We just got home from a family vacation where we went to Dollywood, "the Great Smoky Mountain's family fun vacation adventure with great shows, thrilling roller coasters, festivals, and kiddie rides" located  in Pigeon Forge, TN and then to the NC mountains to camp in our tent for one night before heading back home.

We met my brother-in-law and our sister-in-law and their two girls at the hotel down the street from Dollywood.  The hotel had a great deal where we could buy one day at Dollywood and get the second day for free!  We went to the park each day at 9:30 AM and stayed until around 1:00 PM, then we went to our hotel to rest a few hours then we went back from 4:00-7:00 PM, when the park closed.

Since we went during the week the crowds weren't too bad and breaking up our time at the park made it alot more relaxing and manageable with young children.  It was hot, but the park gives out free cups of  ice water at any refreshment stand so we stayed hydrated and cool with plenty of water.   Here are some highlights from our trip.  (WARNING: lots of photos coming at you :) )

Barnstormer was a new ride for 2011 and it was like a big pendulum swinging back and forth. I knew better not to step foot on the ride since I can get sick swinging on a backyard swing! My hubby, son, my husband's twin brother, and niece went on it, but their stomachs were queasy when it was over.

My husband is in the middle in the white shirt holding on to our son.  It went really high and they said it felt like they were falling straight down! Yikes!

The Country Fair area of the park was a big hit with everyone.  Fun kiddie rides were enjoyed by all!


Thunderhead was a big wooden roller coaster that was a very bumpy ride, fast and went way up and went down fast!  I rode this twice and had a headache from being tossed around so much, but I survived!

Here's a shot of the coaster curving around.  It was amazing the wood could withstand so much weight and power! Oh my!

OK, this is the most ridiculous picture of me (bottom left corner next to my daughter in the pink shirt) screaming and closing my eyes as we rode the Thunderhead, but I thought since my husband always laughs at it when he looks at it, maybe it will put a smile on your face too :) I survived this roller coaster and another one we rode by screaming and closing my eyes.  My husband asked why I close my eyes the whole time and I told him I did not want to know what was about to happen!  It's really not fun for me to see myself falling straight down on a coaster so I close my eyes in hopes I will see the end!  My husband is in the white t-shirt, my son is in the blue t-shirt with his eyes closed and screaming (I wonder where he gets that from?), my husband's twin brother is in the brown shirt in the back next to his daughter. I was crazy enough to ride this again the next day to keep my sister-in-law company because no one else would ride it with her.

This was a fun wet ride as the riders can shoot water from their rafts, but then at different areas on land there are water guns so anyone can shoot at the people on the rafts! This was a family favorite!

Adventure Mountain was also a family favorite.  We went on two different obstacle courses with harnesses attached to us and ropes.  We were at different heights throughout the course.  I'm not scared of heights, but I must say I was sweating quite a bit concentrating on not slipping while being so high in the air!

Here I am crossing a wooden steps and our 7 year old is crossing on a rope.

Here is a tower of one of 3 courses you can choose to do.  To the left of the tower you can see the ropes going across that we went across.  This photo shows just how high the courses were. The workers at this attraction were very impressed that our children did so well with the course.  They kept saying they were so brave for being so young. 

On Friday, June 10, my daughter's 7th birthday, we decided to take in some of the beautiful scenery close by so we checked out of our hotel and headed into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

We hiked the Clingmans Dome Trail  in NC, which is a 0.5 mile paved trail to the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains.  The distance is short to get to the top, but the trail is very steep.  Lots of work to go up, but worth it! 


This is the lookout tower at the top.  Breathtaking views and cool breezy air were our rewards for the steep climb!

It's always a blessing to see nature while camping.  Here is a hummingbird at my in-laws feeder.


He also found these little critters in the creek water.  Needless to say, he was in heaven and loved exploring with his sisters.

If you get to this point in this post, I thank you for taking the time to read some of the highlights from our vacation.  It was a blessed and fun week to spend with family!

A year ago this month, I began blogging and this week for my blogiversary I will be hosting a giveaway so check back soon for the giveaway details!