Finally, finally…I am almost done recapping our Spring Break trip to Gatlinburg! We had just one day left and it was predicted to be COLD and SNOWY! Snow, y’all! We knew we were limited in our activities for that day, plus we were exhausted (see the post about the 5.5 mile hike LOL).
We decided to do the aquarium that day, but to not try to go first thing in the morning. We decided to hang out at the cabin, do some laundry, watch a movie and eat lunch before heading out to the aquarium.
My sister in law told me that the aquarium does homeschool discounts. I didn’t have any paperwork with me to prove that we homeschool part time, but I decided to give it a shot and ask at the ticket window. The tickets originally would have been $130, but they gave me the homeschool discount and we got our entire family in for less than $50! Total WIN!
The aquarium is rated a top aquarium in the United States, and it was fun- although a bit crowded.
I apparently didn’t take any pictures, but the shark tunnel was by far our favorite! You went into a tunnel that had a little walkway conveyor belt. The tunnel was under the shark tanks, so as you went around, the sharks would swim directly on top of you. Everyone in the family loved it and we did it three times!
We spent about 2.5 hours at the aquarium and decided to leave and get in line for some dinner. We got in line for a Mexican restaurant around 4:10. It seemed really early for dinner, but we are SO glad we got in line then, because we were not seated until closer to 5 and didn’t get our food until 5:30. And by that point, the wait was nearly two hours.
We headed back to the Airbnb and got the house picked up, washed dishes, and spent our last evening resting together.
We made a last minute decision to detour two hours east and see Theo’s brother, sister in law and family. The kids had a BLAST playing with their cousins and I’m so glad we were able to see them and their beautiful home!
We stayed the night at their house and headed back early Saturday morning. We hit the ground running the next morning for Easter Sunday, and it feels a little bit like we haven’t stopped since!
Overall, our vacation was excellent. It had all the markers for what could have been a terrible time- a sick kid, cold, rainy weather, huge crowds. We did have our little family spats and bad attitudes, but overall, we had an adventure, and that is the type of thing that we enjoy! This was only our 2nd family vacation, so we are learning as we go how to plan and manage and what types of things we really enjoy doing (hello, hiking and horses and being outdoor and away from all the touristy things) and what types of things are just not for us (I’m looking at you, Anakeesta!).
It was fun following along with you as you recapped your trip. My teens would not have done as well as your kids did on the hike up the mountain. Every trip that we have been on has had plenty of not so great moments- weather less than ideal, disagreements, etc. but the good memories always outweigh the bad.