The Wandering Disciple

There’s something about a mountain morning in Gatlinburg that just makes breakfast taste better and Mountain Breakfast absolutely delivered. Nestled in the heart of this charming mountain town, the restaurant offers a warm and inviting atmosphere that immediately sets the tone for a relaxing start to the day. Whether you're gearing up for a hike in the Smoky Mountains or simply enjoying a leisurely vacation morning, this spot feels like the perfect place to ease into the day. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted with friendly smiles and prompt service, which made us feel right at home. The menu offered a variety of classic breakfast favorites with a few standout specialties, making it easy to find something for everyone. After a bit of deliberation, we decided to try the ham and cheese omelet and the chicken and waffles; two dishes that ended up exceeding our expectations. The ham and cheese omelet was everything you want to start your day; hot, fluffy, and packed with flavo...

Every city has a dark side and learning about the haunts is one of our favorite things to do while traveling. Take to the streets of downtown Gatlinburg to learn about the misery, heartbreak and death that plagued the city leading to tons of paranormal activity in this tourist town. The Ghost & Haunt of Gatlinburg will show you the sites and tell you the stories that will live you spine tingling and have you looking over your shoulder and around the corners.  (Photo: June 5, 2018)

Hop aboard the Chondola and take a ride to the summit of Anakeesta, Gatlinburg's treetop adventure. Opened in 2018, Anakeesta is one of the regions newest attractions and is located high above the town. Your journey to Anakeesta begins in the heart of the Gatlinburg as you board the chondola for a 600 foot lift up to the summit of Gatlinburg's highest point. Once you arrive at the top, there is plenty of excitement awaiting from a 16 bridge treetop trail, a challenging zip line course, a 360 degree observation tower and much more. (Photo: June 5, 2018)

When traffic along the Cades Cove loop comes to a complete stop you can be pretty sure a bear has been spotted.  The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is home over 1,500 black bears and Cades Cove is a great place to see them.  The park is one of the largest protected habitats for the bears and they are plentiful in the park with an average of 2 bears per square mile of the park.  Just remember if you encounter a black bear on your trip through the mountains, be sure to keep a safe distance between you and the bear while enjoying the moment of catching one of these amazing animals in the wild. (Photo: June 4, 2018)

An evening mist begins to form along the Cliff Branch in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The Cliff Branch runs right though the heart of Gatlinburg creating that iconic mountain stream view we have all come to know from East Tennessee. The Cliff Branch begins up the mountain and flows south though the town before joining with the Buckberry Branch and Holy Branch south of town. There are many cool places to sit and listen to the stream flow like along this hiking trail at the Gatlinburg Trail. (Photo: June 3, 2018)

The scarred mountainside and shells of burnt out dwellings dot the usually lush Smoky Mountains months after the Chimney Tops fire. The fire started in November 2016 and burnt almost 18,000 acres before fire crews got it under control. The complex of fires destroyed 2,460 buildings and killed 14 people. It was one of the largest natural disasters in the history of Tennessee and the deadliest wildfire in the eastern US since 1947. This photo is from the Gatlinburg bypass taken about six months post fire and shows some of the burnt out treelines and a structure that was lost during the fire. (Photo: June 14, 2017)

A pair of sand tiger sharks patrol the depths of the Shark Lagoon at Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in downtown Gatlinburg. Shark Lagoon is the centerpiece of the aquarium featuring over 8,500 animals from 75 different species. Some of the more popular residents of Shark Lagoon are the Sand Tiger Sharks, Green Sea Turtle, Sawfish and much more. There are three ways to view these aquatic animals; an over head view from the second level, an underwater journey through the 340 foot tunnel or a glass bottom boat adventure. (Photo: June 9. 2016)

The comfortable living room of a villa at the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort provides a home away from home for our family's vacation to the Smokies. With a living room, dining room, kitchen, multiple bedrooms and a porch overlooking the woods, it provides a great way for a family to getaway into the mountains with the comforts of home. A hybrid between a hotel room and a cabin, it is a great option if you want the feel of a resort with the comforts of home. (Photo: June 7, 2016)

The west prong of the Little Pigeon River slowly flows along the Chimney Tops Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Little Pigeon River flows almost 30 miles from its source deep in the Smoky Mountains to it meets the French Broad River near Sevierville. The river features 3 prongs and the west prong is the more popular as it flows along popular hiking trails in the park as well as the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. (Photo: June 8, 2016)

Gatlinburg, Tennessee:   Good morning from our final full day of the 2018 Summer Road Trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.  Unlike yesterday's busy day, today is much more laid back with nothing scheduled.  So I kicked around the idea of going to Dollywood but the mountains are calling my name and after our luck of finding bear the other day, I figured I try to find more bear and maybe the other popular park resident, the elk.  So instead of hitting the commercial attractions, we elected to head back into the natural ones instead. But before we hit the trails, it was time to refuel the energy tanks.  Today for breakfast, we headed about 20 minutes out of town to a little local restaurant called Trish's Mountain Diner.  It was well worth the drive.  This restaurant located in a rustic cabin had the most hospitable staff since we arrived in town and the food was amazing.  I really hate it that we found it on the last day of the trip because I ce...

Gatlinburg, Tennessee:  Good morning from the Great Smoky Mountains.  Its time for another day of adventures in the mountains of East Tennessee.  Today was we take a turn from exploring the mountains to exploring some of the attractions that the region has to offer.  Today we are scheduled to visit Anakeesta in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg and then head outside the city for some tubing on the Little Pigeon River.  After dinner and once the sun set over the mountains and the streets became clouded in darkness, it was time to explore the haunted side of Gatlinburg. The morning kicked off with breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp.  This was a favorite we found during our 2016 trip to Gatlinburg.  The restaurant is themed to look like a pioneer camp, even the menu comes in a pioneer newspaper.   The have a bunch of delicious choices on the menu and it was really hard to narrow it down to one choice.  So I ordered the postmaster s...

Gatlinburg, Tennessee:  A new day brings new adventures in the mountains of East Tennessee and today's adventures was to go find bears.  Three trips to the mountains and three times I have come back empty handed at seeing bears.  It's always such a let down to see pictures and hear stories from friends who have seen the bears but yet to have see them yourself.  It was a priority of this trip to see bears. We skipped breakfast this morning to hit the trails early.  Today's bear hunting adventure took us to the popular Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  This popular valley in a remote section of the park is one of the best places to see bears.  The drive to Cades Cove is rather long but very enjoyable as you pass through the mountains and some water features that take your mind off the road an onto nature. Once we reached Cades Cove the wildlife viewing had begun immediately.  We were greeted by a few wild turkeys a...

Gatlinburg, Tennessee: A beautiful mountain sunrise gave way to the first full day in the mountains as we prepared for a Sunday fun day of exploration of the mountains.  My second home is in the mountains while my first home was back in the Sunshine State.  Today's adventures called for an exciting day of exploring the Newfound Gap Road, the main road through the park and a great place to start an auto tour of the Great Smoky Mountains. The road is filled with sweeping vistas of the Smokies and is a great way to get a glimpse into the park and all it has to offer.  The road is the main gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and is filled with trails and panoramic views.  We have passed through it several times but never took the time to truly explore it. But before hitting the road, I took a walk around the hotel while the family woke up and got ready.  I took a walk around the hotel grounds and then to the nearby creek that flows in front of t...

Gatlinburg, Tennessee: School is out for summer and you know what that means, summer road trip.  This years trip was a toss up between a return trip to Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains or a visit to a city I never been to Pensacola.   But at the last minute, the decision was made to head back to the mountains. Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond my control, we got a later start on the road.  Instead for leaving at 3am, we didn't get on the road until after 5am which really pushed back my timeline.  I mean I had a 12 hour drive and a 7pm baseball game to make,  not a good combination when facing Atlanta traffic. But speaking of Atlanta traffic, I've got a new tip to share.  I probably shouldn't but here goes.  The express lane....use it!  What a great thing! As we got closer to Atlanta, we started hitting gridlock.  I saw the express lane and saw that you needed the Georgia Peach Pass to use it because they do not do toll by plate ...

A drive through the Smoky Mountains near Gatlinburg and there are scars everywhere, a reminder to the devastating wildfires that effected the area in November.  While the region is quickly rebounding, it will take a while for the mountains to completely heal.  Meanwhile these signs will be a reminder at how delicate the balance between wilderness and civilization can be.  (Photo: June 14, 2017)

Today's Photo of the Day pays tribute to the Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg which was heavily damaged during the recent wildlife in Gatlinburg. The resort in which we spent a majority of our summer road trip suffered extensive damage during the blaze with reports of over 60 of the building destroyed in a matter of minutes in the fast moving fire. Our thoughts and prayers are with those effected by this disaster. (Photo: June 7, 2016)

This amazing vista was seen during our June visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Chimney Top is a popular attraction in the country's most visited national park. However over the past few days, it has been the site of a massive wild fire which wrecked havoc over the Gatlinburg area, resulting in an inferno that damaged over 100 buildings. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those effected by this natural disaster. (Photo: June 8, 2016)

Today the National Park Service celebrates its 100th year anniversary. On August 25, 1916, President Ulysses Grant signed the National Park Service Organic Act which gave birth to the Department of the Interior and our park system. Since then, the nation has grown to 59 national parks and over 413 locations governed by the National Park Service. Pictured here is rhe most visited park in the system, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Photo: June 8, 2016)

This peak in the Great Smoky Mountains is known as Chimney Tops. While this view comes from Newfound Gap Road, the Chimney Tops hiking trail is one of the most popular in the park. The rather steep trail leads to spectacular views from the top of the peaks. (Photo: June 8, 2016)

Move over Shark Week, there are better ways to get up close and personal to the predators of the seas.  At Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, you can come face to face with a several species of sharks as they swim all around you.  (Photo: June 9, 2016)