured some of the most unique selection of sundries; some created by the sellers themselves such as candles, and other items that left you wondering, "who made these for commercial use"  The people were extremely polite and fun to interact which added to the experience. A must-see if you have the time!

Upon arriving in Gatlinburg, we immediately made our way to SkyLift park to take an 1,800 ft. trip up the Smokies to get a panoramic view of the region.  Atop the mountain there was also their famous, "Swing Bridge".  Functional, but almost feeling like a novelty, the bridge allows tourists to cross over to different sections of the mountain, while looking down through clear glass in certain areas (terrific if you love making your stomach churn).  The sights were truly incredible (pics below), and if you have the nerve, I STRONGLY recommend paying for admission to this attraction.  It IS pet-friendly, as we were able to bring our dog with us.  Just make sure to keep them fastened to you on the lift.

After making our way back down from the mountain we stopped at a Moonshine distillery (when in Rome) called, Sugarlands (also pet friendly).  For a reasonable admission, you go about a 30 minute tasting with one of the distillers whom told the history & details of their signature recipes...and by tasting I mean you won't be able to drive a good hour.  A few batches we sampled included, Appalachian Apple Pie, Banana Pudding Appalachian Sippin' Cream, and Butterscotch Gold; was like drinking adult candy.

Pressed for time, we moved through Gatlinburg and hit up 2 more attractions before the Sun fully set on us.  Clingman's Dome was first; set near the border of Tennessee & North Carolina it's the highest mountain in the Great Smokies with an elevation of 6,643 ft.  *NOTE, pets are not allowed up the walkway ramp upon reaching the top.  After making our way back down the mountain and before heading back to our hotel, we cut over the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway to check out to Mingo Falls.  Meaning, "Big Bear" Mingo Falls is a 120-ft waterfall located in the Qualla Boundary; a land trust of the Eastern Band of Cherokees.  No admission fees were required for either of these attractions!

There were other attractions throughout our adventure documented below, and probably more we'd didn't have time to get to, but until then...I'm comin' home, baby!

 TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

• Mammoth Cave National Park
• Rock City Gardens
• Bell Buckle, TN
• Great Smokies Flea Market
• Driving through Pigeon Forge - Reminded me of Branson but for a slightly younger-tier of people
• Gatlinburg SkyLift Park - Swing Bridge
• Sugarlands Distilling Pet Friendly
• Clingman's Dome
• Mingo Falls
• Blue Ridge Pkwy

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Rock City Gardens/Lookout Mountain is DEFINITELY worth seeing but try to choose a day with clear skies
• If you check out Clingman's Dome (it is not dog friendly all the way to the top but you can take you car far up the mountain and get close)