Grand Rapids Nesties
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
the Smoky Mountains
Has anyone vacationed in the Smokies? TH and I are thinking about taking our first family vacation there (b/c we can drive) in early April. Any recommendations on places to stay, things to do with a 9-month old, etc.? TIA.
Re: the Smoky Mountains
Yes!! We just went down there inNovember. I would stay in Gaitlinburg (hotels are a bit nicer, more to do within walking distance, lots and lots of shops andrestaurants). But, you are just a short (5 min) drive to Pigeon forge where there are all of the mini-golf courses (put baby in a carrier?) and other shops and things to do.
If it's in the budget (time and $) try to stop at the Biltmore for a day...
Yay for you! We took our 1st family vacation to VA Beach when Allison was 9 months and it was the perfect age. She was still content to sit in a stroller, but yet she was old enough to "play" with toys in the car.
We went to the Smokies when I was pg with Allison and went in late April.
We used my CW time-share and stayed at Tree Tops resorts - it was a condo complex about a 10-15 minute walk from downtown Gatlinburg. We were able to walk there, although my pg butt insisted on driving down a few times because it was a hilly walk. For sure stay in a condo or cabin with a kitchen and a pool. Those two are must.
We really didn't hit up any of the attractions there. For family outings you could hike/walk through the national park, spend one afternoon downtown shopping, go to the Riplely's aquarium.
If you have a good baby carrier than I would suggest Biltmore in Ashville, NC. I think tickets are like $50.
You will be about an hour's drive from Knoxville where they have a zoo. The zoo there is pricey ($17 a person). I would recommend buying a John Ball Zoo membership and then you can get in free there. You could walk around the downtown area.
There are two outlet malls in the area. The smaller one is in Pigeon Forge, I believe, and the larger one is near the higway exit you get off of to go to GAtlinburg/Pigeon Forge (I think like 20-25 minutes away). That town also has a minor league baseball stadium. If you do go shopping, becareful becacuse sales taxes are high. The weekend we were there was a tax-free weekend for clothing, so we made out good.
When we go on vacation with the kids, the first day we keep it low-key and stick to their schedule, and then we rotate days where we don't worry if we are back at our condo for naps. One day we will take a road trip and the next day stick close by, shop, swim, nap.
GVSU: you should consider planning trips for young families.
KerCo: the smokies are fantastic. If you're looking for somewhere to stay, check out the cabins in the state parks. When I was in Americorps, we worked/lived in the cabins of Roan Mountain State Park:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g55303-d754607-r10423430-Roan_Mountain_State_Park-Roan_Mountain_Tennessee.html
If you're looking for something more secluded with plenty of day trip opportunity, this might be a good option.