Smokies Trip - 2015

I know you expected pictures of mountains, but I couldn't resist starting this Blog with flower pictures taken at our first stop on this bus trip, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.  These pictures were taken in the conservatory since most of the outside gardens and displays were not in bloom yet.  This place is spectacular and a visit should be included in your "Bucket List".
So, with just one stop, this trip beats the hell out of the last one.  We both felt healthy and looked forward to the week of traveling and stopping at places we'd never been to.  Our next stop was the "Natural Bridge" in Virginia, another spectacular work of mother nature.  The picture does not capture how impressive it is when you walk under that huge piece of rock.  A highway runs right over the top of the arch.

We then traveled to "The Biltmore Home" in Ashville, North Carolina.  Shown here are the Topiary gardens on the property.

The Biltmore is the largest private home in the country and continues to impress on every visit.  This visit was special for us because the Biltmore was featuring the costumes used on one of our favorite shows, (Downton Abbey).  A great deal of walking was involved and made me realize how terribly out of shape I was.


Onward now to Tennessee where we went through Pidgeon Forge and spent some time in Gatlinburg.

Just had to include a picture of Gibb's car.

We spent the next day in Dollywood which was far more enjoyable than I expected.

Even took a train ride, saw replica of Dolly's Tennessee home, saw shows which included one in a fifties type hamburger joint.

Next stop was Nashville where we stayed at the huge, beautiful Opry Land hotel complex.  Enjoyed a very interesting three hour guided bus tour of the city and its highlights.  Had a nice dinner at the Aquarium Restaurant, a back stage tour of the Opry theater and an evening performance of the "Grand Old Opry.  The nice plane ride back to Hartford gave us a chance to sit back and thank the Lord for the great trip and especially the good health to enjoy it.