Day 35 - Oli and Dolly!

Did you know that Dolly the cloned sheep was named after Dolly Parton??  Me neither - not until today that is!  We drove from Georgia to Tennessee today, stopping along the way to have lunch - this was a first for me as we....ate the left over Chinese food from last night!!!  Okay so most of you reading this have probably warmed up leftovers and eaten them the next day for lunch but living with Oli there are NEVER any leftovers!  So I now feel like a proper traveller/student!

What used to be a "Days Inn"

Just as we were starting our drive again we went through a small town called Ringgold where we had no idea that two months ago a tornado had hit it with devastating effect.  As we drove slowly along the street my face was agog as I just couldn't believe my eyes - homes, hotels and restaurants were reduced to piles of bricks and debris where the tornado had ripped through them like a hot knife through butter.

Some buildings that had been hit, and were just about standing, looked like a bomb had blown it up and in some cases the destroyed building would be attached to another that hadn't been hit and was in perfect condition! We found out the tornado had been a mile wide and tragically had killed 8 people - seeing the consequences I am surprised there wasn't more fatalities.

Our destination for today was Pigeon Forge Tennessee, we thought we might just stay here the one night but now thinking we may stick around tomorrow night to.  This is the second time we've visited Tennessee, having seen the other side when we stayed in Memphis nearly three weeks ago.  Pigeon Forge is the home of Dollywood (Dolly Parton themed and own amusement park extravaganza) which is set in a valley surrounded by hills.

We're not exactly huge DP fans but after seeing her on the Graham Norton show a few years back I thought she was hilarious.  I loved her over-the-top dress sense and she had a wicked sense of humour.  She intrigued me in the interview and over the last few years I thought it would be interesting to see Dollywood if I ever got the chance.  I only knew two things about DP (no, not those two things...) before the Graham Norton show - obviously that she was a mega country singer but also that she was an actress (Love Steel Magnolias).  I haven't got any of her albums but who doesn't love 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream, Jolene, I Will Always Love You...  wow, maybe I am a megafan after all!  :)

So strange that as you drive through Pigeon Forge it's like a mini Las Vegas, bright lights, loads of restaurants, shops, mini fun fairs, there was even a massive ship hosting a Titanic exibhition - some would call it tacky and therefore I loved it:-)

We decided to head straight to Dollywood, seeing how the main street leading to it was so bright I guess I was expecting the same kind of look and decor for this theme park - WRONG!  You couldn't see into the park or it's gates from the road, the road winds down to a valley, you pay a car park fee, park up and then have to get a little bus to the Gates of Dollywood.

Once inside the park you cannot see anything around you but trees, it's really pretty and calming considering rollercoasters are just around the corner.  The park itself is in the style of old town Tennessee with wooden cabins for shops and there is a steam train running around the park.

The place is broken up with mainly the "Dolly" personal history area at the front of the park, there are museums, theatres, her memorabilla and life story to get you in the mood. 

My fave of this was having a look inside her tour bus, it's the only one she's ever owned and toured in it for 15 years (she currently rents one).  It had some personal things still in there including some clothes and a wig!  It put our RV Harvey to shame with it's big mirror with lightblubs and my fave item, a bath tub - now where can I get me one of those for Harvey!!!

We got to the park quite late, around 5pm, and it closes at 8pm.  Although we walked around the entire park  we had to skip some things and were too late to see some of the shows.  As our ticket is valid for two days we have decided to go back in tomorrow - can't miss some of her family members performing on stage there!

We left the park and didn't want to drive too far away and luckily spotted a campsite nearby, we drove in but nobody was home!  It appeared the campsite office was closed for the day but we could see spare bays and it looked really nice and friendly.  We asked a lady walking her dog outside her RV if she knew what we should do.  She was super nice (like everyone we've found in Tennessee) and went marching off to ask a lady who works here.  She came back and said the other lady didn't know if we could stay and went off to ask someone else.  Good news - they said to stay the night and sort it out with the owners in the morning when they return.  Turns out the lady walking her dog (her name Cherie, dogs name Charlie) works at Dollywood and we are stopping by her ride tomorrow:-)

Want to wake up bright and early tomorrow so I'll say yeehaa for tonight!

J&O