The weather today was so bad that Dollywood Splash Country is closed. We booked these tickets three months ago and it is the only day in three years that this has happened – but it was good really as we hadn’t perfected our song any way. So we collect our hire car – a nice big SUV gas guzzler and set off for the smoky mountains singing “Islands in the Stream” at every opportunity. We go to the town of Gatlinburg, the gateway to the Smoky mountains. Good news, this is in another county which is not dry and stock up on wine at the liquor store to take back to our motel just in case... The mountains are beautiful with roads winding through the forested slopes. We stop to take in the view where Ant decides to do a mountain top practice of our song like some latter day rock n roll version of Julie Andrews. Not sure the two bikers who arrived at the viewpoint without us realising quite knew how to take it!
The day culminated in the apotheosis of Dolly at her Dixie Stampede – the best dinner show in town..... where, whilst we guzzled, cutlery free – veg soup (well white powder with water) a biscuit, baked potato, an ear of corn, a pork loin and to top it all a whole chicken – and that was each! Followed by an apple pie – accompanied by as much tea (as in iced – we are getting withdrawal symptoms from English breakfast) coffee or Pepsi as you can drink. It was the set meal by the way, we didn’t choose all that from the menu.... You will begin to understand why we began to feel anorexic yesterday!
The Dixie stampede was horse of the year show meets gymkhana meets rodeo meets the American civil war and despite the lack of alcohol we are both embarrassed to say we loved it! Ant was even standing up and cheering ..... We have added to our tacky souvenir collection by keeping the “souvenir boot”, a classical piece in white plastic that our pre show, non alcoholic cocktail was served in.
But the lack of alcohol kicked in so we popped in to the Texas Grill for a glass of vino after the non alcoholic show. This is one of only two places within a three mile radius that we have found that serves wine – or indeed any alcohol at all. Gill was fine, but our Achilles heel was Ant – who did not carry ID so couldn’t prove he was over 21 (this is Gill, I thought it was obvious.....). We were refused service and reduced to drinking our emergency rations, sat outside our rooms on the Pigeon Forge Parkway purchased earlier in Gatlinburg. Stylish eh?
The day culminated in the apotheosis of Dolly at her Dixie Stampede – the best dinner show in town..... where, whilst we guzzled, cutlery free – veg soup (well white powder with water) a biscuit, baked potato, an ear of corn, a pork loin and to top it all a whole chicken – and that was each! Followed by an apple pie – accompanied by as much tea (as in iced – we are getting withdrawal symptoms from English breakfast) coffee or Pepsi as you can drink. It was the set meal by the way, we didn’t choose all that from the menu.... You will begin to understand why we began to feel anorexic yesterday!
The Dixie stampede was horse of the year show meets gymkhana meets rodeo meets the American civil war and despite the lack of alcohol we are both embarrassed to say we loved it! Ant was even standing up and cheering ..... We have added to our tacky souvenir collection by keeping the “souvenir boot”, a classical piece in white plastic that our pre show, non alcoholic cocktail was served in.
But the lack of alcohol kicked in so we popped in to the Texas Grill for a glass of vino after the non alcoholic show. This is one of only two places within a three mile radius that we have found that serves wine – or indeed any alcohol at all. Gill was fine, but our Achilles heel was Ant – who did not carry ID so couldn’t prove he was over 21 (this is Gill, I thought it was obvious.....). We were refused service and reduced to drinking our emergency rations, sat outside our rooms on the Pigeon Forge Parkway purchased earlier in Gatlinburg. Stylish eh?
