Our Tennesse Vacation

On June 17th, we took our first family vacation to Tennesse. Owen was less than thrilled with the drive and after 15 minutes on the road was screaming "off highway." We knew it would be a real adventure and a VERY long drive down!!!

On Sunday, we stayed in the Wigwam Village in Kentucky. After a long day of travel, we were thankful to have a place to get a good night's sleep! ( For all who are wondering, the room was square instead of round.)

On Monday morning, we visited Dinosaur World in Kentucky before heading to Tennesse. Owen was freaked out when he realized how big the dinosaur was. Thankfully, we got the photo beforehand.

One of the best parts about our trip was being able to relax at our hotel and swim. Although they normally don't sleep together, after sightseeing all day, they were wiped out.

We were able to swim several times in the hotel pool. Simon was happy to squirt us on the edge and occasionally climb in for a dip.

Owen loved the pool and being able to kick in the water!

On Monday, we arrived in Chattanoga and stayed there for three days. The next morning, we visited Rock City. It is a fabulous garden built among the rocks on the side of a mountain. We had tons of fun exploring the area. Here they are looking out at the main lookout area.

Simon and Jeff are going down one of the many pathways through Rock City. Some of them are very tight squeezes!

We also visited the Incline Railway on Tuesday. It is the steepest train in the world. Here is the view of the train going down the mountain.

Although Owen looks terrified in this picture, he in reality, showed absolutely no fear. I was scared and wished I was braver than my 2 year old son!!!

Jeff and Sy on the train.

We visited a train museum on Wednesday and were able to take a 45 minute ride through the countryside on a refurbished train.

On Wednesday, we also went to Ruby Falls. (a cave) It was a great tour and Simon walked the whole way. Owen, on the other hand, needed a lot of help :)

On Thursday, we drove to Pigeon Forge from Chattanoga. We looked around the town a bit and then found a place to ride go-carts. Simon was slumped over the whole ride so we aren't sure how much he enjoyed it.

Since Owen couldn't go on the go-carts, Jeff took him on the train instead.

On Friday, we went to Dollywood for the day. We stayed for eleven hours and had loads of fun going on the rides. Here is a picture of them sitting together on the duck ride!

The boys loved the antique car ride the best. They thought they were really driving. We went on it three times and had a blast!

Simon and I went on a water rafting ride and we got drenched. He held on for dear life!!!

After a LONG day at Dollywood, Owen was still smiling. We had an exciting day and it was the perfect ending to our road trip. We have lots of fun memories to share and will NEVER forget our Tennesse vacation!!!