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Pigeon Forge: my review

We live within a two hour drive of the popular tourist destination of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We have made several trips down there for weekend getaways or even weeklong vacations. We spent a few days there earlier this year and i decided I’d take a few minutes to highlight some of our favorite stores, restaurants and activities from this vacation.

1. The Apple Barn: this stands out as one of our favorite stops for breakfast. (They also have great food other times but we always go for breakfast). Time after time, we have enjoyed the apple fritters, pancakes, biscuits and more! Plus, the charming adjoining stores are well worth the time. Not to mention the peaceful rural setting is unbeatable.
2. Moonpie general store and bookstore: this was a dream come true for a book lover like me! The unassuming appearance of the store outside made me hesitant but inside, I realized not to judge a book store by its cover! Besides the long rows of shelves stuffed with books, (many for less than five dollars), there was also a cute assortment of Melissa and Doug toys and a small food section with obviously lots of moon pies as well as old fashioned bottles soda pop. We actually made two trips during our five day stay there!
3. The Old Mill district: we almost always stop here and we did again this trip. I love the pottery store. We also got to watch the blacksmiths working. And of course, James loved the water wheel and waterfall where we also saw some ducks in the river.
4. Ogle Brothers general store: this was a new stop for us and I loved it. It is a fresh, new store chock full of country charm. Plus, outside, we got to watch people ziplining over our heads from a tower  up the hill.
5. Gatlinburg: we really didn't spend a lot of time here this trip. We hoped to do Ober Gatlinburg which is a tram that rides up cables to the top of a mountain. James acted nervous and so, out of concern that he would freak out, we opted to not do it this trip. Maybe in a year or two! He is only three after all.
6. Mama’s Farmhouse is a delicious choice for any meal! It is expensive but we enjoyed the family style feast.
7. Reagan’s house of pancakes was a new stop for us and we decided we have found a new favorite breakfast spot. Not only was it delicious, it was also one of the most affordable places we ate all week.
8. James loved one of the outdoor family fun stops. I don't recall the name, but it has a kids area with a train and carousel. He had a blast!
9. Our condo and hotel: we stayed for three nights at Laurel Crest condos just off of Wears Valley road. I cannot say enough about what a lovely place to stay it was. The condo itself was comfortable and cheerful inside. The grounds had two outdoor pools plus an indoor pool. We got to enjoy all three during our stay. We also took advantage of the full kitchen in our unit. Our final night, we had to switch to another hotel because the deal we found for the condo was only for three nights. The Black Fox lodge is very close to the LeConte center. But it is also in a fairly quiet location although not as secluded as the condo. The lobby was beautiful. Our room was lovely with a river view. However, we were sad that the pool was as cold as ice. It definitely was disappointing but we still braved the frigid water for a little while. We all slept ok and I would recommend it as a nice getaway hotel. Maybe the pool water will be warmer if we return sometime. (It is a Hilton hotel and my husband had points for a free night stay so it was a no brainer to stay there.)

There you have it. Some of our highlights of the week.

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