Fun and Educational Family Travel Tips

As many of you know, I am planning a trip to Yellowstone for this summer.  It is going to be a really long road trip for my family, but we plan on breaking it up and stopping at some other sites along the way.  We are traveling from Indiana, so we decided to stop along the way at the Dakotas so we can see Mt. Rushmore and Badlands National Park.  We are also going to be stopping at Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Devil’s Tower.  From there, we will head to Yellowstone and we are planning a visit to the Grand Tetons and to Glacier National Park.

 Well, life is interesting sometimes, as I was just contacted today by a man named Allan Wright.  Allan told me about his company, which is named Zephyr Adventures and, interestingly enough, will be providing adventure-based family trips to Yellowstone and to Glacier this year.  I can’t personally say much about the service, but Allan tells me that they have been in business for 11 years and I think it is worth checking out what they have to offer.  If I see Allan while in the area, I will be sure to tell you all about him and his tours! 

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If you want to climb to the highest point in the Smokies, you need to visit the Smokies.  Be careful, though, if you come too early in the season, the road will still be closed for snow.  We went in late March the first time and were unable to visit, but it was open when we went back in June.

The climb up the domb is quite high, as you can see in this picture.

Once you make it to the top, the view is magnificent!  The view quality has a lot to do with how clear the day is - and the Smokies didn’t get their name for no reason.  So, don’t expect to be able to see clearly for miles and miles.  Nonetheless, it is fabulous!

 I guess I have shared enough photos of my boys that it is only fair that I include one with me in it….as you can see, I am not the most physically fit of people and I made it on all of these trails and up Clingman’s Domb, so you can too!

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When you take a drive down Roaring Fork Motor Trail in Gatlinburg, you will have the opportunity to walk the trail to Grotto Falls.  It really isn’t too bad of a trail - though this is the one that I had to carry one twin the whole way up the mountain and down while my husband carried the other!

It was well worth it, though, as you can see.  This is my oldest boy, Jacob, standing beneath the falls.

There was also a very beautiful little creek flowing along the majorty of the trail.  Several small falls fell along the way.  Here is one photo of the creek.

Here’s the two oldest boys standing way up high on some rocks in front of the falls.

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Of course, Gatlinburg isn’t all about museums and tourist activities.  You can enjoy some of the beauty of nature here as well, particularly at Roaring Fork.  We found this drive to be just as beautiful, if not more so, than what you see at Cades Cove but with far less tourists.

Here’s a water mill you can see along the way.

Here is one of the mountain views we saw along the way.  There are a number of places to pull off and take in the sites.

Here’s another mountain view - I guess the thin mountain air brought out the love and affection in the two oldest boys!

There are several small waterfalls that you can enjoy as you drive and pull off to check out more closely.  This is just one of them.

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When  you visit Gatlinburg, you might decide to stop at the Guiness World Records Museum where you can compare yourself to the record holders.  Here, my husband and boys fit themselves inside the belt of the world’s fattest man.

Here, the two oldest boys compare themselves to the world’s tallest man and the world’s shortest woman.

 Two of my boys try their talents on this large piano and make beautiful music (ok, maybe it wasn’t THAT beautiful) at Ripley’s Museum.

Here, my oldest son ponders what has happened to his head at Ripley’s Museum.

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Here are a few of the natural sites you will get to enjoy while at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Here is one of Cades Cove.

Cades Cove is found in Townsend, Tennessee.  Just outside of Townsend is an access point to the Foothills Parkway.  Here is one of the views you can see along the way.

You can also check out Tuckaleechee Caverns while in Townsend.  Here, you can enjoy a number of different cavern formations.  Taking pictures in the cavern without special equipment is pretty tough, but I kind of like the way this photo of a waterfall inside the caverns came out.

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I really think that cabins are the way to go when it comes to family travel.  It gives you lots of room to spread out while maintaining your privacy.  In addition, you can save money by cooking a meal or two rather than eating out all of the time.  Most of all, when on a vacation to a natural setting, it allows you to enjoy the beauty of nature while still having the comforts of home.  Here are some photos of the cabin where we stayed on our second stay at the Smokies.

Here is a front view of the cabin.  As you can see, this particular one was named “Autumnwood.”

 Here’s the hot tub.  Many of the cabins at the Smokies have extra little luxuries such as hot tubs.  This one was accessed by going out the front door and walking across the balcony (which offered amazing views) and walking into a screened in room.  The grill and other outdoor items were outside of that area.

The cabin itself didn’t have a pool, but we had access to the pool located at the main office from the cabin rental facility.  Here are the two older boys playing in the water mushroom that was just outside of the main pool.

Here is the actual pool.

Notice the gorgeous mountains in the background!

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Since I have been doing all of this talking about some of the places I visited in the Great Smoky Mountains, I thought I should start sharing some photos of the sites I have been discussing.  I’ll start off with the Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg.

Here is one of my son (age 7 at the time) inside of the “aquarium” exhibit.  This one never fails to put a smile on my face:

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As I have mentioned before, just the drive from one town to the next down Hwy 73 can be magnificent.  There are several places to pull off and take in the sites along the way.  Here are just a few of them.

Here is a photo of the boys sitting out on some rocks they climbed to in the middle of the river that runs along Hwy 73.

If you pull off to the rest area on Hwy 73, you can take a drive to a little school house that is by a very attractive creek.  The drive there is a bit tough and is basically one way - thank goodness there wasn’t too much traffic coming from the opposite direction!  Here, one of the twins walks out of the schoolhouse.

This waterfall doesn’t require any walking at all - just pull off the side of the road and start snapping photos!  You need to keep an eye out for it, though, because it is a bit hidden and will sneak up on you if you aren’t watching.

The Sinks can also be found on this road.  Again, all you need to do is pull over and check it out - no hiking required!

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I was doing a bit of research for this blog by watching some shows on the travel channel.  These shows were discussing the top 10 natural destinations to visit in the Western United States and the top 10 destinations in the world.  I noticed that, throughout the entire show, the narrator repeatedly warned the viewer to be aware of safety concerns.

 These repeated warnings made me think that I should address this issue on this blog as well.  I have taken my family to a number of spots where safety was a concern.  When we visited Shenandoah National Park, for example, we actually woke up one morning to find a black bear swimming in the pond right in front of the cabin we had rented.  Later in that vacation, we saw a cub and the mama bear run across the street right in front of us.  At the Smokies, we have ran across bears on the side of the road as well.  These are truly amazing experiences, but potentially deadly as well. 

Before you head out on a family vacation to a national park, be certain to do your research regarding the wildlife the park has to offer and to understand what you can do to prevent getting hurt.  With bears, for example, this is actually a time when you want to encourage your children to make a lot of noise.  If you walk through the trails quietly and happen to sneak up on a bear, it may attack simply because it was frightened.

Although this should go without saying, you should never approach a bear either - particularly a mama bear.  Mama bears are very protective and will kill someone that they see as a threat to the cub.  I know it is crazy, but I have actually witnessed people trying to get closer to these creatures.  Needless to say, that got reprimanded quite severely by the rangers.

Bears also have an amazing sense of smell and are attracted to the scent of just about everything, even toothpaste.  So, if you are doing some backcountry hiking, be sure to use caution when carrying and storing food.

The climate and topography of the vacation site should also be considered.  Some national parks are located in desert areas and have temperatures that exceed 100 degrees.  It is possible to pass out or to even die from these temperatures, so use caution when visiting sites such as Death Valley, Arches National Park in Utah, or other similar locations.  In addition, locations like Yellowstone National Park can have hidden boiling waters that are covered by thin crusts of land or, a park may have waterfalls located just beneath an area that looks ideal for taking a quick dip.

It is important to always be aware of your surroundings when at a national park - particularly when you have brought children along.  So, be careful while enjoying your fun and educational experience!

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