We slept in a tad on Day 2. And of course the first thing on the kids' list was to go swimming. We did. Our condo was over Gatlinburg (below, the sun was breaking through the clouds right above downtown Gatlinburg.) Then, since it was our first full day in the Smoky Mountains, we decided to explore Gatlinburg and to make a trip to the store in Pigeon Forge, which resulted in a big afternoon playing at
MagiQuest. If you haven't been to this area, note that the parkway in Pigeon Forge is lined with attractions begging for people to stop. The structures and visuals are quite amazing. Choosing a few of the hundreds of things throughout our week (using coupons, of course) seemed to be a good compromise with the kids.
Blacklight Pirate Golf was fun. Vanessa got two hole-in-ones! Zane enjoyed climbing all over the course. The Vault was a little too scary for Vanessa. The rest of us had fun trying it. The Mirror Maze was awesome! (Except when Zane slammed into one mirror -- no running!) We were truly confused and lost in the maze for a moment. The MagiQuest game is a neat concept but a little much for a five-year-old and two-year-old to complete successfully. Even so, the kids loved using their magic wands to open things and to make things light up and talk.
It was a great day before a day of long and strenuous hiking.
