:: Winter Vacation : Day Five | Cade's Cove ::

When we talked to anyone about going to the Smoky Mountains they would say, "you have to go to Cade's Cove".  So, when we heard some areas of the park would be closing on New Years Day at sun down due to the government shut down, we headed right there.

The curving, twisting, roads tell such a beautiful story.

Cade's Cove is THE place to go to view wildlife. We did see some white tail deer, but that was about it. We were a bit late in the year to see any bear. Even with that, it was a beautiful sight to take in.

The 11 mile loop was full of beauty to take in and capture.
The visitors center had a great area to explore and the perfect place to have a picnic lunch on the tailgate.

:: Winter Vacation : Day Four | New Years Eve at The Bear Tootin Cabin ::

We left Franklin, TN around 8:30 the morning of New Year's Eve.
It was only a 3 and a half hour drive, so compared to what we had drove the first day, it was a short distance.
The kids, as well as Aaron and I were excited to get to the cabin.

It was a wet dreary day, but in the 70s!

We arrived at the cabin, got unloaded, and then headed to get some groceries at the local Aldi.
(We saved a TON of money by cooking at the cabin rather than eating out. We also packed our own meat from home in lots of ice so that helped on costs too.)

We stayed at the Bear Tootin Cornerstone Cabin. It was recommended to me by my cousin. Her family stayed there this summer and loved it. That was the best review I could get, so we went with the same one. It did not disappoint. The kids loved the space and playing pool was their favorite!

We had deer sausage, cheese, crackers, shrimp, and ice cream for supper. (You know the typical New Years Eve snacky kind of supper.) We played cards with the kids and were in bed well before midnight. 

:: Winter Vacation : Day Three | Franklin ::

We spent today out in the Franklin area. Aaron loves history, so we went to see where the Civil War Battle Field of Franklin took place and the Carnton Plantation House. We didn't do the tour of the house, but did walk around and read most of the informational signs. It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Aaron loves the history part, I love the old buildings and the moss covered fences. 

The rest of the afternoon we drove around until we found some dirt roads. The area was beautiful!

We had a late lunch at Chuy's in Franklin. The food was great and the margarita's were amazing!

Back to the hotel to swim, relax, and get ready to head towards the Smoky's in the morning!