This past weekend my family and I ventured down to Tennessee for record-breaking short, fun-filled family reunion in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We stayed in Gatlinburg–a charming but busy tourist town full of souvenir shops and pancake diners (we enjoyed Flapjacks Monday morning!) It is no wonder that Gatlinburg is so popular as it sits right on the entrance to the park.
We filled our weekend with the beauty of the area…scenic drives in the mossy forests full of dense greens and streams of water; the mountain overlook areas; the ancient Cherokee history and the Trail of Tears; pre-Civil War life and the dedication of the National Park by President Franklin Roosevelt. (I found the history of the area, especially Cades Cove to be fascinating!)
Of course no family reunion is complete without lots of pictures, games, laughs, family meals (yes, pizza at 10 pm! and my aunt’s scrumptious lasagna), fresh coffee, good conversations, helping hands, and love.
“Family is one of nature’s masterpieces.” –George Santayana
I quite agree.
Marcia and I standing by the “Thousand Tears” waterfall.
Me and Grandpa ❤
My Life with NF2 
Breanna and I were in Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg back in 2000. Fun place! We even went to Dollywood. Glad your family had a good time.
Yes, we were there at Dollywood too. It had the most INSANE traffic Monday, but where we stopped at some Mill for pictures was very pretty. 🙂
Beautiful pictures. Glad you had a great time!
Beautiful pictures Melinda. So happy you had a good time:)
Yay!!! So wish we could have been there but I’m glad to have seen some pics (along with your awesome photo book that you made). XOXO, Megs 🙂