The post in which I may or may not be kidding

What's is like living in the Smoky Mountains?  Well, at the foothills anyway.

Kind of cool...kind of hectic...somewhat irritating at times...but other times pretty nice.

If anyone else has ever spent any time of their life in a tourist town, you probably know what I mean.  When people find out you live in a tourist town they have questions; what's it like, do you have to battle traffic, do you get to go places free, what's a good show, what's a good place to eat, where is this place or that place.  Most of these I can answer pretty easily enough, but some I just can't.  I don't spend my days going to all the shows and attractions (though we have been to a few), and I don't know where everything is...I just don't.  I do know the back roads (you kind of have to if you live here and want to stay sane).  And I do know a few places that's good to eat (and those to avoid).  And yes, residents get discounts at certain places, and for a week every summer get to go to Dollywood for only $5.

But other than that, it's pretty much like any other small town - especially during the off season.  You get to know your librarians (whom I love by the way), your post office workers, your bankers, and the guy at the check-out at the local grocery store.

Then during tourist season you have to deal with, well, for lack of a better word - tourons.  They don't know how to drive, they can be very rude and obnoxious, and if not for the fact that they bring in the main business to keep the town alive, we all wish they would just go away. lol  Seriously, I have never seen so many people that make me suspect the validity of their drivers' license.  Blocking intersections, cutting you off, driving in the right lane with two other lanes are empty (sheep, people, sheep).  It's enough to make a person want to move.  Oh wait, I want to move anyway and not for those reasons (although they help).

So anyway, if you ever visit Pigeon Forge know that someone somewhere is wishing you would spend your money and go home...quickly.  I'm not saying it's me...but I'm not saying it's not either.

 Yes, the photos were a Flat Stanley project from one of my cousins last year.  They are the only pictures I have of some of the attractions here, since I don't go around taking tourist-y photos.



Until next time...

JenT