I finally got my vacation

Every year when I was a child, my family took a vacation together. Usually, we would go visit my stepfather's family, who all lived in or around Johnson City in East Tennessee, and then head over to Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg for the rest of our trip.

As a married adult, I haven't been so lucky. My husband and I could never get our vacation schedules to match. We went to Okaloosa Island, Fla., for our honeymoon and took two trips to Gatlinburg before our six-year-old daughter, Tessa, was born.

Since her birth, all of our travel time has been spent going to my in-laws in Mississippi, which believe me, is no vacation.

My husband decided earlier this year that he wanted to take a real vacation with us. At the time, I wasn't working, and we picked a date on the calendar we both liked and decided to go to Disney in Florida. Soon after, we decided to change that when I found out I was pregnant. We knew with another child on the way, we should do something a little cheaper, so we chose to go to Gatlinburg.

I made the reservations for our room in April, going through www.hotels.com to get the best deal. We paid about $60 a night for a room with a posted rate of $150 per night. I highly recommend going through this Web site and booking early. It will save you a lot of money.

It took us a while to decide exactly what we wanted to do. We wavered back and forth about going to Dollywood, because with me being pregnant, I couldn't ride any of the amusement park rides there. We knew Tessa would want to, which led to the problem. My husband, Brian, hates them. We decided to save the money and go other places.

We had an itinerary planned and left early last Monday. Brian wanted to go the long way, through Cleveland and along the Ocoee River, because of all the sites. We later found out this was not that good of an idea with a 6-year-old.

"When are we going to be there?"

"I want to go swimming."

"Are we there yet?"

"How much farther is it?"

This is the refrain we heard over and over again for the almost six hours it took to get there. We've made the decision that next time we'll take the shortcut.

The first thing we did when we arrived was go swimming in the pool at the hotel. We had promised Tessa we would. She had a blast. For weeks, every time we would visit a pool, she didn't want to put her head under water. By the end of this trip, she was jumping off the side and going under, popping back up, pushing the water off her face, ready to go again.

After that, we went to eat at a restaurant that promised family style serving. The food was good but not worth the $60 we paid for three people.

Our first full day was a busy one. We visited the Rainforest Adventure Zoo in Sevierville. Most of it is inside, which was great for a pregnant woman like me who hates the heat. We saw some amazing snakes, lizards, cockatoos and parrots. We also took great pictures and will have memories that last a lifetime.

Another aspect of the zoo was the Aussie Walk-About. We weren't as impressed with it as we were with the rest of the zoo, as it didn't have as many animals, but overall, the zoo was worth the money.

Our next stop that day was the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg. If you have the opportunity, go. It was awesome, as Tessa said over and over again. In one part of it, you travel through a tunnel on a conveyor belt with glass surrounding you. Behind the glass in the water swim sharks, sawfish and many other kinds of aquatic life.

The sawfish are amazing. They have a snout which looks exactly like an old-fashioned saw blade. We were able to get amazing pictures, which showed details of the sawfish's blade. We also snapped some pictures of the other sharks, too.

Tuesday night, we visited Mel's Diner for supper. It was the cheapest place we ate but had the best food. Brian ordered a milk shake, which was served in a glass, and he was handed the metal mixing cup, too. There was enough left in the cup so Tessa could have a full glass, too.

The next day, we visited Ober Gatlinburg. A tram, which can hold up to 120 people, takes you across the mountain. If you are the least bit claustrophic, this tram might be a bit hard for you to stomach, as everyone is squeezed in so tightly. I nearly got sick on the way over, but the way back was better because we were some of the first in line and I was able to sit down.

While there, we rode the chairlift up the side of the mountain. Tessa and Brian rode in one, while I rode alone. They were even accomodating enough to stop the lift for me to get off at the top and said they do that for all expectant mothers. The scene from the top took my breath away. The mountains were shrouded in a thin layer of clouds with a blue sky bordering it. I also took pictures of this.

Our next stop was the Cherokee Indian reservation in Cherokee, N.C. While there, Tessa was able to dance with the Native Americans and even had her face painted. This was the cheapest "attraction" we visited, but the best. Tessa will never forget about dancing with the Native Americans, plus she learned a little history along the way.

The next day, it was time to head home. While I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, I was glad to get back home to Rosie, our dog, and our old routine. I highly recommend a trip to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Cherokee, N.C., especially since it's close enough for a weekend visit.

We are already planning to do it next year.

-- Tamara Belinc is a staff writer for the Times-Gazette. She can be reached at tbelinc@t-g.com.