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Tuesday, September 4, 2007 -
Today we headed from Asheville about one hour over to Cherokee, North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Once we checked into our hotel, we set out to explore the park. We stopped for lunch at a "Big Boy" restaurant in downtown Cherokee before heading to the park because we were getting hungry and the nostalgia of the Big Boy statue drew us in. After our meal we remembered why the Big Boy restaurants have all but disappeared from America's cuisine landscape.
It was a beautiful day to explore the Smoky Mountain National Park. We entered the park at the North Carolina entrance and obtained Junior Ranger packets for the kids. Right next to the
Oconaluftee
Visitor Center is the Mountain Farm Museum. The Mountain Farm Museum is a unique collection of farm buildings assembled from locations throughout the park. Visitors can explore a log farmhouse, barn, apple house, springhouse, and a working blacksmith shop to get a sense of how families may have lived 100 years ago. Most of the structures were built in the late 19th century and were moved here in the 1950s. The Davis House offers a rare chance to view a log house built from chestnut wood before the chestnut blight decimated the American Chestnut in our forests during the 1930s and early 1940s. The museum is adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We strolled through the open air museum and searched for "clues" to complete the Junior Ranger booklet.
It was hot and the kids soon grew tired so we decided to drive further into the park and experience Clingman's Dome. At 6,643 feet, Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647), both located in western North Carolina, rise higher. The observation tower on the summit of Clingman's Dome offers spectacular 360° views of the Smokies and beyond for visitors willing to climb the steep half-mile walk to the tower at the top. On clear days views expand over a 100 miles. Unfortunately, air pollution often limits viewing distances to under 20 miles. We, of course, climbed to the top. The air was thin and we huffed and puffed but it was well worth it! Darby was definitely the least thrilled with the climb. We crossed over the Appalachian Trail while on the pathway.
Once back at our car, we decided to head over to Gatlinburg to have a look. Jonna and the kids had never been and it had been years since Mark had so we decided it was worth a look. We had a good time walking around the little town of Gatlinburg and exploring Pigeon Forge a bit up the road, but as it got dark we decided it was time to head back threw the park to our hotel in Cherokee.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007 -
This morning we visited The Museum of the Cherokee Indian located in Cherokee before heading back to Morganton to spend the rest of the week and Labor Day weekend there.
The Museum of the Cherokee Indian opened in 1948 and moved to its present facility in 1976. Its exhibit was totally renovated in 1998, when a new 12,000 square foot exhibit was installed. It was a really great exhibit and we spent a couple of hours in there learning more about the Cherokee people and their plight with the settlers. The self-guided tour begins with the "Story Lodge" where ancient Cherokee myths appear through computer animation. It was a well spent morning - another day on our vacation that can count as a school-day field trip!
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