We had another somewhat late start to the day. After millipede discoveries and lunch at Cheddar's, we headed to Parrot Mountain. This visit was added to our itinerary at the beginning of our vacation when Adam found a brochure. We talked about how cool it would be and the kids seemed extra intrigued, so it became a must. It was indeed a huge payoff. Zane has been really into birds. But here, as we planned for a picture with the kids holding parrots, and we anticipated Vanessa to be the one to freak, Zane got the second parrot on him and repeated very anxiously, but in a soft tone, "All done." I jumped in for him.
Vanessa became more confident with the birds. After our formal pictures, we went to a number of parrots on their perches and offered to hold them and feed them, or just feed them. Some strongly expressed they were satisfied and ready for a nap, and Vanessa figured that out quickly. She'd offer and step away if they seemed disinterested. Others, she held closely and calmly. It was quite interesting to see how natural she seemed. She called the white parrots "angel birds". I think she could have stayed there all day.
Zane followed for a bit, but about 75% through the visit, he announced he was finished several times.
The birds imitated our chuckles and talked to us and chimed like cellphones.
You'll see pictures when we have multiple smaller birds on us. They loved the nectar juice we purchased to feed them. They flocked to it. It was a little overwhelming. We had to encourage one to get off of Vanessa's head. It held a strand of Vanessa's hair in its beak, as if it had plans for it. Vanessa told us when it stopped being cool. :)
This was another great visit. We ended up with a little time to kill before an evening show, so we went to the outlets in nearby Pigeon Forge.
Around 4:30 we headed to the Dixie Stampede preshow. It was entertaining. They sprinkled in songs like Justin Bieber's Baby. The four-course meal is eaten with hands. We were offered doggie bags. Thank God! There was a ton of food left, including whole chickens and apple pastries. I would've hated wasting. The only Dolly part of the show was at the end, with her singing the concluding song. We could take pictures before the main performances. The kids liked the tricks in horseback riding the most, but the racing ostriches were rather cool too!
We returned to the top of the mountain to blowing bubbles and beautiful views.
