Remember those fairy tale places from your childhood? When I grew up, taking a vacation was magical, a once-a-year event. One that you looked forward for months on end. And when you went, you went big! To places that made you catch your breath. And when you arrived, it was as if the heavens rained down pixie dust and cotton candy replaced clouds. Okay, not quite, but when you’re a kid, everything lives in your imagination. Then one day, when you can reach out and actually touch the pictures that have been forming in your mind, it’s magic.
To me, that was, and is, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
It hasn’t changed very much, unlike its destination counterparts. Yes, there’s urbanization, but there’s also intimate wedding chapels, tiny eateries, bluegrass singers and artisan potters, walking trails and water falls. Somehow, the good people of Gatlinburg have managed to retain the magic of its past while still meeting the needs of newbie travelers.
I believe there will always be wedding gowns in the Parkway windows and God’s honor parking behind the linen shop. There will always be an ice skating rink at the top of the mountain and hotels with balconies overlooking a cold, mountain stream.
Judy and Len Garrison are at home in Farmington, Georgia, just on the outskirts of Dawg country – better known as Athens. Len, an IT manager for a major Atlanta company, and Judy, an editor, author and travel writer, invite you to travel along with them as they explore the best of the South. Email them at seeingsouthern@gmail.com. Visit their website at Seeing Southern, and follow them on Twitter at @judyhgarrison, @seeing_southern,  LIKE them on Facebook and on Instagram.
