Trip Report Day 7: Knoxville Zoo and Mel's

Unfortunately, TK felt off from the feeding frenzy the night before, so he stayed at the resort and rested. The rest of us ate breakfast and headed out to the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, obviously. It was about 30 minutes away from Gatlinburg.

The price was very reasonable considering the price for admission to the Bronx Zoo and some theme parks. I believe I paid $20 for myself and another $17 for Jackson. Addison was free.

We started out the day in the children's section. Jackson tried to talk to a baby goat as he tapped it with a brush instead of brushing it. After I cleaned his hands of livestock bacteria, we entered the area with the little birds in it. My dad bought a few seed sticks for us to feed the birds. None of them were interested in the seed stick I was holding and Jackson hit one of the birds with his seed stick. I was actually surprised that we were not attacked by 60 miniature birds. I had to get out of there. They were pretty, but there were a lot of them and they outnumbered us.

When we all exited the little bird area, Jackson ran around a little area that allowed children to splash around, but he wasn't interested in getting wet. At the snack stand, we were able to buy him juice boxes. We thought it was wonderful that they made juice boxes so available for kids. Even the big theme parks mostly have milk jugs, apple juice in bottles or the worst option, soda. Juice boxes are so much more convenient for toddlers and their parents.

Next, we headed to look at turtles, snakes and lizards, and then inside the exhibit that enclosed spiders, mice and owls. I didn't love the animals in that enclosure (except the owls), but it was air-conditioned and I had to change my daughter's diaper, so we hung out with the rodents for a little bit. Afterward, we went over to the Red Panda exhibit and we could actually enter the habitat where they climbed above us. I figured they had really great insurance for that area. I had never been so close to an actual panda, red or otherwise.

Finally, we saw some elephants as we were walking over to eat lunch. They were also very close to us and we were able to see them in full view. Not many zoos allow for that. We ate lunch at a place called the Safari Grill and the burgers were pretty good, but the drink deal was a little odd. There was a huge drink for almost $6 and a very small one for $2. The huge one was refillable, but it resembled a bucket. I guess it's a great deal if you go to the zoo all the time, but we were heading back to New York the next day.

After lunch, we went over to their giraffe section. Jackson was able to feed leaves to one of them and I loved that he wasn't afraid at all. He stuck his hand right out and almost into the giraffe's mouth. The kind woman who was in charge of the feedings warned us that a giraffe's big head was more dangerous than its tongue or mouth.

The final stop of our day at the zoo was its splash park area. I changed Jackson into his bathing suit and followed him around as he ran through the sprayers and sprinklers. He was having a blast and I don't think he stopped moving the entire time. I took a break from watching him run in circles to change a poop diaper, but when I got back, we told him that we had to leave. He shockingly agreed and changed his clothes with no problem. What?

My mother and I agreed, the Knoxville Zoo was a great place to bring children. Every exhibit and attraction was geared toward children and there was something they could do to keep them busy all day. If I lived in Knoxville, I would have a membership and visit a few times a month.

We packed up the car and headed back to Gatlinburg. The kids were asleep in 10 minutes. Ahhh, silence. We stopped at the Tanger Outlets on our way and TK met us because he was feeling better. I did a little shopping at The North Face Outlet and purchased matching fleeces for Addison and me. At the Disney Store Outlet, we purchased Jackson's Ironman Halloween costume and some clothes and toys for Addison. We also stopped at Lil Dolly's to see if they had any christening dresses for Addison. No dice, but if she wanted an outfit for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue to play the washboard, she would be all set.

For the final night in Tennessee, we ate at Mel's Diner. My dad loves it and the menu has reasonably priced comfort food. I had a wonderful Chocolate Shake with my meal and I love that. It was a great, casual family meal to end the vacation.

Trip Report Day 6: Mom's 60th Birthday and the OGO

I woke up and gave my mother her gift because it was her 60th birthday. We bought her a necklace that says Nonna in the center and has a ring around it that says Jackson and Addison, and their birthstones hang from the chain as well. She said she loved it. Score!

Mom and Dad inside the OGO

This day was all about what Mom wanted to do for her big day. We started at the Outdoor Gravity Park, which we previously knew as Zorb five years ago. Five of us changed into bathing suits and took the van up to the top of the hill. TK and I hopped in the first ball, so we could get down first and I could start taking pictures. We took a video inside the ball and I laughed the entire time, and swallowed a little water. When we got to the bottom, we were soaked and I grabbed my camera to take photos of my parents as they made their way down. When they got out, the smile on my mom's face was priceless. She had a blast. Uncle George was the next to come down and he made his way down zigzag course. He had a great time too.

After our great trip down the hill, we went back to the room so my dad could change. He only decided to participate last minute. We headed over to downtown Gatlinburg so we could stroll around. Our first stop was the Sugarlands Distillery so we could pick up the moonshine my cousin requested. We ended up sampling some and this time, I was smart and skipped all the ones that would burn my esophagus. After some miniature cups of , we went to get lunch at Dick's Last Resort and had a ton of laughs because the wait staff made fun of us the whole time. I thought they would be rude and I would get annoyed, but they were pretty funny.

We walked off our lunch afterward and headed over to Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine to purchase the moonshine and t-shirts we had seen earlier in the week. I got a red shirt and made sure we bought Shine Nog, which I am saving it until Christmas because it will be a good replacement for my beloved egg nog. There was a bluegrass band playing in the courtyard, so we sat and listened to them for a little while. My dad even bought their CDs. They were very good and my kids love bluegrass.

Of course, our walk in downtown Gatlinburg led to The Donut Friar. Five years ago, we were introduced to the fresh and delicious donuts that they craft in their ovens. We each ate a donut of our choice and then made sure to take some back to the hotel. The Village Shops, where the Donut Friar is located, are adorable and sell some pretty great things, like neck pads with cherry pits in them, educational toys, German beer and hot sauce.

With delicious donuts in tow, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. We were having a celebratory dinner for my mother's birthday at Paula Deen's Family Kitchen at The Island. The food was family-style, so we all shared in the southern goodness of Fried Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, Macaroni and Cheese and Butter Cake, among others. When we headed out of the restaurant, the fountain was dancing again, and so was Jackson. We did a little laughing and then headed back to the hotel.