Train Chronicles - Pigeon Forge

 

The Pigeon Forge leg was both the busiest day and the chilliest day of the trip, so far. We left Nashville and our plan was to stop and eat breakfast at Bojangles on the way to Pigeon Forge. One of the things that I miss about living in Tennessee is Bojangles, and the one is Louisiana isn't a full menu one since it's in a gas station and it's also over an hour away from us. Needless to say, this chicken biscuit was everything my dreams of Bojangles are made of. 

We also made a second stop on the way at Bucc-ee's. We made this stop to swap out drivers because I was about to fall asleep (this whole not going to bed until after midnight thing on vacation is for the birds) and to get some peanut brittle (obviously). 

After that, it was straight to the Aquarium, which we have gone to every year that we've come to the Smoky Mountains. Kiddo loves this place, and I was super excited to see that they advertised a dragon exhibit. 

We originally made plans to eat lunch at the aquarium, but we ended up just snacking on some popcorn and donuts and decided to have a bigger dinner. Our favorite parts of the aquarium were the sharks, the stingrays, and the penguins. We even saw a penguin proposal! 😮And the rejection of the proposal! 😢 Derby deserved better. 

The dragon exhibit was a huge bust. We couldn't find most of them in their tanks, and neither could any of the people around us. 

After that it was dinner and then we went to the Island to go to Duck Yeah (the rubber duck store I've been yapping about). We got there in time for the fountain light show too, which was pretty cool. They also had some cool dinosaurs out and about. Kiddo and I also took the Ferris Wheel and got some pretty cool shots of the fountain from above. 

Day 2 brought us on a Jeep tour of the mountains with a family who was visiting for their first time. We got some really cool views and it only reaffirmed that I would love to retire here and just work at one of the tourist shops. 

That took up our morning and then we went to lunch at the Apple Barn, which is an experience! Not only do they have restaurants, but they also have a winery, chocolate shop, ice cream shop, Christmas store, and all things apple store on site. They bring you out their Applewood Julip to sample with your meal, and also some amazing apple fritters. I ended up getting the sampler because I couldn't decide what I wanted (no shock to anyone who knows me) and it was a small chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings and fried chicken. All meals also come with a cup of loaded baked potato soup and mashed potatoes and then you can add a side. Needless to say, my sides remained untouched. 

We spent the rest of the day kind of just chilling until dinner. We went to Sloppy Hogs, which was recommended by our tour guide for their burgers. Brian did not steer us wrong as this was one of the best burgers I've had. 

We passed a small food truck round up on our way to dinner, so we stopped in to get some dessert. The Italian truck that had dessert had sold out, so we just got some drinks - coffee for me, boba tea for kiddo and frozen lemonade for the folks. All in all, it was a great time in Pigeon Forge, but way too short! We have a list going of things to do next time we come back. 

Next up, our trip back to Atlanta to chill before catching the train the next day.