NEW PLACES/ACTIVITIES:
Middle – Gaylord Opryland Resort. Gaylord Opryland Resort’s Soundwaves indoor/outdoor waterpark provides the perfect place to embrace your inner child with twisting turning waterslides & a lazy river all set to music!
Middle – Nashville – Elliston Place Soda Shop. ellistonplacesodashop.com. 2105 Elliston Place 37203. (615) 219-2704. Country singers including Keith Urban, Taylor Swift, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams Sr. and Jr. have all stopped by this soda fountain over the years. It serves the same menu from when the shop began operationg in 1930.
Middle East – Dollywood. Typically open from early March through early January. Every expanding, two new additions are coming to Dollywood in 2023. Big Bear Mountain steel roller coaster opens in the spring and will be the longest coaster at the park at 3,390 feet. And, in the fall, Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort opens.
Middle East – Gatlinburg Skylift Park. http://www.gatlinburgskylift.com/
Guests can take a stroll along the half-elevated boardwalk, half paved walking path to soak up views of the Smokies, SkyBridge and iconic SkyLift.
SkyBridge recently got an upgrade with double the amount of glass panels at its center.
At 680 feet across and 150 feet high, the Gatlinburg Skybridge is the only attraction in the downtown area where you can see the three highest peaks in the Smokies: Clingman’s Dome, Mount Le Conte and Mount Guyot.
The bridge may look bold at first, but when walking at a “normal pace” it takes only 3 minutes to get from one end to the other. However, visitors will no doubt want to stop along the way to take in that fresh mountain air an epic view.
EASTERN MIDDLE CHAPTER
the caverns
Pelham – 555 Charlie Roberts Road (off Rte 24). 37366. (931) 516-9724. http://thecaverns.com Hours: 9am- 5pm CT. Tours leave every hour, on the hour. Admission: $22.95 adult, $12.95 child (3-12). Tour difficulty is moderate because there are a couple steep hills.
Experience a walking tour where only a few cavers have gone before! The Caverns has opened to the public a new otherworldly cave for daily guided tours. Explore an underground room 3 football fields long! Hear about geology, cave lore, and the unique history of Grundy County. Plus, our daily tours will take you behind-the-scenes of The Caverns world famous music venue and end with a photo op on the iconic stage.
CLOSED:
ME – Gatlinburg, World of Illusions
ME – Knoxville, Historic Candy Factory
ME – Pigeon Forge, Memories Theatre
SE – Chattanooga, History Museum
W – Jackson, NC & St L Depot and Railroad Museum
Order books: https://kidslovetravel.com/travel-books/
(search KIDS LOVE TENNESSEE, 5th Edition)
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