The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page. –St. Augustine
Winding mountain roads filled with the sound of rushing streams, crinkling leaves and serene silence. The Smoky Mountains gifted Andrew and I a perfect trip filled with happy memories, unforgettable views and a deeper understanding of each other. Here's a little peak into our trip to Gatlinburg.
Day One
Departure time: 6 a.m.
Arrival time: 3 p.m.
I was determined to get our trip started! The drive there went smoothly. We listened to the Serial podcast practically the whole way up.
When we got to Gatlinburg, we drove through downtown and were SHOCKED by how big it was and how much there was to do! We decided to grab a snack before heading to our Airbnb at 4 p.m.
When booking our Airbnb, I didn't realize how far up the mountain it was. I mean, we were literally at the top of this mountain. I grimaced with every steep twist and turn. (By the end of the trip, Andrew became a pro at this drive.)
Our Airbnb was so cute. Nicknamed the "Retro Retreat," it was a quaint studio apartment in a nice complex. It had a kitchen, fireplace, mood lighting (ha), a porch and more. We had everything we needed for a quick trip. The best part, however, was the views from the complex. Half of the pictures we took were from right outside our Airbnb overlooking the Smokies. Waking up and walking around looking at the mountain views was something I didn't know was on my bucket list.
Later in the day, we freshened up and headed back to downtown to grab some dinner and explore. We had fun embracing the December cold and familiarizing ourselves with the town. But, after a long day of travel, we were exhausted. So, we headed back home to get in our jammies and watch a movie.
Day Two
We started our day the best way one can – with crepes and pancakes. YUM.
We went to Pancake Pantry, and it was amazing. Andrew had chocolate chip pancakes, and I had crepes filled with ricotta and cream cheese topped with strawberries. It was mouthwatering. Highly recommend!
After breakfast, we drove into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our destination: Cades Cove. The drive to Cades Cove was beautiful – streams, tunnels, views, foliage.
Cades Cove is a stunning 11-mile driving loop in a valley of the Smokies. The views are incredible, and the loop features cabins and churches from the 1800s. Personally, this was one of my highlights of the trip. Driving with the windows down on a cold winter day with my love through a scene that could be out of a movie – perfection.
After Cades Cove, we went back to downtown. We bought unlimited tickets to the Gatlinburg Sky Lift and had SO much fun. We went on over and over and over again until sunset. It was so peaceful to be above the town and see things from a birds eye perspective. It was the perfect way to spend some time relaxing, talking and watching the sunset.
We had some pizza (because what's a trip without pizza), picked up some donuts from Donut Friar for the morning and called it a night. Yup, jammies and another movie!
Day Three
Tuesday was the day I had been anticipating – snow tubing day!!! We ate some donuts, bundled up and set out on our snowy adventure at Ober Gatlinburg.
We got to Ober, checked in and grabbed our tubes. We stepped onto the conveyer belt that takes you to the top of the hill and waited our turn. On the first turn, I almost slipped down before the call to go. Luckily, Andrew caught me.
Tubing was so fun. (Watch the video above for a peak.) We got to go about five times in our allotted 90 minutes. Playing in the snow made the trip feel even more wintery.
Our morning of tubing wore us out. We went home and took a much needed nap before deciding to take a hike to a waterfall.
We drove to Laurel Falls, a little over a two-mile hike to a beautiful waterfall in the national park. Being from Florida, the elevation of the hike had me sweating in 50º. But the views, scenery and laughs were all worth it. Andrew is like a little kid and makes the smallest things so fun. The waterfall was so pretty and solemn.
Our last night. Sigh. To celebrate a successful trip filled with so many heartwarming memories, we dressed up and went to a fancy dinner at Cherokee Grill. It was so. damn. good. We both ordered the prosperity steak with a baked potato and broccoli. I got bearnaise sauce, of course. Our table was filled with a lot of "mmmmms." If you're in town and want to go on a nice dinner date night, this is your place!
We decided to close out our last night of our trip with the best winter activity of all – roasting s'mores in the fireplace in our pajamas and watching another movie.
This trip was everything we needed. Besides blowing out a tire and delaying our trip home by five hours, our trip went smoothly and brought us so much joy.
Sometimes you need to escape the day-to-day, the routine, the friends and family, and just isolate yourself as two. Someone once told me that the real test of a relationship is if you still like your significant other while traveling. The truth? I love him even more.
Where should we go next?!
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