The Gatlinburg Parade

Andi and I set out last weekend for an exciting trip to the legendary Gatlinburg Christmas parade. We both are Christmas-a-holics (especially Andi), so we were thrilled to say the least. We drove into town at midnight on Thursday night and made our way to the Deer Ridge Resort, which is about 10 miles out of Gatlinburg and about 1000 miles up this mountain. Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn and we ended up traveling up the wrong mountain for what seemed like forever. But, we eventually found our resort. It was super nice, a condo kind of thing, with a killer view (see picture above, that was our view). The only problem was that the place forgot to turn on the heat, so when we entered our room, it was quite literally 50 degrees. It took over an hour to warm up, so we enjoyed our room for the first hour in our coats and hats.




After getting up bright and early at 2 pm, we left for the parade. Traffic was not near as bad as I had anticipated. We parked and sorted through a few restaurants (including a haunted dining hall) before deciding on The Brass Lantern. After our meal, which had exceptional service, we went to wait for the parade.

We found our spot and waited. And waited. It was so cold. I can't describe how cold. It was cold. We were having fun as usual. Finally, the parade started with a bang! A group of high school cheerleaders carrying a sign walked down the street. And that was it. Andi and I looked at each other and said "surely this is a joke." A few minutes later, things picked up a little, but not enough to impress us. We quickly decided that we weren't really parade people, and after waiting an hour in 20 degree weather, we left after 20 minutes of the parade. No Way Jose's was calling our name with some chips and dip. It was great too!

The next morning we hit the all-time greatest store in the world. I have to pause and give thanks to by buddy Aaron for turning me on to Friar's Donuts! (we call it Friar Tuck's Donuts). Andi and I enjoyed a donut as much as it can be enjoyed. We even got one for the road! Gatlinburg is worth the trip just for Friar's Donuts!

Andi and I love Gatlinburg. We have decided to go every two weeks. Well, not really, but maybe every couple of months. Despite the less than impressive parade action, we had so much fun. I can't wait to go back!