This was another just driving day. Much less traffic today, but by the end of the drive I was very ready to be out of the car. We stopped at a gas station to pee and fill up about an hour from Gatlinburg, and it was miserably hot and humid out.
Driving through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg was very interesting. It was nonstop quirky stores and tourist attractions, and reminded me a little of Branson, MO.
Tonight’s motel was the nicest one so far. It was just a Motel 6, but it was a newer one with nice rooms and a cute exterior that matched the rest of the Gatlinburg vibe. We checked in and then drove back downtown for dinner. We chose Hungry Bear BBQ, a cute little roadside BBQ joint. Since we had Charlie we took our food outside to eat on their picnic tables, but it started pouring just after we sat down. The employees were standing at the window laughing at us, but we stayed dry under the umbrella. Even little Charlie behaved perfectly, sitting under our bench and begging for scraps (of course she got some).
After dinner, we found a parking spot and then wandered around Gatlinburg. I really enjoy window shopping in little tourist towns, so we had a good time walking around for a few hours. We couldn’t get more than 10 feet without someone stopping us to give Charlie pets–since it was such a big tourist town, everyone had left their doggies at home and missed them. My aunt and I took turns going into stores while the other watched Charlie. I definitely recommend checking out the edible cookie dough shop!
What We Listened To: Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
Miles Driven: 210
Miles hiked: 5
Stayed at: Knight’s Inn Verona Staunton