Day 1 - Wyndham Smoky Mountains Resort

It was when we went to make travel arrangements for our summer trip that we realized flying wasn't the best option for Kim or Steph. Steph's idea was to fly from Pittsburgh, where she was attending a graduation, but the closest airport was Knoxville, and the expense wasn't worth it. Kim and Steph both decided to drive while I flew. For me, it was easy. Allegiant flies from our local airport directly into Knoxville. I agreed to fly to Knoxville, go home with Steph, and return to Florida from Hersey. That way, she'd have an extra driver.

Kim picked me up in Knoxville, and we drove to Pigeon Forge. The GPS took us to the Wyndham sales building first, and after using their bathrooms and snatching complimentary snacks, we found the resort just as Maggie and Steph pulled up. 

Check-in was crazy and loud. I went first to get our keys and then to another station to get parking passes. There, we chatted with two employees about the area, and when Steph showed an interest in learning about Wyndham, I shut that down immediately. I told him we'd call him later.

The resort sits on either side of a busy road with no crosswalk. They sent us across the street, up a steep hill, and around the corner to our rustic mountaintop building. Our two-bedroom unit was downstairs, accessible by stairs, and outdated.  

The only updates I could see were the kitchen countertops and the mattresses. Upon further investigation, there was a lot of dust--on the headboards, the fans, and the curtain rods above the windows. I should've marched back across the road right then and there, but having just attended the Wyndham owner's meeting, I knew this was a resort scheduled for a remodel. I assumed they all were like this, although the pictures on the website are nothing like this. I did not put two and two together until several days later.

Kim was in charge of restaurants, and we chose one off her list and headed there immediately because we were all hungry. 

Apparently, Maggie is always hungry. 

Pigeon Forge reminded me of Orlando or the Wisconsin Dells. There was a  strip, and along that strip was anything and everything from restaurants to tourist traps to souvenir shops to kitschy entertainment centers--all a downgrade from the places mentioned above. 

Or maybe that was because it was bleak and raining.

Dinner at Harpoon Harry's was delicious. We had good food and decent service, and afterward, we headed to an entertainment area to scope out activities for the week. 

From there, we got some groceries at the Walmart and headed back to the unit, where we finished out the night playing games that Steph and Maggie had brought. 

We put Steph in the master bedroom. Kim and I took the room with two beds because we snore, and Maggie brought a blow-up mattress that we put on top of the pull-out sofa bed. 

The plan is to hike the Smoky Mountains tomorrow. We do not have a time set. After all, we are on vacation.