Smokies 2015 - Day 3 and 4

 April 25, 2015

Well, well, well…the forecast all week said 90% chance of rain, but nope, it didn’t rain all day! We headed to Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, which is located about an hour and a half north of the Smokies. Tours of the home are offered pretty much every hour, but you must go to the visitor center and get a ticket 15 minutes before the tour starts. The tour lasts 30-45 minutes. The guide was very knowledgeable about Andrew Johnson and his family. Most of the family died at a young age due to TB.

 A room in the Andrew Johnson Homestead

There was a short video (10-15 minutes) giving a background of the 17^th president of the United States. Considering he did not have schooling, but was taught by his wife, he became a great speaker, which obviously helped him move up in the political sector.  The old tailor shop is enclosed within the visitor center and the early Andrew Johnson Home is located across the street from the visitor center. The Andrew Johnson Homestead is located two blocks up the street from the visitor center. The Andrew Johnson Nation Cemetery is located about a half-mile from the homestead.

Great Smoky Mountains -
Cosby Nature Trail

We then played putt-putt golf at Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini-Golf.  This was one of the few locations that had its own parking lot. Since it was only a dollar more we played both courses. I actually won a free game on the last hole on the one course and nearly did it again on the other course!

It was getting to about 5pm and we had tried to visit a few of the businesses in the arts and crafts community, but apparently it was too early in the season for a lot of the places to be open. There are over 100 shops set up along the 8 mile loop road. We visited Fudgewrights and purchased some fudge, it was tasty.

April 26, 2015

After packing up early, we hiked the Cosby Nature Trail, which was a 1 mile loop. The trail started by the amphitheater. It was a lovely hike. There were many foot bridges to cross and we were able to spot two wildflowers that we had not yet seen – Wake Robin/Stinking Benjamin and Painted Trilliums.  The trail was an easy hike, with a few steeper portions.