The travel from St. Louis, Missouri to Gatlinburg, Tennessee was breathtaking. I hadn’t seen gas prices begin with a “$3” in a long time, and I was definitely envious.

Driving through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, the scenery altered considerably. I was not expecting to see all the attractions that lined the streets with thousands of tourists fighting to get into them after hours of gorgeous green scenery and blue skies! I was relieved to get at our hotel, which was mercifully away from the main drag.

After a good night’s sleep, we boarded the town trolley in search of an activity that would take us far away from the crowds. We were fortunate to discover The SkyLift, an open-air chairlift ride to the top of a 1,800-foot overlook with vistas of the Smoky Mountains. We also traversed the SkyBridge, North America’s longest pedestrian cable bridge. The lady who drove the trolley was also a terrific tour guide. She talked about the area, where to go, and, most importantly, told us about her favorite restaurants.

We spent our second day in town touring the Smoky Mountains. We woke up early, ate breakfast, and headed to the park. The park was just as beautiful up close as it was from a distance. We found a parking spot immediately and hiked up to the Grotto Falls. I’m not sure how the miles on these paths are calculated, but this was not a 1.2 mile trip because my Fitbit registered 4 miles as we were returning! We got back in the car and drove to a flowing creek, where we sat and ate our lunch while listening to the stream flow and watching the butterflies fly around.

Next stop: Easton, MD