From Burnout to Balance
A Weekend in
Give It a Spin by John J. Wernert, MD
I
’ ve always preferred the outdoors, especially for a getaway. With two of my brood still at home, spring break sneaked up on us this year, and we had to plan for a family trip somewhere close. Having lived in Indianapolis for 35 years, the family has enjoyed vacations in the upper Midwest and East coast for years. But now that we are back in Louisville, the family vacation destinations are focused on traveling south. No airports please! So where can we go with relaxing nature to balance the frenzied pace of youth-oriented amusement? The family choice was either log cabin to enjoy the mountains, or a theme park to excite the senses – or both? Pigeon Forge, Tennessee fits the bill!
Pigeon Forge, nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains, is about 4.5 hours by car from Louisville. It’ s been decades since I was in Gatlinburg and I was surprised that the city has commercially exploded in the past 20 years. In order to get to Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky
Mountain National Park, you have to crawl through the heavily commercialized Pigeon Forge. Traffic was terrible as the town has outgrown the roads and parking. Christmas stores, cast-iron skillets, knives, arcades and putt-putt courses are only outnumbered by the dozens of“ Pancake Houses” and candy stores along U. S. 441( Great Smoky Mountain Parkway). There are Ripley’ s“ Believe it or Not” venues on every block in the commercial districts, and shops eager to empty your wallet. All these sites are there to soak up the overflow from the real draw – the Dollywood Amusement Park. For 40 years, this park has wowed fans from all over and has racked up dozens of awards, including being voted the“ Best Theme Park in the World” at the Golden Ticket ceremony in 2023.
Many of us grew up with Dolly Parton, and love her music or not, you cannot deny her drive, generosity and sparkle. Dolly had a dream to
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