12. June 2025
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Six US States And Nashville (Day 8 – 6th June 2025) – A Day In The Smokies

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Rain was predicted for that weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains. However, also on my full day in and around Pigeon Forge, there was no shower, apart from little thunderstorms late in the evening. This lead to other weather issues: it was terribly hot on that day. After my body had already issues with that the night before, so that I could not really sleep, I decided to go for less outdoor activities – and overall reduce my day in Pigeon Forge in regards of that. Finally, the day became longer than expected. Here is the trip report of the eighth day of my Six US States and Nashville trip.

 

Bear Hunt – Part 2

I really liked my time in the Great Smoky Mountains. However, there was one downside: even though there is quite a population of bears in the area, I just did not spot one. I wanted to give it another try and went for an early breakfast, before driving to Gatlinburg another time. At least the traffic was much more convenient than on the day before.

The Roaring Fork Road in Gatlinburg is regarded to be one of the best spots to meet the large mammals. This also turns the one way circular drive into a very touristic experience. To shorten the post – the only major animal I spotted on the land was the turkey on the picture below. Nonetheless, the narrow road is absolutely worth the drive – I would definitely do it again. Coming back from the loop, the traffic in town just became more chaotic already. Time to go back to Pigeon Forge.

 

The Aviation Nerd in Me

My next stop was the Tennessee Museum of Aviation. The aviation museum is a nice one, but was lacking some special and catching elements to me. The key plane in the hangar did not even have its military colors any more, but was branded after an energy drink. The heat in the Great Smokey Mountains got more and more intense. Thus, I decided to for a rather short day of sightseeing.

 

Watching Animals – Alive and Virtual

I also rather went for indoor attractions. The first one was the nice Rainforest Adventure Zoo. I especially loved a very old cockatoo, who enjoyed being petted by the visitors. They also have a nice animal presentation there.

I can reconcile that some of my followers state that you should not visit zoos (with living animals), because it is always a burden on our living friends. The more, I looked forward to Xperia in Pigeon Forge. I would call it a “virtual aquarium”. The water basins are in fact screens. I felt that the concept did not work out. There will be more detailed reasons for my thoughts in the detailed review.

 

Overheated – and some Fun in Pigeon Forge

I closed the day thereafter. Apart from a brief visit to Walmart, I enjoyed having some fun and a bite at the local Dave & Busters. I already introduced you to the concept of the franchise. My body unfortunately demanded for quite some resting thereafter, so that I struggled with updating this blog a bit.

 

 

My Song of the Day: Weird Al Yankovic – Skipper Dan

This trip is about music. Thus I felt present one song each day which somehow accompanied me every day. And I added a playlist of these songs – and some more – on my Spotify account as well:

I am back in the United States in just two weeks. Weird Al Yankovic brings me back over the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, this time, I will just be able to visit two shows of his tour. The more I look forward to two shows at The Venetian in Las Vegas. When I passed by the Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride on the Parkway at Pigeon Forge, I just had to think about my favorite song by Al. Skipper Dan is a Song of My Life. Hope you like it. The other songs I picked today all have country vibes, Body Like A Back Road by Sam Hunt, Whiskey Glasses by Morgan Wallen, and Blood Sweat and Beer by Blackjack Billy.

Here is the full playlist, which will grow day by day:

 

Six US States And Nashville – Daily Episodes

Here is an overview of the daily postings. I will link them once they

There will be no Day 12 report, as this would only cover the flight back to Germany.

 

Flyctory.com about Animal Parks & Zoos

Here are all postings of the Zoos and More category:

 

Free Entry Top Pick!s

Here are my reviews of places with free admission which lead to a Top Pick! rating:

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