As we were parking, I noticed this on a Toyota FJ Cruiser. I can't imagine in this part of the country that this is well received. I also wonder what the decision-making progress is in order for someone to settle on this item. "I need something for the back of my truck/Jeep/SUV, but I can't decide between Trucknutz, a Calvin pissing on something sticker, a Bad Boy Club sticker, nope - this hitch cover is the perfect accessory!"
Ok - on to the aquarium. Did I mention someone was excited to go here?
Once inside, we had run of the place (for now) because we had arrived 15 minutes after it opened. One cool feature before we got into the exhibits was the control center. I nerded out for a bit just checking out the hardware and admiring the fact that someone thought to make this visible to the public.
An aquarium with a built in playground? We're never leaving...
Not a great picture, but hopefully the only time I'll ever see a shark from this vantage point.
Another impressive thing about this place was just how close you could get to the fish. The overhead tank with clear floor to ceiling viewing is very cool, and a bit unnerving at first.
The exhibits are pretty interactive for kids as well, and Jordan was all about participating.
There were also plenty of chances to make fish faces
There was a new exhibit that I did not expect in an aquarium, but after we went through it it made sense. It was a very well done history of the Pearl Harbor surprise attack, and it was fascinating. Extremely informative, very visual and well laid out. It even had some things to keep kids interested as well.
If you find yourself near Gatlinburg, definitely go check this out. It really makes you think about what it must have been like to experience Pearl Harbor firsthand, and it gave us a profound appreciation for those that sacrificed so much during WWII.
Upstairs you can take a glass bottomed boat over the same tank that has the tunnel beneath it. It was OK, but not great. The most memorable part about is is the fact that the set had a very distinct "The Truman Show" feel to it.
A few more exhibits (those crabs can grow to have a 12' wingspan. Nightmare fuel), and then it was time for the Mermaid show.
Jordan is fascinated by mermaids, to the point where she has made me sit through many episodes of this.
I will let the series synopsis speak for itself. If you still choose to watch it after reading this, I wish you the best.
Three ordinary women discover an Island on Mako and a moon pool that turns them into extraordinary mermaids with special powers over water on the night of a full moon. They must never look in the moon's eye or there will be side effects for each of them.
Anyway, on to the mermaid show. These two basically dove down, smiled at the crowd, then came up for air. Repeat this 50 times and you've seen the show. The kids loved it, and I especially enjoyed it when Jordan leaned over to me & whispered "Dad, they're not real mermaids."
Overall it was a great experience, but by the time we left it was insanely crowded. We had read some reviews that alluded to this, so we were very happy with our decision to get here early.
Once we stepped back outside, we found this little bridge which is the only square inch of Gatlinburg where useless tourist trinkets aren't being sold.
This is Gatlinburg. I would describe it as a cross between a Jersey Shore boardwalk and the Allegan County fair. T shirt shops, old timey photo joints, and as my brother Tim described (referring to nearby Pigeon Forge), "It has everything you don't need."
We stopped in a couple places to pick up some gifts, and then we saw this place.
Our guy Kevin took us through a quick tasting of some flavored moonshine, blended whiskey, and straight whiskey that I'm quite certain was turpentine and kerosene.
We had our fill of the tourist experience, and proceeded to head into Smoky Mountain National Park for another attempt at Cades Cove. It started off well, with a herd of horses grazing.
We toured some of the historical buildings, including this church from the 1800s.
In this one, there were a few people sitting in the pews (not these pews) and they started to sing as we were walking out. Jordan and Kim stayed to listen for a while, and the acoustics were incredible.
I was particularly interested in these old cantilevered barns. It's so cool to see how resourceful people were back in this era.
During the drive through the meadow, we were really hoping to see some bears. We came across turkeys, deer, horses, and plenty of birds.
Apparently this scenic drive is quite popular with the bicycle crowd, and in a few spots we came across these signs. You would think this is warning you of an impending cliff or the edge of the earth. I would love to know who gets to come up with the images for these, and would be even more interested in seeing the images that get rejected.
We arrived at one scenic turnout, and there was a crowd of 10-15 people a few hundred yards out into the meadow. We hurried out there to see, but by the time we got there the 3 bears that had been out wandering had headed back into the woods. We took the opportunity to grab a few pictures, as this area is absolutely stunning.
Another productive day, and by the time we got back to the Big Truck it was nearly 10pm. It's too bad we didn't get to spend more time at the site, as the rushing creek was amazing as a backdrop.
Tomorrow - nearly 700 miles to home.
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