Spring Break 2011 – We Love Tennessee!

Oh how we love traveling to Tennessee – when the weather cooperates!

Our first RV trip this year to Clemson University was a huge success. There was a large turnout for the Clemson football spring game and the baseball games against Maryland. While there, we managed to skirt the thunder storms that created havoc in much of the Carolinas. It was also a successful first outing for Camper, our new Golden Retriever puppy. He was on sensory overload being exposed to many new sights and sounds, but he handled the new experiences like a champ!

We made it to Tennessee for our spring break this past week. Our primary destination was Nashville. I had been to Nashville several times over the years, but I never had the opportunity to see the many sights and sounds the city has to offer. The show at the Grand Ole Opry, topped off with a performance by Martina McBride, was fantastic, and the Country Music Hall of Fame far exceeded our expectations. The weather blasted us on our second night in Nashville with 60mph winds and heavy rain. We were able to make a brief visit to the Parthenon, and enjoyed a tour of the Hermitage, but thunderstorms curtailed our planned activities at the Belle Meade Plantation for our last day in Music City, USA. We retreated to a hotel near Opryland on our third night in Nashville due to severe thunderstorms, hail, and tornado warnings. We parked our car under the hotel and the RV was parked against the rear wall of the hotel to provide protection from the violent winds. We were spared any damage, but others weren’t as fortunate. There is so much to see and do in Nashville that a return trip is now on our list of places to travel.

After leaving Nashville, we quickly headed to Sevierville, Tennessee in an attempt to get settled before the next round of severe weather was forecasted to strike. Our goal during our stay in Sevierville was to spend a day or two enjoying the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and one of our favorite destinations, Cades Cove. Before we could enjoy this area we would have to spend the majority of our first night hunkered down in a tornado shelter due repeated storms in an extreme band of severe weather traversing the region. It would be an understatement to say that it was unnerving to be in the dark with the wind, hail, and tornados in our area. Even the dogs were huddled together scared.

The weather did clear and we were blessed to be spared from damage and injury. Our last two days provided us with sunshine and pleasant temperatures to visit some of our favorite shops, restaurants, and scenery the area has to offer. We enjoyed some of the local restaurants, sightseeing in the area, and relaxing in the national park and Cades Cove where we were able to see some of the wildlife.

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As always,we hope to see you down the road…