Adventure in the Smokies - Tubing All Day

Water sports - one of the best things about choosing summer for your Smoky Mountain vacation!
Townsend, "the quiet side of the Smokies" (unless your kids scream with joy on the river), has two river routes.

The Lower Section gets described as the family friendly float.  Just gentle, relaxing rapids for age 2 and up.

The Upper Section, dubbed the adventure float because of the class 2 rapids and swimming holes, is appropriate for age 6 and up.

My kids wanted the adventure.  They also wanted their own raft.  This meant mom sometimes connected the tubes with rope and then used a lot of arm muscle keeping us together.  So worth it.  The ride switched between quiet scenic floats to a bit of small rapid excitement.  The kids squealed with delight and then jumped up and down to go again...and again.  When the sun beats down, but you feel cool in the water - it's the perfect combination.

We may have paid a bit more for River Rat outing ($15 adult, $12 children), but we felt we got our money's worth.  Other nearby operations claim lower costs (River Rage $10, Cowboy Tubin' $10, and Tube Junction $8).  Most places begin at 10AM and provide unlimited rides til closing (5:30 or 6PM).

River Rat earned the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence.  I'd give River Rat a positive rating too; it offered nice facility with restrooms and a friendly shuttle driver.  At the end, River Rat doesn't even make you drag your tube back.  They have a tube return (pictured in photo below).

Smoky Restaurant Review #2: Mel's Classic Diner

The Smoky Mountains..one popular tourist destination.  Not surprising, it seems like every chain restaurant landed here.  If you seek the familiar, look no further:  Cracker Barrel, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Subway, Arby's, Taco Bell, Hardees, Long John Silvers, McDonalds, Five Guys, Wendy's, KFC, TGI Fridays, IHOP, Krispy Kreme, Denny'sTexas Roadhouse, Johnny Rockets, Golden Corral, Ruby Tuesday, Shoney's...the list goes on.  However, if you are like me, you want the local taste.

Check out Mel's Classic Diner.  After a day of hiking, a hearty breakfast sounds so good.  Fortunately, Mel's makes breakfast all day long.  If eggs, bacon, and pancakes don't sound right - no worries.  Mel's serves other traditional diner food like cheeseburgers, soup & salad, and ice cream sundaes.  Check out the special signs outside; the savings may entice you to wake up early and get the early bird special.

The most important meal of the day, Ode to breakfast:
Feb:  National Hot Breakfast Month
Feb./March:  Pancake Day
March 25:  International Waffle Day
May:  National Egg Month
Aug:  National Waffle Day
Sept:  National Breakfast Month
Oct:  World Egg Day
Nov:  National French Toast Day
Dec:  National Maple Syrup Days
Wow, we need to celebrate.

Back to Mel's Diner.  When you walk into the diner, you will notice the 1950s memorabilia right away.  To your right, a jukebox.  To your left, a gift shop.  Grab a stool or a table.  It's a casual, family friendly place.  Don't just take my word for it.  Check out the reviews, 4 stars or more on Google Reviews, TripAdvisor, and Yelp.  Plus, it's close to Lightning Bug Lodge:  119 Wears Valley Road, Pigeon Forge, TN.