Back to our upcoming road trip this Summer through a part of the US: our next stop, after leaving Nashville and country music behind, will be Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Now to me as a foreigner, all other places so far on our route are familiar names. Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville: they speak to the imagination. Frank Sinatra sang about Chicago, there are the Saint Louis Blues and Chuck Berry, we all know Memphis because of Elvis and Nashville and country music are a given. But Gatlinburg? I had never heard about it.
So why did we decide to go to there next? Because of the mountains! It’s nestled at the entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains. It’s close to the Blue Ridge Mountains (from the lyrics of Country Roads by John Denver)!
Almost heaven,
West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
younger than the mountains, growing like a breeze
So, I guess that’s reason enough, right? We had decided we needed a place with lots of nature and a bit of a relaxing time, and I think Gatlinburg might be just that. I know Dollywood is near in Pidgeonforge, but IÂ think our time will be spent in the Smokey Mountains National Park. The wonders of nature will be a welcome change of scenery.
Are you familiar in the area? Any tips on places to eat or things to see?
