April 2025 – Meanderings & Mind Munchies

Opry House tour

We got out fairly early this morning because we had tickets to take a tour of the Opry House.

The Grand Ole Opry is celebrating its 100th year this year. Our tour guide claims it’s the oldest running radio show in the country.

Not being a country music aficionado, I had always thought the Grand Ole Opry was the name of a building where country music singers perform.

I have since learned that the Grand Ole Opry is a radio show and not to be confused with the Opry House, where the Grand Ole Opry is performed. (It seems like a bit of a distinction without a difference to me, but apparently some people really care.)

Anyway, Greg and I both concluded that the introductory video to the tour was worth the cost of the tour alone. By the time the video was over, I was a country music lover. 🤣

There’s nothing like hearing the best voices in country music singing Will The Circle Be Unbroken to bring tears to one’s eyes.

The rest of the tour was thoroughly enjoyable as well.

There were over 20 dressing rooms for the guests, all with different themes.

After touring Opry House, we headed back to downtown Nashville and walked across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge.

We were looking for a scenic greenway to walk along but didn’t find anything appealing, so we headed back to the campground.

To be honest, I haven’t found Nashville all that enjoyable yet. The city doesn’t feel particularly safe to me, everything is so expensive, and there seems to be a dearth of green spaces.

Line dancing in Nashville

The campground where we are staying right now is quite posh, so Greg and I decided to spend yesterday morning hanging around our campsite and soaking up the ambience.

Greg also unpacked the bikes and we took a couple of laps around the campground.

After lunch, we headed into Nashville to take a line dancing class. Based on the number of people from Ireland, Scotland, and Australia, tourism is alive and well in Nashville.

The class was held in a bar on Broadway, a street in the heart of Nashville famous for its live music venues.

We had a blast. After class, we took a walk down Broadway and ended up at Luke Bryan’s bar and restaurant.

The guitarist was absolutely fantastic.

We enjoyed a drink and the music for a while. Then we headed back to the campground.

Greg and I have been so unimpressed with the food in Tennessee that we had no interest in having dinner out.

Instead, I marinated some chicken breasts, and we had those with rice and grilled brussels sprouts.

Rock City

This morning, we headed over to Rock City on Lookout Mountain. Rock City is an iconic tourist attraction in Chattanooga.

Greg and I both thoroughly enjoyed our time there despite its kitschiness. It is a cross between a garden, an amusement park, a trail, and a scenic overlook. I’m not sure how else to describe it.

However, it could be a little challenging for anyone with a fear of heights or closed-in spaces. 🙋‍♀️

Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite photos from today.

This fellow had been carrying a baby on his back, but he had to take it off in order to get through the rock passage.

This is how I went over all the bridges. I would have crawled on my hands and knees except there were people coming up behind me.

Just to give you an idea of how high up that platform is that Greg is standing on in the previous photo.

I felt more comfortable holding on to something. The height was giving me vertigo.

After Rock City, we came back to the camper to relax for the rest of the evening. The weather today has been absolutely perfect.

Tomorrow we head to Nashville.

Chattanooga Seafood Bash and Point Park

The sun finally made an appearance sometime after noon, and Greg and I headed back to Ross’s Landing in Chattanooga to check out the festival that we had seen the day before.

I have since learned that this particular festival is called the Chattanooga Seafood Bash, which explains the large quantities of seafood offered by the food stands there.

We decided to take a hike along the Riverbend Trail before indulging in the seafood.

There was a lot to look at during our walk, including various art installations, scenic views, and buildings with unique architecture.

I was so enchanted with this part of Chattanooga that I told Greg I could see myself living here. And then he reminded me of how hot it would get in the summer. Yeah, maybe not.

After our walk, we went back to the festival and shared a plate of jambalaya with a crab cake. Unfortunately, it was awful.

We have not had much luck with the food here in Tennessee.

Point Park

I suggested that on our way back to the camper we stop by Lookout Mountain and see what there was to see there. Once we were on the mountain, Greg saw a sign for Point Park and headed in that direction.

We discovered that Point Park is part of the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park. An important battle in the Civil War occurred here.

But I liked it for the great views overlooking Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.

Tennessee offers people many opportunities to kill themselves.

Greg and I briefly considered a hike to Sunset Rock but ultimately decided that our legs needed a break, so we headed back to the camper to rest up for our last day in Chattanooga.

Raccoon Mountain Caverns and Tennessee Aquarium

Our first activity of the day was another cavern tour, this time the Raccoon Mountain Caverns. Since we are staying at the Raccoon Mountain Caverns and Campground, getting to the cave involved a simple walk across the parking lot from our camper.

I enjoyed this tour more than the Ruby Falls tour. Plus, we got to see bats, salamanders, and crickets inside the cave.

Well, I didn’t get to see the crickets, but I was assured that they were there by our tour guide and the other folks on the tour (they must have better eyesight than I do).

Mr. Bat. He was about 2 inches from nose to tail.

Mr. Salamander. He was maybe 3/4 inch long.

Tennessee Aquarium

After lunch back at the camper, we headed to downtown Chattanooga for a tour of the Tennessee Aquarium.

This was Greg’s choice for how to spend a rainy afternoon. I am not really an animal or fish person — or even a museum person (too much information to absorb) — but Greg decided that my preferred activity, a train ride, would not be fun in the rain. He probably wasn’t wrong.

The aquarium is right on the river. There was an open air festival/market going on, complete with live music. The entire area gave off a lovely, family-friendly vibe. I hope to go back there this weekend to do a little shopping, eating, and music enjoyment.

Greg and I rode the escalator up to the top floor, where the start of the exhibits began, with a hundred rambunctious 4th graders. Luckily for us, they have the attention span of gnats, so they quickly disappeared ahead of us.

The aquarium comprises two buildings, one for freshwater critters and the other for saltwater. We made our way through both buildings.

As aquariums go, the Tennessee Aquarium is quite nice. I enjoyed it.

I frequently found myself wondering who was the one on display

This octopus and I had a stare-down. I think I won.

I loved the hardscaping outside the two aquarium buildings. It was very creative, and the kids had a great time running over the bridges and skipping across the artificial creeks.

Tomorrow the sun should come out again. Yay!

Ruby Falls and the Experimental Distillery

Holy cow. The last few days have been great for waterfowl but not so great for Pennsylvanians trying to tour Tennessee.

We arrived in the Chattanooga area yesterday and managed to set up moments before the heavens unleashed.

Since the weather report said we wouldn’t be out of the downpour before Saturday, Greg and I looked for indoor things to do today and tomorrow.

First, we headed to Ruby Falls, which is a cavern inside Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga that has an 80-meter waterfall inside the mountain.

This cavern tour was unlike any of the ones I’ve been on before. It was more commercialized, with a rather cheesy video at the beginning describing the discovery of the cavern (which sounded too romanticized to be believable).

The half-mile walk to the waterfall was no-nonsense and included no commentary. The aisles were narrow, and the ceiling low. I had a few moments of claustrophobia at the beginning, but it passed quickly.

The main feature of the tour was the waterfall, which was quite impressive. I only wish they hadn’t used so many colored lights. The lights were distracting and completely distorted the photographs.

After lunch back at the camper, we headed out in the pouring rain again to take a tour of the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery.

Unfortunately, I left my ID in the car, so I was not allowed to partake in the tasting.

Despite not getting to actually taste the whisky, I found the tour interesting. And I’m happy to say that I finally understand the difference between whiskey and bourbon.

A plethora of waterfalls

We are in the Cumberland Plateau region of Tennessee, staying at the Spacious Skies Belle Ridge Campground in Monterey.

I absolutely love this region of Tennessee. I feel like I’m on top of the world.

In the last two days, we have visited three state parks, all known for their beautiful waterfalls and scenic views.

First up was Burgess Falls State Park.

Middle Falls at Burgess Falls State Park

Burgess Falls at Burgess Falls State Park. Note the two kayakers coming up to the falls. So jealous!

Later that afternoon, we visited Cummins Falls State Park.

We opted not to hike down to the base of the falls because the hike was treacherous and involved walking through knee-high streams. Instead, we enjoyed the falls from the overlook.

Today we drove the hour and a half to Tennessee’s largest state park, Fall Creek Falls State Park.

Another view of Cane Creek Falls with a rainbow at the base. There were people walking along the top of the falls mere feet from the edge. Nuts!

Fall Creek Falls. If you look closely, you can see little people at the bottom of the gorge. We could have hiked down there, but it was treacherous and we decided not to risk it.

Piney Falls. This is as close as I dared to get to the edge to take the picture. It was a straight drop into the gorge.

Scenic overlooks

The views here are breathtaking, starting with the scenic overlook at the campground.

Spacious Skies Belle Ridge scenic overlook

I love this photo of the sunset from the same location.

The town of Monterey also has a scenic overlook. Greg and I went there yesterday to check it out.

Greg tried hard to scare the living daylights out of me by standing very close to the edge of the cliff.

Falls Creek Falls State Park also had an overlook. These Tennesseans don’t believe in safety rails!

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain, so we will probably stay holed up in the camper, enjoying our books with a cup of hot tea.

Porter’s Creek Trail

We did another hike today. This one was a 2-mile hike to a waterfall.

After a rather harrowing 3-mile drive down a too-narrow, windy gravel road, we arrived at the trailhead. The trail itself went gently uphill for 2 miles to the waterfall.

The first mile was relatively easy. After that, we had to deal with rocks, roots, small streams, and bridges.

The last bridge was the scariest for me because it went over a section of the river that was deep and full of boulders.

Along the way, we saw lots of wildflowers.

And some creatures too.

But we made it to the falls without mishap. Yay!

Parrot Mountain and Gardens

We started our day with a trip to Tractor Supply so that I could replace my lost hat.

Then the question was, how to spend the rest of the day? We agreed that another hike was not in the cards. Our legs needed a break.

There are an endless number of activities to do in Pigeon Forge. One could seriously vacation here every year and never do the same activity twice.

Eventually, I talked Greg into going to Parrot Mountain and Gardens. I could tell he was less than enthused, but being the good husband that he is, he went along with the idea. I’m not really an animal person, but I thought I might get some pretty pictures of flowers to use for my paintings.

Holy moly, this place did not disappoint!

When you first walk in, there are parrots and other exotic birds sitting on perches out in the open everywhere.

They have every kind of exotic bird here. I was completely enthralled by all the bright colors. It’s hard to believe that Mother Nature could come up with so many beautiful color combinations and patterns.

Look at these gorgeous colors!

And the patterns! Mother Nature is the ultimate artist.

Mother Nature also has a great sense of humor!

This guy desperately wanted to eat my phone.

One of the highlights of our visit was getting to hold the birds.

Later, we got to feed some lories.

And at the very end of the tour, we stepped into the bird nursery. Here, all the birds were for sale.

This little fellow even color-coordinated with Greg’s shirt!

I don’t know how I feel about taking birds out of their natural habitat and keeping them in a zoo, but my ambivalence did not detract from my enjoyment of the experience at all.

Greg and I had a fantastic time getting up close and personal with these beautiful creatures.

Mountain Valley Winery

After leaving Parrot Mountain, we headed to Mountain Valley Winery for a wine tasting. I’m not gonna lie. This place was a bit of a disappointment.

When we walked in, there were four counters and no seating area. We stood at the first counter (we were the only customers), and the salesperson invited us to try four different wines.

I tried four sweet wines, and Greg tried four dry wines. He had to pay $5 for the dry wines.

We liked the wines, but we were really looking for a relaxing experience, someplace where we could sip wine in a comfortable atmosphere and perhaps have an appetizer before going back to the camper to make dinner.

We ended up each buying a glass of wine, and the salesperson directed us to a patio outside, where we could relax.

It had a pretty view, but it was chilly out there. We didn’t linger.

Greg and I both agree that the wineries in the Finger Lakes are much better!

Little River Trail and Kuwohi

Since Greg figured he hadn’t punished me enough yesterday, he decided we were going to do another hike this morning, the Little River Trail.

Luckily for me, it was a flat, gravel trail along a pretty little river.

We took our time and stopped frequently along the way to enjoy the scenery.

Afterward, we toured the village of Elkmont, a living history museum. Here is where the wealthy vacationed when they wanted to experience rustic living.

We snuck into a nearby campground within the park for a picnic lunch and then headed back to the camper for a nap. I did some laundry while Greg did some grocery shopping.

Then we headed to Kuwohi (formerly Clingman’s Dome), the highest point in Tennessee.

Kuwohi

When we left our campsite, the temperature was 88°. After driving 20 miles up the mountain to Kuwohi, the temperature had dropped to 55°. There was even snow on the side of the road!

After bundling up, we began the half-mile trek straight uphill to the observation tower. Thank God there were benches along the way because I thought I was going to die of a heart attack before we got there.

The plan was to watch the sun set over the mountains.

We and a bunch of our closest friends had the same idea. LOL. It was fun visiting with strangers while we waited the 45 minutes for the sun to set. We even met some folks from our area in Pennsylvania!

And despite what the app (SkyCandy) on my phone said about the low probability of a pretty sunset tonight, it did not disappoint.

Although this photo that Greg took is probably my favorite:

Once the sun had set, we trecked back down to the car and hung out for an hour to let the sky get fully dark. Our hope was to get to see the Milky Way, but alas, no such luck.

However, we did get to see the nearly full moon rise, and it was breathtaking.

The 20-mile drive back down the mountain in the dark was a little harrowing, what with the serpentine turns, narrow roads, and steep drop-offs, but we made it.

And we both agreed that the trip was well worth it — even with the loss of my favorite hat.