Mt Juliet/Nashville, TN-Cedar Creek COE Park

We stayed in Mt Juliet outside of Nashville at Cedar Creek Park, which is a core of engineers park. It was a nice sized park with some great campsites on the lake (we did not have one, but ours was nice anyways). They had one washing machine and dryer and the showers were pretty nice. There was also a big playscape and beach area for swimming.

It was Memorial Day Weekend so the park was pretty busy when we arrived! The next day it almost completely cleared out.

Greg had the day off so we ventured out. We went to the Adventure Science Center (free with our museum pass). We all had a great time. They had this amazing playscape area in the center that was something like 6 levels tall although I would probably freaked out had my children been younger and I had to try to keep up with them.

There was a huge human body section that had a lot of interactive and unique ideas for demonstrating how the body works.

Jordan loved brushing this huge tooth.

Jacob liked this wheelchair activity. The kids were supposed to try to shoot the basketball and then wheel themselves up the ramp on the side to the back of the wall. 

In the back, there were two demonstration areas. One area had a mustard and ketchup pump and the other had two payphones. One of each of the group of items was placed at the height we would typically use them and the others were put down lower for easier access. The whole thing, of course, was to demonstrate the challenges that those confined to a wheelchair face.

Jacob also got the chance to see what it is like to walk on the moon with less gravity. They were to race across to the other side and back. Most kids just had fun flying through the air!

We also watched the IMAX movie titled Back to the Moon for Good shown in the planetarium. It was an overview of the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition.

After that we made a short visit to Fort Negley. Some of the walls were still visible but not too exciting to see. The fort dates back to the Civil War but no battles took place here.

During the rest of the week, the kids and I went swimming and played in the sand,

washed the bikes,

rode bikes a lot (Jacob is getting more daring; like riding through over and down into ditch areas), checked out the local library, and one evening we went to this great playscape at the community park.

Jordan found the sand pit, of course, and was covered from the top of her head to her toes in sand. It was even in her armpits!!

They also had a nice splashpad that was closed and a skate park.

On Friday night we went to the Grand Ole Opry! I wasn't sure what the kids would think about it but they did really well. And I think one of the big reasons was that recently, when we were in Chattanooga, I had them listen to the songs Rawhide and Rocky Top. And coincidentally, they were the first and third songs performed at the Opry!! So I think because the songs were familiar to them, they were a little more interested.

The line up included: Riders In the Sky, Kathy Mattea, Jimmy C. Newman, Bobby Osborne and The Rocky Top X-Press, John Conlee, Henry Cho (comedian), Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Jean Shepard, Jim Ed Brown, Radney Foster, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Mary Gauthier.

(Marty Stuart)

But as the night went on, the music got louder and louder. By the last few songs, I was tasked with covering Jacob's ears. All in all, we had a great time and would love to go back some time.

The next day we drove to Bicentennial Park.   Across the street is the capitol building.

And we found this on the ground.  I have always been curious about where the mile markers were measured from.

The park grounds were nicely manicured.  It had a wonderful amphitheater.  Greg and the kids are taking a bow after their superb performance ;)

They also had fun rotating and stopping this earth. And since it was a VERY HOT day, I am sure they enjoyed the splashes of water!

Our last stop was the Hermitage, the home of former president, Andrew Jackson. And believe it or not, this made the kids' lists of favorite things in Tennessee.

There was a guided tour of the mansion.

front view

back view

But other than that, it was a self guided audio tour. You wore a headset and at each station, there was a sign that listed the numbers to punch into your device for the adult tour and the KIDS TOUR! Often, I listened to both the adult and kids versions because I wanted to know what the kids were hearing. It was done really really well. We were there for several hours and Jordan listened to probably 75% of the recordings and Jacob listened to them ALL, even some of the adult recordings! It cost us about $45 for all of us to go and I would say it was well worth it. They made it very enjoyable.

The garden was beautiful and the flowers were gorgeous.  I would love to have something like this in my yard.

In one corner, were the gravesites of Jackson and his wife, Rachel.  

And the sweet words engraved into the stone on top of Rachel's site.

Being Nashville, it was not at all the visit I expected but we had a great time!  From here, we're off to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky!

Townsend,TN-Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cades Cove Campground

We were a little nervous heading into the Smoky Mountains National Park. The guys who were working on our trailer said something to the effect of “You gonna haul that thing into Cades Cove?” as if they were questioning our decision. Then they said, “Oh it will be okay but there will be turns where you will be looking at your tail lights”. So it was a little stressful as we kept waiting for the awful switchbacks and you know what? They never came. Sure, there were some turns, but nothing that was difficult while pulling our 36 feet of trailer behind us. Stress aside, the drive in was beautiful. The winding roads traveled alongside the river at many points and through a tunnel.

We knew, in advance, the campground would present new challenges. There are no electrical or water hookups and no showers. I cannot imagine staying in a tent there for more than a couple days, but people do! Fortunately for us in an RV, we could fill our water tanks with clean water at the dump station AND if you use a CPAP machine, you are eligible for a handicap site with 5 amps of electricity!

So we didn't have to rough it as much as everyone else. Thank goodness! BUT we still had to conserve water and there would be no air conditioning and no microwave. We made many trips to the outside sink at the bathrooms to fill water jugs for drinking and cooking. And showering was limited to a bucket of water. We made it the full week without running out of water!!!

So here is the summary of our trip. It has been my most favorite place thus far. In addition to the joy of being in the Great Smoky Mountains, we got to visit with family and friends. Beginning the week, Corey (my nephew), his wife, Barbara, and their family came for a visit. Then later in the week, Matt and his family came to visit. He is an old friend of Greg's from church during his high school years. It was really hard to pare down the number of pictures because there was just so much fun and beauty to share!

DAY 1

Our first day began with a wonderful visit from Corey and his family. The kids had a great time and can't wait to visit with their cousins again in the future.

They spent the evening searching for bugs and playing with the Nerf guns. They were rolling around in some tall plants hiding from each other. Surprisingly, only one of them ended up with a rash.

Jordan and Ian

Jacob and Manuel

After they left that evening, we took our first ride around Cades Cove loop. Daylight was disappearing but what was left gave us a peek at the views for the upcoming days. So pretty!

DAY 2

We headed over to the Sugarlands Visitor Center, but first stopped along the way to have a snack at this peaceful roadside picnic area. 

The visitor's center was a very busy place! It had a small museum area and video that we watched on the history of the park.

Then we went on a hike on the nature trail behind the visitor's center. It was an easy walk and the kids worked on identifying leaves and trees for their badge.

These falls were along the hike.

After having lunch, we drove over to Clingman's Dome.  This is a view from one of the many roadside pulloffs on the way.

The Clingman's Dome hike is a 1 mile hike up a paved path but it is STEEP! We had to take several breaks but finally made it to the top. After all that effort we took in the view for a few minutes then headed back down. :)

Also in that area, Jordan and Greg took a SHORT hike along the Appalachian trail.

Since Clingman's Dome is actually in North Carolina, I guess we have one more state under our belts.  Just kidding!  We will be back.

DAY 3

The adventure for day 3 was a 5-mile round trip hike to Abram's Falls. It took us 4 hours and I am so proud of the kids. It was hot, muddy and muggy and we were rationing water because one, we did not bring enough, and two there were no potties (although it is easy enough to find a place for the kids to go).

It was rocky and muddy, uphill and downhill. Here, Jordan is making one of her many leaps through a muddy patch. 

And we crossed over a couple of log bridges. Fortunately, they have the thick wires running between the posts because Jordan's fall would not have been stopped.

The kids found a great place to stop and relax. This was the halfway mark.

We saw lots of beautiful flowers.

For more flower pics, click here.

And many animals, including butterflies, snakes, deer and insects.

And for more wildlife, click here.

And, of course, the falls were beautiful. But even on a Tuesday, it was busy and a little difficult to find a place to sit and watch.

Jordan ended up with a few scrapes on the hike but made it the whole way. The kids even did most of the backpack carrying including an extra bag of collected trash, which they did as part of earning their badge.

On our drive back, this little guy was hanging out along the roadside and got VERY close to us. I really expected something more terrifying but watching the bears was just like watching a deer. They just kept doing their own thing despite all of the action around them.

DAY 4

Day 4 began early. At 7:30 am, we were already out on our bikes ready to make the 12-mile journey from our campground and around Cades Cove Loop. Twice a week, the park closes the roadway to cars until 10 am.

It was a fun way to take in many of the views, wildlife and history along the loop.

(view from John Oliver cabin)

We stopped and checked out the churches, cabins and barns using the printed self-guided tour. But even with our 7:30 am departure, we would not make it back out of the loop before the cars began to enter.

 (Missionary Baptist Church built 1915)

 (Tipton place, built in the late 1870s)

(Tipton's double-pen corn crib and cantilever barn)

And did you know that the Great Smoky Mountains have over 9 million visitors each year but that the majority of them never get out of their cars? Matt, who came to visit us there, told us that and when I was doing some research, I found this to be true! The park calls them “windshield visitors”. So sad!

For the rest of the Cades Cove Loop pics, click here.

Then after a little rest and some lunch, we went to the Cades Cove Visitor Center and Cable Mill area where they had several historic buildings that were moved to this site.

The exception is the Cable Mill which is a water-powered grist mill and sawmill.  It was built in 1870 and stands in its original place.

The kids watched a demonstration of corn being ground into cornmeal. Underneath, you could peek through and see all of the wheels and cogs turning.

We also followed the creek, that powered the mill, back to it's source where we were able to see the dam and lever that controlled the water flow.  I am always amazed by the ingenuity.

And finally after completing all of their activities, they earned their Junior Ranger badge.

It was such a busy day. After leaving the visitor center, we headed into town via Rich Mountain Road and despite being SUPER rocky and bumpy, this is what the kids did....

There was one good viewpoint from the road

but nothing else was worthy of the bumpy and long ride.

Day 5

On this day, I LET Greg go on a hike by himself ;) Ha ha.  He took the Anthony Creek Trail to one of the backcountry campsites.

Later that day, Matt, his wife Larissa, and 6 of their 7 children arrived. We had a nice visit and the kids began to get to know one another.

(The kids are Judah, Hannah, Andrew, Levi, John and Liam)

Day 6

We took a hike with Matt's family. They took us to Spruce Flats Falls near the Tremont Instititute.  The trail is not on the map and so without them, we would never have discovered it. It was about a mile and a half hike and the falls were beautiful. I liked these falls better than all the others we have seen and it was not crowded at all!

The picture below is of the top portion of the above picture, but since a couple of the kids are in this picture, you can get a better idea of how big the falls were.

The kids had a great time crossing the stream and wading in the water.

The challenge: to get this log to head downstream. They never got it all the way down but they sure tried!!

Day 7

Our friends left. We had a fabulous time visiting with them and the kids were especially sad to see them go.

So for our last day, we took a short hike from our campground. 

It was a 1 mile loop and except for the snake that Jordan found, a very pleasant way to end our stay here.

To sum it up, we had a fantastic time. The area is so beautiful!! We ended up seeing 10 bears, 3 snakes and more deer than I could keep track of. And visiting with friends and family made our stay that much better. I would love to go back one day to explore more of the park but after a week it really was time to leave and have a REAL shower!

From here we head to Nashville!