Day 30 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Saturday May 31st, day 30 of our 2025 summer adventure. Yes, there was a walk this morning. My partner for my walk this morning was a pileated woodpecker.  My walk was followed by a leisurely coffee hour and breakfast time with friends.

Sheryl proclaimed "This is our last day of shopping. I really need a pair of Sketchers!" So, we conned Gary & Charlie into going with us. It was a 2 store trip. We went to what we thought was Bealls, turns out it was a Bealls Outlet. Nothing there, so off to the Sketchers at the Outlet Stores, again! Success for Sheryl, Gary and myself. Nothing for Charlie. Maybe that was a good thing. They had a buy 2, get a third free sale.

We met Gaby and Milt at the Mill for a bit more retail therapy. We watched the Old Forge workers for a bit. 

We browsed in all the shops, but only made purchases in two. The guys made purchases at the creamery. 

I made a Gold N Memories. Let me tell you about this store. More than 10 years ago, Charlie purchased this ring for me here. Many of you have seen me wearing this ring. We stop every time we are in Pigeon Forge. About 6 years ago when we stopped in, the owner was talking and looked down at the ring on my hand and stopped talking. After she composed herself, she said "My husband made that ring." I said "I know, I purchased it here." She said, "He passed away a few years ago." Wow, me wearing the ring everyday really touched her. 

Fast forward to this year, we went in. She remembered the ring and the story. Naturally, I purchased another ring this year. Sadly, her husband did not make this one, but it is beautiful!

We had to take the obligatory photo op with the big flowers!

We headed back to camp for a relaxing afternoon. We had a group dinner of pizza and salad, before we took everyone to The Island for some fun and entertainment. 

Before we left for The Island, the two Chevy Equinox owners had to compare vehicles. They learned Milt & Gaby have louvers like Brian & Lisa. And Milt got to see how Brian's trickle charge is set  up.

Firewater Junction was playing on the Ole Smoky Moonshine stage again tonight. They are such talented young men. The younger brother got a haircut and ditched the baseball cap tonight.

I learned that the mandolin player, Joshua Gooding, used to play with Little Roy and Lizzie. His brother, John Gooding (on the guitar) also played for Little Roy and Lizzie. He also started his another band, Crying Uncle Bluegrass Band. Sometimes people assume that the players they see at these "free" venues are just working hard to get a start. Little do they know that they have already had a kick-start! 

They are serious pickers! Another great night of bluegrass music with friends!

A night at The Island would not be complete without the fountain show in the dark! Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures

Day 29 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Friday May 30th, day 29 of our 2025 summer adventure. Tim, Debbie, Gary, Sheryl, Charlie and I headed to the largest TN flea market, Great Smokies Flea Market. Their booths are located indoors. It was a rainy morning, so it was the perfect day to browse in comfort. There are literally hundreds of different retailers on site, selling an enormous selection of items. From clearance stock through to fresh produce from local farms in the area. You can buy hardware, clothing, food, pet food, furniture, second hand goods, designer brands, automotive supplies and much, much more. It was sad for us, that many of the booths were still closed when we were there at 10am on Friday! Sheryl did find a BIG hat and a few funny hats!

The history is that during the nineties Charles E. Atchley, Atchley, owned a few small eateries in a Sevier county mall.  The mall generated high traffic but at the expense of a high overhead. “If I could produce this same customer traffic without this huge overhead that would really be something!” Atchley thought. 

Then it hit Atchley, “An indoor Flea Market – a cross between a mall and a flea market!”  Although inside flea markets were rare at the time, Atchley charged ahead with the idea.  The overhead for vendors would be just a small percentage compared to that at the malls.  It would have to be located close to a busy interstate and a strong destination draw.  Atchley found 27 plus acres of farmland in Kodak close to one of the busiest interstates in the country at exit 407 off I-40.  Exit 407 leads hundreds of thousands of visitors straight to the Great Smokies National Park.  The farmland was the perfect location. Originally, the market had 240 inside booths and maybe ten outside spaces.  But, “The first year or so, probably 60 booths were empty!” Atchley later laughed.  The market had one restroom for women and one for men, one restaurant and that was about it! In the early days the market averaged about 1000 shoppers a week-end. Today the market enjoys a yearly average of 15,000 shoppers per week-end. Over the years additional property was added, a pizzeria, several restrooms, and more square footage, an additional building, outside pavilions, paved parking and much more.  

We stopped at the Apple Barn complex and walked through a few of the shops. Charlie purchased some muffins, Sheryl got a few gifts for friends and popcorn. Tim & Debbie got fritter mix, apple butter and a few other goodies! I saw this Who'ville tree and thought of our friend, Kris Miller right away!

Charlie and I got hair cuts at Great Clips. We are both happy with our cuts! Then, Sheryl and I headed to another discount retailer, we have never heard of, Hamrick's. The very first Hamrick’s was founded over 70 years ago. A family owned & operated business, our company roots date back to 1945, when Oliver and Edna Hamrick purchased a small general merchandise & grocery store. Shortly after, the Hamrick’s began searching area mills in hopes of buying and selling close-out fabrics. The rest is retail history! Today, their buyers visit New York, Las Vegas, and Atlanta every month to find the items and prices their customers want. Meanwhile, their in-house design group continues to create new, exclusive apparel, including items for several of their own private labels: Nikki, Southern Lady, Links, N Touch, and Seven Forty Two. The corporate office is now located in Gaffney, SC along with the distribution and wholesale center. Also located in Gaffney is the “old Hamrick’s store” that Mrs. Hamrick ran for many years. Today, it serves as a popular clearance center.

Gary, Sheryl, Charlie & I shared a dinner of left-overs before we decided to take a drive. We drove north to Up The Creek RV Park. It was a place where we had thought about staying, when we were making our reservations. They are currently looking for a work camper couple. Then we headed to The Island. This was a recon mission to see if it was all Charlie and I remembered. It was! We will see if the group wants to head down tomorrow or Sunday night. The Island in Pigeon Forge boasts 23 acres of entertainment in an inviting setting perfect for anyone looking to escape the everyday.

With over 80 shops, restaurants and attractions, the destination combines all things fun in a safe environment for families and friends of all ages where you can eat, shop, play and stay. They’re not your typical getaway, and the diverse selection of activities makes The Island a one-stop-shop for fun. 

The Island is showcased by a 200-foot Observation Wheel and the Island Show Fountains, which are programmed to perform to light and music year-round. The Island is open 365 days a year with free parking and free admission.

There is a prehistoric adventure of epic proportions! This larger-than-life experience transports you millions of years back in time to encounter the awe-inspiring giants of prehistoric times including the Jurassic era.

Jurassic Adventure at The Island in Pigeon Forge immerses you in a world of dinosaurs, discovery and delightful adventure. There are 22 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, each with interactive elements with their realistic movements and sounds. 

We did find a little piece of Florida on The Island. But Kermit was not standing on the corner, like he does in Key West!

Over 30 years ago, Kermit Carpenter began selling smoothies from a small stand in front of Papa’s Restaurant in Key West during his tenure as Papa’s bookkeeper.

His first shop opened on the corner of Elizabeth and Greene in Key West. The Pigeon Forge is his seventh location. The products for this location are created in his DeLand, Florida production facility.

The Ole Smoky Distillery at The Island is called "the Barn." The Barn has nightly bluegrass entertainment. Tonight, Firewater Junction, a bluegrass band, played on the free stage.

The band has strong traditional roots, but also has contemporary and progressive influences. The band was formed in November 2012 and has had the privilege of sharing the stage with Dierks Bentley and several other music stars. Various members of the band have been nominated for several music awards and have written songs on the bluegrass charts. 

It was a cold night, once the sun started to go down. It made for a great sunset picture as we drove back to the campground.

Day 28 of our 2025 RVing Adventure with Historical & Musical Interludes

It's Thursday May 29th, day 28 of our 2025 summer adventure and we took to the mountains of Gatlinburg this morning for a spirited round of Hillbilly Golf! Yes, you read that right... Hillbilly Golf.

There were eight of us that went and played a round! Let me start out by saying, whomever owned this property and thought about putting a putt-putt golf on it, was a real visionary!

 

It took Milt a while to find "just the right" putter. LOL

You pay at the bottom for your round of golf.

Then you ride an incline rail, to the top of the mountain, to start your round of play.

There were 2 courses to choose from at the top. We picked B, because it was more expansive, if anything on a mountainside can be expansive! Course A was more compact and had more steps. We decide to give Milt's knee a break!

To say the course was challenging, might be a stretch, but it was unique, fun and interesting! Being semi-competitive, we played the guys verses the gals!

There were a full 18-holes on each of the mountainside courses!

The most exciting part of the game, was when a bear tried to play through ... 

Yes, you heard that right... a black bear wanted to get in on the putt-putt action!

During our safety briefing at the bottom, the lady mentioned the telephone numbers that were posted at every hole to call them, if you lost a ball off the course or you saw a bear. I was thinking she was being funny, but... no, little did we know she was serious!

The staff uses an air-horn to scare him away, but this bear almost seemed unfazed by it, he kept lumbering around. The staff was talking to him like he was a dog!

There was some unusual holes too! Are we playing putt-putt or billiards?

I have to say, I was impressed that they tried to keep as much "history" of the forest incorporated into the course. Here is a 160+ year old Hemlock! It survived the Civil War, but only a portion of it could survive the wildfires of 2016.

Back to the question, putt-putt or billiards? When the sign says putt or shoot, which do you think most choose?

The ball came down the shoot like an old fashion pin ball machine!

The last hole was a shot into the outhouse. No need to retrieve that ball! It makes its way down the mountain through a series of tubes!

Then it was back down the mountain on the incline rail. At the bottom there was some photo ops! 

Debbie was the "Hole in One" Queen, so "here's your sign!"

We tried to tell the guys, it was a tie... but they wanted the "true" results.... Sorry guys, you lost. 199 strokes to 204 strokes! The individual results: #1 Tim - 46; #2 Gary, Sheryl and Debbie - 49; #3 Wendy - 50; #4 Gaby & Milt - 51; and #5 Charlie - 58.

Some of us went to the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant for an early dinner. This restaurant proudly holds the rank of Sevierville’s Oldest Restaurant. The family history of this farm goes back to 1776, when a member of the Stokely family is bestowed a piece of land as a reward for serving in The Revolutionary War.

They are know for their apple julep and apple fritters. There are no salads here. Your starter, after the julep and apple fritters is a soup. Homemade vegetable or broccoli cheddar.

We ate in the original Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, but in 1995 due to growing popularity of original restaurant, Stokely Hospitality Enterprises decided to build another restaurant to help manage the overflow of guests and the long wait to be seated at The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. The Applewood Grill was born. Our server Jennifer was a peach... or maybe I should say an apple?!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures.