Pigeon Forge: Hillbilly Vegas

Miniature golf. Southern cooking. Go-Karts. Souvenir shops. Bungee jumping. Homemade fudge. Arcades. Outlet malls. Fruit butters. Country music shows. The list goes on.

Sound like a lot of action? You will find all of this and more on the "strip" of Pigeon Forge called the Parkway. Right underneath the majestic Smoky Mountains is the glittering, up-all-night, family attraction town of Pigeon Forge. There is something very charming about the tackiness you will find here in this tourist town. This town is a mini-Vegas, hillbilly style, with most of the attractions for families and children.

The food here is outstanding. From the Old Mill Restaurant which serves up scrumptious fritters to the Alamo Steakhouse where we indulged in mouth-watering Black Angus steaks cooked over an oak fire, the food in Pigeon Forge is true to its form –- Southern-fried and straight from the farm.

Family shows are available at all times during the day, some starting as early as 9:30am for the breakfast show. It seems like there is always someone racing in go-karts or involved in a heated game of miniature golf. You can spend the day at Dollywood or floating down Little Pigeon River.

Quick Tips:

Do: Plan a visit to the Old Mill to step back in time and get a glimpse of Mountain life.
Don’t: Think that Dollywood is just another amusement park or just for girls. It’s is truly a place of its own.
Do: Look into the trolley system to get to the major attractions so you can avoid paying high parking prices.
Do: Have cash on hand. Was had a hard time finding an ATM in Pigeon Forge. We went to three gas stations and grocery stores before we were directed to the ATM in the parking lot of the McDonald’s. There will be plenty of cash stations in Gatlinburg however.
Don’t: Forget you are at the foot of Smoky Mountain National Park and plan at least one waterfall to hike to.
Suggested local dish to try: apple fritters, apple butter, and homemade fudge.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting There: Most likely you will drive into town. If you do not drive the entire trip, you can fly into Knoxville, Tennessee and drive about 45 minutes down to Pigeon Forge.
Getting Around: Things are spread far apart so you may want to drive if you have a car. Trolleys are available to major attractions and have several stops around town. Each ride costs .25 and you can get 10 tokens for .00 or 20 tokens for .50. There is also a park and ride option for .50. The trolley runs daily at various times throughout the year, except for January and February and major holidays.

What can be better than spending a week in a cabin up in the mountains? I’m sure there are several other wonderful things to do, but this is definitely one vacation experience that should be on everyone’s list. We rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains through a company called Timber Tops. They organize the "resort" community, and individual people own the cabins. They then place the cabins with Timber Tops to rent. There is a wide selection of cabins to choose from.

Our cabin was named Angel’s Corner and it was located up on a mountain just outside of Pigeon Forge. Since we planned on spending some time at the cabin, we wanted one with a game room for the kids. Angel’s Corner is a one bedroom cabin with an AMAZING view. The entire front of the house (on both levels) has floor to ceiling windows so you can always enjoy your view.

When you walk in the cabin you walk in to the living room with a couch, love seat and large chair surrounding a big screen television with a satellite dish and DVD player. The couch pulls out into a queen size bed and that is where the kids slept. The master bedroom is off of the living room and has a king size bed, television with satellite and a full bathroom with a shower tub.

Off of the living room is the kitchen which comes stocked with pots, pans, dishes, silverware, knives, can openers, and any thing else you may need. There is also a barbeque off the back if you want to cook outside. In the kitchen is also a washer and dryer so we were able to wash our clothes on the trip. They also provided dish soap, dish washer detergent, and laundry detergent for our needs.

In the corner is a winding staircase that leads up to the game room loft. Angel’s Corner has a pool table and air hockey table upstairs. There is a small table with two chairs near the windows and a couch next to the pool table. Another television with satellite is also up in the loft. The full bathroom features a standup shower and a Jacuzzi tub. The bathroom is open so you can enjoy your view of the mountains from the Jacuzzi. Outside on the deck of the second floor is a hot tub which can hold six people.

Cabins available are split into the number of bedrooms, and then a level (Quality, Deluxe, Deluxe Plus, etc.). Angel’s Corner is a One Bedroom Premier Plus. We went at the end of July which is peak season in the Smoky Mountains. The rate during that time is $205 per night but Timber Tops seems to have an ongoing offer of getting the 6th night free if you pay for 5 nights. Timber Tops offers a 10% discount for AAA members so we had an even bigger discount.

The last time we were in the area we had one of our all time favorite breakfast’s at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. There are two restaurants on the same property, the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and the Applewood Farmhouse Grill. This time we took the kids for the first big country breakfast of our trip and wanted to repeat the fabulous breakfast we remembered. When we go there we could not remember which of the two we ate at on our previous trip, so we ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Grill.

All breakfasts come with Applewood Juleps, Apple Fritters and Homemade Apple Butter. Their juleps are made from several juices including pineapple, apple and orange. Their apple fritters and apple butter are some of the tastiest southern treats you can get. It is worth it to come to one of the Applewood restaurants just for these. People come here and buy bags full of them for takeout.

The kids ordered the silver dollar pancakes which comes with fresh butter and bacon off of the children’s menu for $3.25. We ordered the buttermilk pancakes which were topped with strawberries and whipped cream and a Toad in the Hole with Canadian Bacon for $5.95 each. Their Toad in the Hole is two slices of homemade bread, each with the center cut out, and grilled each slice with an egg in the hole. I fell in love with it at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, but was deeply disappointed at the Applewood Farmhouse Grill. The bread tasted stale. Everyone else loved the pancakes however.

They seem to get you in and out pretty quickly. We tried to change one of our orders within two minutes after the waitress took it and she said it was too late. The food was at our table in about five minutes and we weren’t even finished munching on the apple fritters yet. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but when the restaurant is not busy I like more or the European approach of taking my time at my meals.

If you only have a short amount of time in Pigeon Forge, I suggest you spend some time at the Old Mill. This little section of town is showcased by an Old Mill which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still is used as a grinding mechanism just as it was in the early 1800’s. In side the Old Mill is a great restaurant where you can sample regional southern dishes like fried chicken, chicken ‘n dumplings, pot roast, biscuits, fritters, corn chowder, and pecan pie.

The food is excellent. The kids had pot roast with veggies and chicken bites with fries off the children’s menu. We had a big plate of fried chicken and chicken ‘n dumplings. The table got a big basket of apple fritters with homemade maple butter. Our dinners came with a cup of soup, veggies and mashed potatoes.

The waitresses are real southern sweethearts and will more than happy to recommend a desert. We were having a hard time deciding between the fresh peach cobbler and just-out-of-the-oven pecan pie.

After your filling meal, head next door to the Old Mill General Store. Here you will find products used in the restaurant such as bags of meal and flour, pancake mix, muffin mix, and even mix for their apple fritters. They also sell other local made goods such as honey, jellies, barbeque sauce and molasses.

In addition to food items, there is a large selection of gifts, souvenirs and craft items available for sale. They have everything from aromatic candles to Burts Beeswax items.The products ground at the Old Mill are used in many of the dishes prepared at the Old Mill Restaurant including biscuits, corn bread, pancakes, hush puppies, muffins and fritters.

There are several other shops in the Old Mill Square so if you have time, spend an hour or so wandering around an enjoying true mountain culture.

Normally, I plan around eating at amusement parks because they charge so much money for food that is consistently sub-par. I don’t know if Dolly herself had something to do with it, but the food selections at Dollywood are amazing, and the food is reasonably priced. There are over 20 restaurants and snack booths all offering different types of goodies.

When we were walking through the Kids Fest Street Faire we saw a sign for battered and deep fried Twinkies and Snickers. I’m a sucker for guilty pleasures so I had to try these. Unfortunately the deep fried Snickers were sold out, but the deep fried Twinkies were available and it was only $2. At other amusement parks you can barely get anything for under $3.50. In the Country Fair section we walked past a skillet the size of my car that had a big pile of green peppers and onions in the center and piles of marinated beef and chicken sizzling around the edges. I thought they were making fajitas but they called it some kind of flatbread. Be prepared because the wonderful smell will knock your socks off.

Granny Ogle’s Ham and Beans looks like a great place to settle down to enjoy an inventive country dinner. Their specialty, Ham and Beans, is a dish made with pinto beans flavored with ham and you can get an all-you-can-eat option after 4:00 p.m. Turnip greens, meatloaf dinners, red beans & rice are other options and are all served with fresh baked cornbread.

Miss Lillian’s BBQ Pit features hand-pulled barbeque pork, smoked turkey legs, roasted potatoes and roasted corn in the shuck. You will be drawn to her BBQ pit as you pass it on your way into Craftsman Valley and will probably having a hard time resisting the freshly grilled corn.

Aunt Granny’s Buffet offers all-you-can-eat country style breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. Kids eat free after 4pm and the breakfast buffet opens a half a hour before the park all week except for Saturdays when it opens an hour early.

Traditional amusement park food such as hotdogs, burgers, nachos, and funnel cakes can also be found at various stands throughout the park. Some of the more unique stands offer pickles on a stick, berries and fresh cream, homemade ice cream (some offered in hand made waffle cones), fresh dipped corn dogs, frosted nuts, shaved ice, and fresh pork rinds fried right on the spot.

We went to the Alamo Steakhouse as our one "nice" dinner on the trip. Literature in town advertised the Alamo as the top rated steak house in the area for last year. Prices here, as with most steakhouses, were high and in fact were the most expensive we found in Pigeon Forge. That being said, it was only $85 for dinner for two adults and two children, including tax and tip, which is nothing to some big city standards.

We went to dinner at about 8pm on Friday night and we were informed that we would have about a twenty minute wait. We were seated in under ten minutes however. The atmosphere of the restaurant is a polished tex-mex feel. The entire restaurant was made of shiny dark wood. People were wearing everything from jeans to dresses.

Black Angus steaks cooked over an oak fire are their specialty and they are really great. The menu offers chops, chicken, salads, sandwiches, ribs and burgers in addition to their famous steaks. Most things on the menu are ala carte. We had the El President Porterhouse (available in 22 or 36 oz.) and the Carne Asada which is grilled sirloin steak topped with melted cheese and salsa. The Carne Asada was good, but the Porterhouse was great!

They also have a children’s menu and the kids were able to get a small steak themselves. The children’s menu is split into two sections, one for smaller kids and one for kids around ages 8–12. There were about six selections under each group.

The deserts looked amazing and included a list of delicious items like Chocolate Explosion, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Fried Banana Split, Chocolate Burrito and a Muleshoe Mudslide.

Be warned that Pigeon Forge is dry so you will not be able to order a nice glass of wine with that black angus steak. The Alamo also has a restaurant in Gatlinburg, which does have a liquor license.

We ate lunch at Bennett’s Pit Barbeque as our last meal in town. We found a coupon for 10% off breakfast and lunch and though some good barbeque would be a good way to end our trip. Advertised as "the Best Family Dining in the Smokies" we thought we’d give it a try. The meal was okay, but definitely not the best barbeque we had ever tasted.

This does make a nice family choice for a meal because the kids menu is really great. They have a selection of barbeque chicken, chicken fingers, barbeque ribs, sloppy joe, hamburger, cheeseburger or barbeque pork sandwich under their Little Wranglers section with is geared for children 10 and under. Prices range from $2.99 for the sloppy joe to $4.99 for the barbeque ribs. For hungrier kids there is the Hungry Wranglers selections which include chicken tenders, hamburger, cheeseburger, New York Strip steak, sloppy joe and the cowboy combo which includes port, chicken and ribs. Hungry Wranglers meals are more expensive, ranging for $4.79 for the sloppy joe to $8.99 for the New York Strip steak. Meals include fries for do not include drinks.

The lunch menu for adults included salads, ribs, chicken, sausage, beef brisket and other standard barbeque fare. We had the Barbeque Beef Brisket sandwich for $6.99 and the Baby Back Ribs lunch platter $8.99. The rib platter was very small and only had about 10 ribs on it. There are other options to get a full or half rack of ribs as well so if you are hungry, I suggest you go with one of those more expensive options. We were not too happy with the food because the pork sandwich was dry and we didn’t think the barbeque sauce was all that good.

They do have a great selection of appetizers and we started our meal with the Trail Head Combo for $9.99 which included hot wings, breaded mushrooms, onion rings, mini mozzarella sticks and armadillo eggs and cream cheese poppers. If you don’t mind paying that hefty price, I do suggest you try the combo because all of their appetizers were incredibly fresh (for fried food) and very tasty!

Knoxville Zoo takes about two and a half hours to wander through. When you enter the zoo, the first exhibit you see is Bear Falls. The waterfall streaming over huge grey rocks right in the middle of the courtyard can’t be missed. Walk into the "cave" next to the waterfall to get a good look at some black bears, native to the region. There are cubby holes for the kids to crawl into which have windows at the end where they can view the bears playing together. On our visit, the bears were very active.

This zoo also features three white rhinos which are beautiful, rare animals. The Knoxville Zoo is recognized for its white rhino breeding program and is second only to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in white rhino births. Across from the white rhinos are the unusual red pandas. Even though they are in the panda family, they look more like a raccoon, sleeping up on the tree branches with their long tail hanging down.

A group of river otters swim playfully around in their large habitat. We visited during their feeding time. They were fed boiled eggs, shell and all. Many of the otters played with the eggs before eating them. The zoo offers a large reptile habitat with several species of turtles and tortoises, alligators, and the largest snake collection I think I have seen at a zoo. There we were introduced to the skink which is a reptile that looks like a wide snake with short, little legs.

The Stokely African Elephant Preserve is a wonderful area for the zoo’s largest inhabitants. The elephants love to roam around throughout the large area to play in the mud and spray themselves with water from one of their ponds. Mamie, one of the elephants, received national press attention for her talent of painting. It was discovered one day when a zookeeper set up some paints and paper to see what would happen. Next to the elephants is a large area where various African animals such as giraffes and gazelles cohabitate. Zebras and ostriches co-mingle in an area next to Meerkat Lookout. Chimps, gorillas, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, gibbons and other animals reside in the African Forest. You can also see the rare white tiger in this section of the zoo.

In front of the Kid’s Zoo is the Prairie Dog Pass. Some of the prairie dogs appear to think that they are watching the people instead of the people watching them. One guy seemed very inquisitive and kept checking out all the new people who came up to his exhibit. Other prairie dogs would pop in and out of their holes. In the back, the kids can crawl into a tunnel and pop their head up into a sky roof that is in the exhibit. They can see the prairie dogs closely and sometimes the prairie dogs sit on top of that sky light.

The Tuckaleechee Caverns are named after the surrounding area. These caves were discovered by Indians living near the land over a hundred of years ago. Bill Vananda played in the area as a child and wanted to start showing people what nature created. He found a partner but the pair couldn’t afford to purchase the caves and went to work in Alaska for a few years during the depression to come up with the money. They started giving tours in the early 1950s. You can not go into the caves without a tour guide. Guided tours run every 15 to 20 minutes.

On your tour you will walk up and down about 400 steps and walk about a mile underground on concrete paths. You can expect to see many stalagmites and stalactites, standard in caves, which the guides will point out to you. One of the most unique formations is The Curtains which are many stalagmites that have grown together to form a figure that looks like a curtain.

One of the features that make this cave unique is an underground stream that runs along the width of the cave. The caves were formed by water erosion of rock and earth over thousands of years, and some of this water still remains. It is moving water in several places and also it pools into small lakes.

On your tour you stop at several different points on your walk down to the big room which is about 400 feet long and 150 feet tall. At this point in the tour the guide will turn on lights near special features such as the totem and other stalactites. Expect to spend a moment in complete darkness so you get the feel of what the original explorers of the cave experienced when their gas lanterns would go out. Retrace your steps back to where the tour started and walk to the other side of the cave. At the end of the tour you will see the impressive Silver Falls, an underground waterfall that comes from way up inside the earth.

The kids described the caves as "cool", and it is definitely a "cool" alternative to a hot summer Tennesse afternoon since the caves are about 58 degrees year round. Wear good walking shoes since parts of the caves are wet from water dripping from above. The price of admission is $11.00 for Adults and $5.50 for children. Open Monday thru Friday 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

The Apple Barn Cider Mill and General Store is THE place to go for fresh country items and all things "apple". The entire complex is surrounded by apple trees all over the hillsides. A converted real barn is the main shop, but Applewood Farm is still a real working farm.

In the General Store you will find many things having to do with apples including potpourri, crafts, cookbooks, magnets, ornaments, key chains, aprons, earrings and many other things. There is an entire section for apple ciders and juices. You can actually watch the apples being pressed in the Cider Room. You can taste the cider, hot or cold, at the Cider Bar and also get an apple pie, apple doughnut or apple dumpling for a snack.

There is a large selection of fruit jellies and butters. Their famous apple butter is available in half pint jars and pint jars. Other fruit butters are apricot, peach, pear, sweet potato and my favorite, pumpkin. A half pint jar sells for $3.98. Also available are smoked hams, cured the country way, smoked in applewood and hickory, and salt cured bacon prepared in their smokehouse. I buy the Applewood Bacon at Whole Foods in Chicago. You can also get jams and jellies, barbeque sauces, apple chips, dried apples, fruit syrups, apple pancake and bread mixes, relishes and salad dressings.

Upstairs in the Apple Barn you will find many non-food items such as home decorations, mountain crafts, collectables and baskets.

Also on the complex is the Creamery which is an ice cream palor where you can get homemade ice creams, featuring apple specialties. The Candy Factory produces original candies including old-time favorites, such as taffy, made on classic machines that you can watch through the window while visiting the shop. The Apple Barn Winery specializes in apple and fruit wines. The Christmas and Candle shop has many novelty items.

You can order online at www.AppleBarnCiderMill.com.

Dollywood is a wonderful and charming place. We had no plans to go here because we thought it would be too gimmicky. However, the eight-year-old in our group wanted to go more than anything and since she was such a good trouper on all our hikes at the Smoky Mountain National Park, we took her. I was pleasantly surprised at what I found and remember our time spent at Dollywood with a smile on my face.

We assumed Dollywood was just another amusement park, with lots of roller coasters and other rides. If you expect that, you may be a bit disappointed. Dollywood is a magical place where you will walk through a realistic 50’s area in Jukebox Junction complete with a theater (see a show), drive through (restaurant) and gas station (small shop) surrounded by authentic cars. The Craftsman’s Valley is the largest section of the park and you can see real craftsman such as blacksmiths, wood carvers, leather workers, glass makers, and even craftsmen making homemade lye soap. There is even a place where you can sign up for a class to learn about the craft yourself. The rides come second to all the other wonderful features.

To make the most of Dollywood, I suggest you select some shows you would like to see and schedule the rest of your day around them. You will have a large selection including 50s and 60s reviews, children’s shows like Veggie Tales or Garfield, extreme sports, dog tricks, bluegrass, fiddlin’, tributes to Dolly and more. As you walk to the shows you can stop in the shops in the area, talk to the crafts people, or take in a ride. In addition to the wide variety of quality shows, I was overcome by how good all the food looked around Dollywood!

I searched for coupons or discounts to Dollywood all over the internet before our trip and all through the coupon racks when we got into town and could not find any. One of the reasons we did not originally plan to visit Dollywood was the price factor, which is about $40 per adult and $30 per child. When we were in line, we noticed the people in front of us had a Coca-Cola can with $10 off the price of admission. So if you plan on going, it might be worth checking out the six-packs at the gas station in town to see if you can find the appropriate cans. You will use one can per person. Another way to make the most of the high price, is to take advantage of the park’s offer to visit the park after 3pm on one day and also get free entrance to the park for the entire following operating day. This is nice during the summer because the park stays open to about 8pm, so you can go for four hours or so on the one day and spend an entire additional day at the park.

The Smoky Mountain Cat House is a magical little store located near the Old Mill. You will probably be greeted by some of the proprietary cats when you approach the shop. If not, look for them sleeping around the store under the racks, or in other interesting places cats may find. This store is in a little house and the front is decorated with colorful flowers, stone benches with cat motifs, and ferns hanging from the top of the porch. The porch has some places for the cats to climb, chairs for you to sit and rest, and even a checker set laid out in case you would like to enjoy a game.

Inside the shop you can find almost anything in a cat theme. There are cat puppets, chess sets, and jewelry. A small room to the left is a Christmas room with cat themed holiday items. We saw an adorable clock which features a black and white cat with his tail swinging back and forth keeping the time. In the back of the store are more functional cat items such as cat beds and toys.

Even if you are not a cat person or do not have a cat, this is a great shop to visit. There are so many gimmicky shops in the area and this one is refreshingly quaint in a genuine way. The warmth of the shop and friendliness of its owner will put a smile on your face and demonstrate that great southern hospitality.

Driving down the Parkway in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you will pass several miniature golf courses. In fact, it will be hard to leave town without wanting to try at least one of the great variety. Professor Hacker’s Lost Treasure Golf takes participants on an expedition to find lost treasure. Two courses allow you to follow the Professor on his original search for gold, and his later expedition on a search for diamonds on the fictitious Fogclift Islands. We played the diamond course.

Instead of playing miniature golf through miniature settings with things flashing and beeping at you, this is a serene golf course. You will golf through huge volcanoes, inside pyramids, and next to mountains and waterfalls. The colors of the golf course are all browns and green. The golf greens that you golf on are all colored grass green. The surrounding scenery is light brown stone and wood. Even the music playing is something that you might find at a spa.

The main waterfall at the end of the course (and what you see from the road) has a huge dinosaur skeleton laying in the lagoon. An alligator is chasing an explorer who is trying to climb up the waterfall. You can see that his boat went over the waterfall and crashed.

A large explorerer’s plane sits atop the course above the registration desk. After you get your club and ball, you can ride up to the start of the course on a small train that resembles miners’ carts. If you choose not to wait for the train, you can walk up a set of stairs beside the huge, smoking volcano. A creek runs past the holes for much of the course. As you go from hole to hole you will cross wooden bridges and be surrounded by streams and waterfalls. You will see dinosaur footprints, old gunpowder barrels and a cart full of gold. The concept is that the Germans were searching for the gold to help fund their needs during World War I and now Professor Hacker is looking for any abandoned gold. This golf course is fun for everyone and wasn’t built with just children in mind. The serene atmosphere helps tone things down since miniature golf courses in Pigeon Forge are always crowded with families having fun.

geon Forge is queen of outlet malls. Located in the Belz Outlet Center is Camp Coleman. This is Coleman’s outlet store. They sell all sorts of camping equipment at discount prices. You can see a variety of about ten different tents, all set up for you to walk through, in their showroom.

There is a large kids section which features everything from kids tents, flashlights and compasses to bug catching equipment as part of the Coleman for Kids line. This is definitely the place to come to when looking for help with your cooking when you go camping. Everything from grills to stainless steel cookware to utinsels to help make sandwiches and hotdogs over an open fire is available. You can also find lighting options for your tent, several options for mosquito control, air mattresses, heaters, and even a coffee maker.

Of course traditional camping gear can be found as well. A plethora of items needed for an RV or popup are available including hot waters systems, central air conditioning and furniture. Choose from over twenty varieties of sleeping bags. They are all hanging up for you to touch and feel to make sure you get the perfect one.

We purchases a children’s tent for $25, a three-in-one blanket/poncho thing for $12, a remote control tent light that we can magnetically stick to the side of our tent, some cookware, a neat contraption called a camp cooker that lets us put a sandwich in it and then hold it over the fire which will product a warm sandwich like grilled cheese, a tiny cutting board, cooking forks, and a deluxe broiler basket and a few other things with the total purchase at about $120.00.

Other outdoor gear such as metal detectors, boats, night vision scopes, binoculars, hiking boots, watches are also for sale. Anyone who likes the outdoors will find a good bargain if they stop in to visit the outlet at Camp Coleman.

Even though it was the middle of summer, we had to stop in and check out The Incredible Christmas Place. Off of the main Parkway in Pigeon Forge is a Baravian-style Christmas village called Bell Tower Square with about eight shops in it. In addition to the gigantic amount of Christmas items available at the Christmas Place, there is also a collectibles galler, a toy and train store, a doll shop, a store with nature-themed gifts and a candy kitchen. In fact we found our favorite fudge in all of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg combined in that candy kitchen!

From the parking lot we first ventured into the toy shop and marveled at the train set which is running. This elaborate display seems to have some miniature components of the surrounding area like the ariel tramway up into the mountains. From there we wandered into Second Nature and oggled over the goodies for our home and lusted after the bamboo plants and a beautiful carved wood bear lamp. Next door is a collectible shop and we laughed at all the small collectible Cows on Parade, shoes, and other unique items. I was drawn into the connected doll shop because I have a small Madame Alexander collection. I stood with my mouth hanging open as I looked at all the new dolls with their beautiful detail and kept pondering in my head if I should buy one and forgo something we planned on the trip. Those little things are expensive!

From there we headed into the Christmas Place. I have to say, if there is anything Christmas related that you are looking for, they have it! There were trees in every color and size, lights, chains, and of course thousands of ornaments. We purchased a few ornaments as gifts for next Christmas and to add to our own collection. There is even a large selection of ornaments that can be personalized by writing people’s names or a saying on the ornament. Other Christmas items for sale are nutcrackers, stockings, villages, waterballs, wreaths, tree toppers, music boxes, Christmas CDs and tapes, garland, flowers, figurines, cards, wrapping paper, candles, books, videos . . . you name it!

You can see their amazing collection online at http://www.christmasplace.com, but you have to experience it to believe it. Wander in and you can get that Christmas feeling at any time of the year.