My mother took me to Gatlinburg when I was very small; I was about four or five years old. We had a good time; we rode the Incline Railroad, stayed at a motel and bought fudge. I always treasured that trip; one of the few times my mother and I went anywhere with just the two of us. Of course, we traveled, but always with my Dad. I have no idea why my father was not along on this trip. I can only speculate that he had planned to go, but couldn’t at the last minute and my mom didn’t want to lose the deposit. But for whatever the reason, I was in Gatlinburg in about 1950 with my mother and I always wanted to go back.
In the mid-70s, Steve and I, along with our son, went back there—just passing through. I remembered a sleepy little mountain town. What I found was a “tourist attraction.” It seemed overbuilt and far too overdeveloped to please me. I had no interest in going there ever again.
Then about eight years ago, an old friend offered me a week at a Gatlinburg timeshare. The price was right – FREE. There was that business about the condo fee every year and the fee to join Interval International. Still it seemed like a bargain. After all, we could trade the time for anywhere in the world.
And for the first few years, we did exactly that. We traded for Cornwall and Myrtle Beach. We banked our time. We missed one year all together but failing to make our deposit on time. Still, it was a good deal.
Then one day we got a notice from the Club Chalet that “our” unit was going to unavailable for some weeks because of a problem associated with a landslide and the small creek that runs THROUGH the cabin and the need to build a retaining wall and redecorate the unit. Now we were curious – just what kind of place is this anyway? A landslide, a creek, a retaining wall?
So, we decided to actually “use” our time and go to Gatlinburg and stay at our cabin. That was several years ago. When we arrived one dark, rainy, and foggy March night to start our week, we discovered that “our” unit was STILL not available, due to all the remodeling work. They had, however, assigned us to a similar unit.
Right before arriving at the timeshare office, we had gone about 2/3 up Ski Mountain Road, and had just passed the most incredible hairpin turn I have ever seen in my life. To find the unit reserved for us, we had to follow a map. It seemed easy enough, a few roads and a few turns. Well, not exactly! The roads off Ski Mountain Road are all the same – narrow spiral ribbons of asphalt, with edges that drop down about eight inches. The thought of hooking a wheel is terrifying because you will instantly “flip” down an embankment into a ravine and die a horrible death!
The chalet (they call them that in Gatlinburg) that first trip was really nice and had an incredible view – no wonder it was near the top of a big mountain! Three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and dining room, plus three baths. Not bad for two people! I was supposedly "just like" our chalet, just minus the creek and the retaining wall.
That first trip, we went to see “our” unit and discovered a construction crew hard at work. We didn’t bother them for a tour…we knew we would be back. This place, crazy as it was, was actually starting to appeal to us. Sure, the town of Gatlinburg was even more “touristy” than it had been in the 70s. The “strip” (maybe it has some other name) between Pigeon Forge and Sevierville is every bad hillbilly cliché wrapped into one. It is continuous series of miniature golf, “Dixie” shows, catfish places, “As Seem on TV Stores,” motels of all stripes, outlet malls, and pancake houses. I can’t believe this place can support so many pancake houses!
We did go back the next March and actually stayed at our chalet. Sure enough, it had a BIG new concrete retaining wall behind it and still a stream trickled through the basement. It had been redecorated and was actually quite pleasant, and it was certainly quiet.
We felt more comfortable than the first trip. We knew where to find a good grocery store and had found a few good relatively authentic restaurants the previous trip. Some friends came up from Alabama to join us for a few days. Being with friends gave us an excuse to do some things we had resisted the previous trip, like ride the aerial tramway up to Ober Gatlinburg, at the top of Ski Mountain.
This past week, we went back yet again, mostly because we failed to deposit our timeshare with Interval on time to get the better trading opportunity. The two previous trips we had spent considerable time in our cabin, just working. That was what made it appealing – the opportunity to get some work done. We felt we had already seen everything we really wanted to see. After all, we had driven through the width of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, including the driving nature trail (really), toured Cade’s Cove, shopped at the outlets, walked through town and looked at the shops, and even visited an As Seen on TV store. We had eaten at some interesting restaurants and had lots of barbeque, steak, catfish and trout. In Gatlinburg there is a restaurant that specializes in trout (pretty good too – trout a lot of different ways). No, we have not gone to any of the shows. The thought of men in Confederate and Union army sequined uniforms racing on ostriches was not tempting enough to lure us to the Dixie Stampede (maybe some year). And Dollywood is closed in March.
This trip we mostly worked, and worked, and worked. Steve set up his laptop at one end of the table and I at the other. We tried to go out once each day and get back by sunset, after an early dinner. Those roads are scary enough in the daylight! The “designated driver” among us (only the two choices) agreed to not drink any wine with dinner. Those roads and even slight intoxication do not mix!
This trip we found a few more things of interest, including the Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community. This is a few clusters of interesting craft shops off the beaten path. They have everything from pottery to brooms. I picked up a few interesting items to feature on the FacetsWoman online boutique.
As we were leaving the craft shop area, I noticed a sign on the side of the road. It said Buckhorn Inn, since 1938, Dinner by Reservation. The sign was in great condition and road looked inviting. We soon came to an enclave of white clapboard cabins and main building reminiscent of the Gibson Island Club. Yes, they could take us for dinner. Dinner would be at 7 p.m. and the menu was clam chowder, salad, trout, green beans, rice, and marscapone cheesecake, for $30 a person (expensive by Gatlinburg standards). If we didn’t want trout, we could have chicken. They don’t have a liquor license, but if we bring our own wine they will serve it. Our immediate reaction was very positive. We were ready for something quirky and casually elegant. We arrived back promptly at 7 p.m. and were seated in the dining room at a table for two, among about a dozen other tables. The food was fabulous, as was the service! On the way out, we picked up a brochure. They are a B & B, and the cabins are upscale, but still reasonable. They have an estate with nature trails and a labyrinth. I definitely want to come back—maybe as an overnight guest.
This trip we set aside one day for exploring – no work, just clear our brains! We opted to make the car trek to Catalochee settlement. From our cabin, it is about 60 miles each. On the way there we chose the shorter, more scenic route (aka back roads). The last 15 miles or so of the trip was on gravel roads, around hair pin curve after hair pin curve. Thank goodness it was a beautiful day. Cataloochee Settlement is one of those very quiet little tourist destinations that most folks never visit. At one point it had nearly two hundred buildings. Today, just a handful remain. The townspeople had to leave when the Park was formed. There was a church, a school, and a few houses, barns and cabins, all along a quick running and broad mountain stream. Small blue butterflies darted about and each wooden surface was peppered with ladybugs. It felt good to be outside!
I guess what I am saying is, there is more to Gatlinburg than meets the eye. We will continue to trade our time share out some years, but some years we will go back for a quiet week at our cabin with the BIG retaining wall and stream through the basement. And, for sure, we will plan on dinner at the Buckhorn Inn.
No comments:
Post a Comment