Hi Vicci, yes, do see if you can find her (her name is Cheryl)- I met her at the Tn Plant Swap 2 (or 3?) years ago- a great gal - I have sedums growing in my yard from her :)) Her Mom was at the swap too, and kiddos - sounds like it will be a beautiful wedding- have fun! Linda

I was there last week (Monday -Friday) 4 nights with 3 of my college friends. Every year we get together in a different part of the country for a reunion. We had a great time. I don't especially think the rooms are "dirt cheap". My room was $147.00 per night. We all stayed at the inn at Christmas place and it was very very nice. Big beds with overstuffed mattress pads. Lovely linens and a very nice breakfast which included an omelet station. I don't want to stay in a cabin . I'll take a nice hotel any time. But, I do know a lot a people who love the woodsy style. Tennessee is certainly the place for anyone who loves that sort of thing. Absolutely beautiful mountains. My favorite place to eat is the Cafe Bakery at the Old Mill. We weren't too impressed with the menu at the Old Mill so we didn't eat there. We did go to Dollywood. That was not at all what I thought it would be. Very disappointing. We didn't stay there too long. Don't know that I would go back but all in all it was a nice trip. I will say Tennessee has absolutely the best drinking water I've ever had. The tap water there is fabulous......I think it's a fun place to go if you've never been.. and you must take the trolley to Gatlinburg. We enjoyed that.

I'm not sure if you've ever been to Gatlinburg before, but if you haven't then you should probably expect to spend a day there. There are a lot of local shops plus that's where the aquarium is and you could ride the tram to go figure skating as well. You might even need more time depending on how much your kids and husband tolerate looking in the shops. I've gone to the area almost every year since I was a little girl. When I was younger, I wanted to stay in Pigeon Forge and ride go-carts and go to the arcades (that's where most of these type activities are), but my parents always wanted to spend time in Gatlinburg. Now as an adult, my husband and I like to spend most of our time in Gatlinburg, and maybe go to Pigeon Forge/Sevierville for a day. There are numerous things to do in both. You can take a scenic helicopter tour if you want (never done this myself). We like to take some time to drive through the Smokies on 441. You can drive up to Clingman's Dome and then hike the last little bit (maybe a mile-I can't remember) to the highest point in TN. It's a great view on a nice clear day. Also along 441, there are a lot of great pull outs to park and take some pics. Of course, as a child I used to hate these long car rides with my parents. For breakfast or lunch one day, you might want to try the Applebarn/Applewood? in Pigeon Forge/Sevierville. I think it is actually Sevierville, but the two really kind of run together. It has some little round donut type things that come with apple butter that are excellent. They come with most of the meals I think, but we always order an extra bag to take with us for the next day. In Pigeon Forge, there is the Dixie Stampede which is a show and dinner I think, but I've never been, so that's pretty much all I know about it. And then of course there's Dollywood. I don't know much about Cosby other than I've drove through it. I think it has some small shops and maybe a couple of places to sight see but I'm really not sure. If your family likes to hike, then there are a lot of trails to check out. It's good for some piece and quiet from all of the shops.

Check out Cades Cove. It was a neat little community hidden away from the main stream until about 1930. The community is gone now, but a number of the buildings have been preserved. A tour through that place is a walk through history. A lot of early American history happened in KY and TN and historical societies have been diligently trying to save records. Many county seats have a historical society, some attached to the courthouse records hall. Many settlers of southern IL came from KY and TN as did my ancestors. KY and TN was the arena for Andrew Jackson, Daniel Boone, and Davey Crockett. Andrew Jackson estasblished the Masons in TN and dabbled in horse racing. Men from that region fought in the War of 1812. From 1800 onward, the gentry was a mix of slave and non-slave owners. TN was hurt by the Civil War and its wounds run deep. Families were either separated or ruined and those old hurts still lie in the undercurrents of the society, so approach discussions about the Civil War with caution until you know your conversant better and he you. The fall of the year is a good time to tour eastern TN. There are plenty of deciduious trees and a few of those will have a glorious display of fall foliage. Being that your son is entering a religious college, I suppose you care nothing about the manufacture of spirits. However, the Jack Daniels distillery is in middle TN. Gold is stored at Fort Knox. Thorough bred horse farms are in eastern KY in the blue grass region. Depending on what route you take back to IL, a stop at Mamouth Cave is worth it. Plan on using the better part of a day and take one of the longer treks. Do a lunch in the undergound cafeteria.