This is a self-guided roller coaster that takes you through a small part of Smokey National Park. You climb onto a cart like the orange one pictured below.
A track takes the cart to the top. Once you reach the top, you use the foot and arm controls to determine your speed as you wind back down. They don't actually get going too quickly - only about 25 miles per hour, but in an open cart with such a windy track, it seems a lot faster than that.
We had such a great time, that we decided to go again. This time I went with Zabien, and didn't hold back on the speed. There were times I felt like we were going to fly right off the track, but it was a blast.
Hazel wasn't old or big enough to go, and she had fallen asleep in her car seat on the way there. Gratefully my parents took turns staying with her in the van. I didn't get a picture of my dad, but I did manage to snap one of my mom.
Although extremely nervous at first, she agreed that the Alpine Slide was a blast.
After the Alpine Slide, we headed further into town to take advantage of the tourist attractions. We went into this souvenir shop to see the live sharks. The sharks were tiny in comparison to the wide mouth entrance to the store. We did end up buying Smokey Mountain National Park t-shirts for everyone as souvenirs.
Later, we drove over to "The Island." Here we are waiting for the shuttle bus that took us from the parking lot to the attractions. The Island is an isolated piece of land full of fair type rides and specialty shops. We wanted to walk around to see if there was anything of interest. There is also a large fountain in the middle that performs synchronized light and water shows to music every half hour. That's mostly why we went.
After a short visit to the Island, we headed back to the resort to grab some dinner, and get ready for our entertainment for the evening.
Yes, we were headed for the Smoky Mountain Opry. We got a great deal on our tickets because we bought tickets for the Hatfield and McCoy dinner show which we saw the evening before. I was a little hesitant bringing in small children to this show considering that the room was full of mostly elderly people.
However, my children didn't disappoint, and neither did the show. Lights, surround sound speakers, talented singers and dancers, and don't forget the costumes. Eliza's favorite part was all the different dresses the girls put on. I could tell she wanted to wear every single one of them. She was in awe of the dancing - especially the ballerina, who danced from 2 strands of fabric that hung down from the ceiling. I don't think she moved throughout the entire show. Zabien also did remarkably well. I think he was raptured by all the lights and special effects. He only got out of his chair once to go and sit on Bruce's lap. Hazel actually surprised me most of all. She sat on my lap the entire time - sometimes dancing to the music, sometimes sipping her bottle, and always clapping after the end of every number. This was a 2.5 hour show. I still can't even believe how well behaved they were the entire time - I wish they behaved that well in church. I can't tell you how many comments I had by surrounding people at how well behaved my children are. Honestly, I couldn't believe it either, but the Smoky Mountain Opry did put on one spectacular show.
The auditorium cleared out pretty fast - guess that's what happens when it is full of elderly and you are the only couple with children there. The kids even got to go up on stage, and take home a souvenir beach ball which was used as props for one of the numbers.
I'm so glad we decided to spend the money to go - it was well worth it. I hope to go again someday.
The experience was so neat, I almost hated to go. But, we were the last ones out and they shut the doors behind us.
After the show, we headed back to the Island to see the water and light show at night. It was so cool and really not that crowded. We all got great seats. Granted it was a Wednesday night, I'm not sure how busy it would have been on a Friday or Saturday night.
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