Unforgettable Memories of Smoky Mountains

By Shanaz Ramzi

When my husband and I were planning a trip to the US, we roped in some of our friends to agree to meet up at a destination unexplored by any of us.

The destination we chose was the Smoky Mountains, located in Tennessee. My husband and I chose to drive there, stopping en route at Charlotte in North Carolina, four hours away, for the night. Determined not to miss the opportunity to see a new city, we checked into our hotel, Ballantine, and soon after made our way uptown. We had heard there were some amazing museums in Charlotte, but unfortunately by the time we reached their vicinity and finally found parking, most of the museums had closed. However, luckily, Mint Museum which was also on our to-see list was open, and we eagerly explored its galleries. Established in 1936 as North Carolina’s first art museum, The Mint Museum is a leading, innovative cultural institution of international art and design, boasting permanent collections of contemporary art, craft, ceramics and more.

Happy that we managed to get at least some time at the museum before it too shut down, we took a stroll in the uptown area, taking note of the many interesting museums this small city had to offer, and stopping to eat their famous Golden Cow Creamery ice cream, which was a bit disappointing, unfortunately.

We set off for the Smoky Mountains next morning. A scenic drive brought us to the cabin that had been booked atop the mountains by one of our friends, and being the first to arrive, from our group of seven we spent our time unpacking and exploring the amazing three-floor facility. We spent a relaxing night chatting till late and devouring the scrumptious food that the two couples had brought that could feed an army for a month!

The next morning, we left for downtown Gatlinburg, a happening, quaint, and touristy area with restaurants, activities and shops. We took a cable car ride to Anakeesta, an adventure park located on the Smoky Mountain range, and despite the heat, enjoyed our trek there. It is a lovely place to bring children to for the whole day, culminating with Lumina Village which only comes alive at night. Back on ground level, we made a beeline for Mexican Grill, and didn’t regret our choice as the food was scrumptious and plentiful, as is normally the case anywhere in the US.

 While we were still eating, it began to pour and discovered the reason behind Smoky Mountain’s name. As it started to pour a thick fog developed over the mountains giving the impression that the mountains were smoking!

The next morning, we set off for Pigeon Forge, which is nothing short of Las Vegas for children and families. With some attraction at literally every block and each so eye-catching that we wanted to visit them all. Finally, we decided to visit Titanic, a fantastic recreation of the ill-fated ship on its maiden voyage to the US, it had all of us engrossed in its interactive offerings by treating us as one of the passengers or crew members who were actually on board the ship that fatal night, while simultaneously providing us with a wealth of information about the creation of the unique ship, its beleaguered passengers, and the calamity they faced.

Returning to the cabin for a light lunch, we relaxed for a bit and then got dressed for a dinner show we had booked for later that day. The choices were plentiful, but most were again geared toward kids. Hence, we selected the one that had the most appeal for adults, the Hayfield and McCoy dinner show, especially as the one we would have all preferred – the Dolly Parton show as this was her hometown after all – was not being offered then. A fun, action-packed, farcical musical depicting the famous feud between cousins Hayfields and McCoys, it keeps you entertained while serving you all-you-can-eat Southern homestyle food. It was another story that some of us had to satiate ourselves with salad, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob, as the chicken was not halal.

We had kept the next day for exploring the Smoky Mountain National Park Drive as we felt we couldn’t possibly go back without at least hiking a bit in the mountains. So, we walked around the park, sat around the creek, and enjoyed the refreshing air before heading back home for lunch.

The night turned out to hold a triple treat for all of us. Not only did we spend a delightful time catching up with old friends, and eating delicious grilled fish, but the aroma from all the barbecuing on the balcony drew out a whole family of bears right under our cabin, in the forest below. As they looked up staring at us, we counted our blessings that we were at the height that we were, and took their videos. And then, to top it all, it was a blue moon night, so we saw the most amazing and rare sight from a vantage point. We couldn’t have asked for more!

The next morning, we packed up all our belongings – which seemed to be as much as when we had arrived despite consuming so much food – and made our way to the airport to drop off our friends and head back to our next destination.