This morning we started out with a small adventure north to a couple destinations, the first being the one you see above - the Dolly Parton statue at the courthouse in Sevierville. It was actually a really nice destination, the downtown area decorated nicely for fall with plenty of scarecrows.
This is an interesting statue dedicated to a faithful dog who would bring the bank deposit down to the teller, and then bring the receipt right back to its owner. Smart dog. It also did some accounting work on the side.
Of course, here's what we were visiting the square for. The statue is really nice, and a quick stop along the path, although online maps lead us off in the wrong direction temporarily. I miss the days of Rand McNally and a good old fashioned real map. Can you imagine that, using a map in a paper book? Anyway, here are a few more pictures from the Dolly Parton statue.
This visit we didn't have any time limitations. It takes a good bit to get up there from Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, especially because of the traffic and red lights along the way. But we made it up there and spent a good amount of time inside, shopping for various things. Mom got to look around the gift area more and we wound up getting a few things for friends and family for Christmas there. Of course we got some Beaver Nuggets this time, which we all agreed were really good. Maddie got some with a spicy flavor. We got drinks, and some barbecue as well before leaving.
Oh, and this time we actually got some gas there and filled up the tank. The amount of gas pumps there is astounding - they just kept going on and on. Amazingly, each one seemed to have someone at a pump filling up gas. The amount of $$$ this place rakes in must be amazing. And while getting gas, we knew the car needed a good cleaning, so yes, we tried out the new Buc-ee's car wash!
We got back and rested there for a while. Maddie and I were playing Monster Crunch out on the balcony for a while - we each won a game. It's a fun game, more fun with more players but this was nice to play with the weather so great and that river running by just below us. The ducks and geese were there too, waiting to be fed. We saved up some bread and biscuits to hurl down to them, watching them race to eat each piece we dropped.
After getting some rest, we loaded up the car and got ourselves back to our primary destination: Dollywood. We've been enjoying the Harvest Festival, but this return visit was about the Pumpkin LumiNights. So we got back to the park, which was a little more full by this time, but again the weather was ideal.
It's the Great Pumpkin! These huge pumpkins lined the path towards the middle, some weighing well over a thousand pounds. Maddie took many of these pictures you'll see on today's blog entry, which also explains why you'll be seeing a lot of the porgs!
One thing we really wanted to do today was ride the train. So that's pretty much the direction we went in first, over towards the depot. We had a little bit of wait time, so we did some shopping in a few stores first, picking up some stickers and looking around at all the shirts and crafts. But as you can see above, we did get on that train and we went for a nice ride through Dollywood.
Maddie got this fantastic picture above from the train - it turned out really well. We sat towards the back because that's where you go to avoid getting as many hot cinders on you. It's very therapeutic, a train ride. We rolled the familiar course through the park, and listened as the whistle sound roared through the valley there.
It was a pleasant ride at fall time, which was just what we needed. When we got off the train, there was still plenty of light out, so we did a few more things. One of those involved pizza!
You can see Maddie got her traditional pizza there, but I got the new one that is closer, a pumpkin pizza. It had pumpkin flavoring in it, and pumpkin seeds actually on the pizza as well. It was really good!
We also had a bit of wassail to drink. Now this was good, a hot apple drink with orange and other spices thrown in too. It was really delicious!
One mandatory stop at Dollywood is the Demolition Derby where the bumper cars are. Maddie and I did this ride a few times, and of course it was wonderful chaos!
The sun was setting, and that meant it was time to start making our way up the hill there to the start of the Pumpkin IlumiNights. We were doing it from the back of the park to the front this time, so when we were done we'd be exiting the park.
Here's one more shot Maddie took of the chapel. There were performances here frequently, with gospel music heard up and down the path.
The porgs were ready to go tonight to see the lights, and we were too. There was a spooky music playing, and a mist flowing out and down the mountainside. And then we got to Hoot Owl Hollow, and that's when things really got started for our evening. There's this big owl made of carved pumpkin there to greet us.
And we saw the pumpkin quilts again too! Each one is made of repeating patterns of carved pumpkins, with colorful lights thrown in as well.
We spent a good bit of time at the guitar here, which actually plays. The different strings light up when being played, and of course it's Dolly music.
And the next part is always one of my favorites. It's just magical. In the Christmas time it is strings of blue, but here they've made it purple. A misty cloud hovers here adding to the atmosphere, along with some special music, and it just feels like you're in another world. They did a great job here.
A parliament of owl pumpkins hovers there at one point, looking down upon passersby. Of course, they're illuminated too, right there in the midst of all this purple.
Once we left there, we kept moving up the mountainside. We had three vouchers left, so we returned to a game area to try our skills to see if we could win another October gift.
These are the Staypuft Marshmallow Men - Maddie won one of these yesterday. But today we saw a prize that we knew a friend might like. We all aimed our squirt guns, and waited for the countdown...
...and Mom won! She claimed her prize, an orange bat. Yes, it's a frickin' bat, one for Camille when we arrive home. We'll tell her how we won it for her when we arrive to church Sunday, and hopefully she'll adopt the little friend. Mom carried that throughout the park the rest of the night. The guy there was super friendly - it was a nice little visit to the game area.
Here's that big spider again. We didn't stay long here because spiders give us the creeps!
Squirrel pumpkins! There were so many different designs and themes - each ride had different carvings near it, or each little food area. The Firechaser Express had fireworks carved into pumpkins, fire hydrants and more. The eagle-themed roller coaster had eagles, and of course the themes went on and on as you walked through the park. So many pumpkins!
This guy was just lounging about again this year, a great pumpkin. He has a name, one I keep forgetting. I'll have to come back here when I remember it. Maybe Maddie remembers it...
Ambercup! I just looked it up. Right there in Wilderness Pass there's this big pumpkin guy and according to the Dollywood website, its name is Ambercup. So there you go.
Wait! Just a moment. We seem to have a bit of controversy here. Ambercup may be what is listed online, but after a review with Maddie and Mom, they told me that the local employees there actually call him "Shawn." I remember that now - and we didn't get a reason why he is called Shawn, but that's the word on the street. I'm happy to settle this and move on by calling him Shawn Ambercup. Decent name for a decent pumpkin fellow!
I do remember this name easily though: HARVEY! Maddie shouted the name out and went back to pose for a picture with Harvey the Pumpkin. We did this yesterday, but tonight you can see how Harvey lights up and glows.
Back to the frickin' bats! We were here yesterday and they looked great before dark, but at night these decorations in the Bat Archway were pretty amazing!
And now we were really on the descent back to the exit of the park. The Mystery Mine just has all kinds of October vibes to it. We stopped quite a few more times on the way out, posing for pictures or marveling at marvelous displays of lights all around. It's really quite spectacular!
The The Great Pumpkin Butterfly marks the end - or the beginning - of the trail, and for us it was the end of our night. It was an incredible display of lights and not to be missed. We were glad to get to see it again this year!
We got this great picture of Maddie at the entrance before heading over to the bakery where the rest rooms are. People were filing out the exits by this point, so it was just great timing to get this picture.
One tradition of ours is starting up here. Maddie and I stand at the windows of the bakery (while waiting for Mom), and the two of us are like right there about two feet away from the bakers. Maddie was holding up her bat and making goofy faces at the baker, who suddenly realizes we're there and cracks a smile.
It was a great night for seasonal fun. The weather was just right for us, and the pumpkin displays were just so wonderful. We got home after this, and as you might imagine, we were exhausted! We got back to the hotel, read for a bit and said our prayers. Soon after, very soon after, we were all fast asleep!
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