MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Memorial Day in TN/Tent camping at Claubough's in Pigeon Forge.. This will be more of a photo essay than a actual trip report. I didnt get very many pictures of the campgrounds themselves as we spent most of the time out and about. I'll give you a breif overview of my opinion of the campground and then move on from there. Here's a picture of the entranceThe campground is very close to the parkway where all the "touristy" stuff is. That's a good thing and a bad thing. It was apx .3 miles to the parkway, apx .2 miles to a Krogers which was nice, however you are also directly on a main road so there is ALOT of traffic that we heard all night long. Being Memorial day weekend, alot of bikers were in town to ride the dragon.. now my husband and I both ride and love the sound of a twin engine.. but not so much at 3 and 4 am. The campgrounds quite hours were from 11pm to 8am but NEVER enforced. My kids sleep like rocks and they weren't effected but I'm a light sleeper and struggled. Needless to say after a few nights of no sleep and chasing 5 kids around Pigeon Forge we looked like this.. :rofl2: I swear we arent' drunk..just THAT tired..Now about the campground itself.. We (me and kiddos, hubby came later due to work) checked in around 6:30 Friday evening, it was crowded but managable. The staff was nice and I was initally assigned to site C-17 which I was happy to hear was a grassy site near the creek.. so away we went, the campground is laid out simple enough and not that big so we found what was suppose to be our site pretty quickly. The people who were assigned to sites C16 and C18 were all ready there and had overflowed into my site.. as a matter of fact they had already claimed my picnic table. Everyone here knows that I'm new to camping and I wasnt sure exactly what the etiquette for this kind of thing was but rude is rude, so I ask the lady in C16 if she would please return my table... she rolls her eyes at me and says as soon as her kids are finished eating... OK.. NOW.. I knew at this point, I could not and would not spend my weekend crunched between these people.. someone would have ended up in jail.. and it was very likely it would have been me for assault. I do not like rude people.. period. These tent sites were not impressive. I measured the plot that should have been mine before I went back to the front and it was apx 12 x 14.. seriously, that was it. There is one site in that place that looked sufficent in size and it's C20, so if your a tent camper with more than a 2 person dome tent..this is the only site in the tent area that will suffice, trust me. What aggravated me the most I think about this whole scenerio is when I made my reservations many months ago, I spent a significant amount of time on the phone with the lady giving her my tent size, canopy size and she knew there would be seven of us. Apparently that information doesnt matter much. I was told after the fact that I could reserve a specific site, so if I ever do get stuck back there it will be C20 or nothing at all. ANYWHO, went back to the office, after some conversation with the staff, they found a place in the RV section for us.. It was meant for a PUP but it was huge and had hook up's so I took it. It was on the very end of the loop so we actually had alot of room. I was somewhat in a panic to work this all out before hubby showed up, this was his first camping trip with us and I wanted things to go smoothly.. hoping to hook him on camping like I am, he is an ex Marine that spent way to much time in the dessert so the idea of camping just didnt appeal to him. I'm happy to report that I worked it out, had camp set up and a cold beer waiting for him when he arrived.. so his first impression.. awesome! Here's just a few pic's of our set up, I really didnt get to many.. we were busy busy busy.The trolly ran right behind our tent.. we didn't use it and the traffic worried me a little with the babies but didnt have any issues..here's a shot of the inside of the tent, it was quite messy at the time but the biggest thing I want you to see is the double bunk cot.. bad angle and you can see my son's big feet sticking out but that bunk rocks!! Huge space saver and the kids said they slept better than their beds at home, so I just ordered one more..and another cool thing I tried this trip that will now become a permenant part of my gear with the Kidco Peapod. It's a travel bed for baby that zips up like a tent, has a inflatable mattress that zips into the bottom.. check this out..my worries about bugs and her getting loose is the middle of the night solved! Izzy is going to be 1 on Friday, and is a princess so I was worried how she would adjust to this.. her first trip after all, and she loved loved loved it! The bed folds up (took me a few tries and a youtube video) into a litte bag for easy transport. It was about 60 bucks at babies are r us but I used my 20% off coupon so we got it for a deal. I highly recommend it for those with little ones, my almost 3 year old fits into it comfortably as well so it can be used for a while! Even if your not tent camping, it would be perfect for the beach, the park or anywhere you might need the little one to take a nap when your on the go. More to come soon!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Day 2The next day we got up, used the showers and made breakfast. At this point we didnt really have alot of plans. The kids saw all of the go carts and arcades on the drive in so they were of course pushing for that. The bath houses were ok. Definatley not the fort but not totally disgusting, they were old, the water fluctuated when someone flushed the toilet and all that seperated the showers from "public view" was a cheap shower curtain that was about 6 inches smaller than the door so I wouldnt recommend them for the shy.. luckily I'm not shy so I didnt care much but my 11 year old was mortified and made her sister stand and hold the thing the whole time she showered.. :rofl2: Here's a pic of me and the princess sporting the snarky shirt..We decided since it was going to be so hot that day that we'd go to the aquarium to avoid some of the heat.. here's a few of the better shots..Xan thought the vibrating Flounder was the coolest thing in the whole aquarium..Seriously, he spent ALOT of time there..The Penguin playhouse.. there is actually a tunnel you can crawl through and view the pengiuns from inside their area.. super cool..This tunnel was awesome.. check out the saw fish.. we spent ALOT of time in there to..Excellent kids interactive area..and my favorite.. the jelly fish..The Ripley's Aquarium, I highly recommend it, my big kids loved it, Xander thought it was ok but to many dark areas for his liking, and the tunnels into the pengiuns were to crowded for his taste.. and it was his nap time.. Princess Izzy was just happy to be along for the trip..we walked around Gatlinburg for awhile but it was getting to hot and the little ones were pooped so we went back to camp to swim..now I didnt see the pool our entire trip, Dad and the kids went by while I let the little ones rest.. but they didnt stay but a few minutes, apparently the water level was low, super crowded and even my kids said it was dirty, that says all I need to hear about a pool, my kids would swim in a mud hole ( and have) so to hear them call something dirty is pretty shocking. We hung out the rest of the night at camp, meet some neighbors, plastered the campground with Jenn's ff.net cards, had some of the hand dipped ice cream and went to bed..Have you figured out who the picture diva is yet? LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stefa70 205 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Looks like a good time! The bunk beds are awesome!Cool jellyfish picture!Hope there is more to follow! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Looks like fun!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Wow good job Judy, it looks like everyone is having fun. Keep it coming :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
liv luvs disney 2 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Looks like you guys had fun, but why didn't you get in touch with me? I'm 25 minutes from Clabough's and would loved to have met up with you.Um, never mind. I had a major blonde moment. I was in FL Memorial Day weekend, so you're off the hook for this trip. But next time, ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Liv, I didnt know that but the next time we are in that area, I'd Love to meet you! More to come folks, mommy duties are calling me... I will finish up in a bit! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 I'm happy to report that I worked it out, had camp set up and a cold beer waiting for him when he arrived.. Ok Judy, first off, this quote tells me all I need to know about you. You drive ahead, take care of the BS, set up camp, AND have a cold one waiting for your husband when he arrives? I think you've just melted the hearts of all the men Fiends. :rofl2: So beyond that, I gotta tell you that your kids are freakin beautiful! Little Izzy looks like a sweetheart. I still can't figure out why in the world you would want 5 kids....oh, wait, nevermind. :parrot: Anywho, loving this trip report. Can't wait to see what else you did in PF. We've never actually done the aquarium but everyone I know that has has loved it. I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. :popcorn: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Great report!! Love the checker board mat. Where you find that? Keep it coming.. :suspense: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 This is great! I love the bunkbed and the baby's bed. That would be an awesome idea for a group baby shower gift. It's something that as a mom would not think of purchasing myself, but would have loved to have had it when mine were babies.Looking forward to reading more about your trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Day 3We decided to suprise the kids with a visit to Dollywoods splash country today. we had orginally thought we'd skip it because of the expected crowds but it was going to be in the high 90's on this day, so we needed something to keep us cool. We had breakfast at the Golden Coral buffet, EXCELLENT Deal for big families, and they gave us a 20 percent discount with our Military ID cards so I fed the entire clan all they could eat for about $40 bucks.. that's is amazing to us! Then we headed to the water park. We were almost discouraged to the point of turning around when we saw the parking lot.. it was totally full or appeared so from the road. Luckily for us, the crowds appeared to be going to Dollywood and not so much splash country. Again, this was an impromtu trip so the worst part was standing in line for our tickets. That took about 45 minutes but we finally got in. It wasnt as crowded as I expected it to be and we were lucky enough the get chairs for everyone in the kiddy area. It's true there isnt alot of shade there, we tried to either get a cabana or retreat but they were all sold out, for furture refernce I think we either have to get there at opening to get a good spot or spend the money on a cabana. Anywho.. here's a few shots.. I went off first with the big kids to hit some slides and Dad hung out with DD11 and babies in the kiddy area for a few..com/albums/m505/judycarter09/DSC01439.jpgPrincess Izzy was a fan! I'm going to pretend I dont see that middle finger sticking up there..All in all, we loved Splash Country and plan on doing it again soon!we almost made it to closing time, but around 5 a kid pooped in the kiddy area and they had to shut it down, we'd been there since around noon so we took that as our sign to go. Back to the campground to change and figure out what to do on our last night in Pigeon Forge! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Looks like a good time! The bunk beds are awesome!Cool jellyfish picture!Hope there is more to follow! Thanks Steph! It was a good time, hot but overall a great trip! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
doodlebug....Cherie 461 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 What a great day, the little ones playing in the water too cute. Good deal at Golden Corral, you can't be the price. Can't wait to see how you spend your last night. :banana: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Looks like fun!!!!Sure was Carol, I'm trying to use the multi quote with no luck, I can't choose more than one "multiquote" button.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Wow good job Judy, it looks like everyone is having fun. Keep it coming :banana:Thanks Cherie.. now if I could just figure out the damn multi quote Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 now if I could just figure out the damn multi quote What browser are you using?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Ok Judy, first off, this quote tells me all I need to know about you. You drive ahead, take care of the BS, set up camp, AND have a cold one waiting for your husband when he arrives? I think you've just melted the hearts of all the men Fiends. :rofl2: So beyond that, I gotta tell you that your kids are freakin beautiful! Little Izzy looks like a sweetheart. I still can't figure out why in the world you would want 5 kids....oh, wait, nevermind. :parrot: Anywho, loving this trip report. Can't wait to see what else you did in PF. We've never actually done the aquarium but everyone I know that has has loved it. I'm looking forward to the rest of your report. :popcorn:Remember Dave, I'm on a agenda to convince my Dave that camping is fun! We lived in Hawaii for almost 10 years, no camping there except with the military. Not alot of fun. When we moved to Alabama and I mentioned the idea of going camping with the kids he thought i'd finally gone mad.. so yea.. I definatley went above and beyond to make him happy on this one.. :rofl2: Thank you Dave, I'm pretty darn lucky in the kid department, Izzy is something else! Can you imagine if we ever get our bunch together at a GG? Look forward to the day! It's a good thing little Ms. Anna is a people person, I have the over whelming desire to kiss those little cheeks! I look forward to meeing all the fiend kids! People ask me all the time how in the world did I end up with five kids, Me being the inert smartass that I am, tell them that I finally figured out what was causing it.. so I gave up tequila.. :rofl2: truth be told if I didnt work, I'd probably have more than five. My husband tells me it's because I'm on the same mental level as most kids.. not sure about that comment yet :parrot: Highly recommend the aquarium, it was definatley one of the coolest I've seen! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 What browser are you using??at the risk of sounding totally stupid..I'm not sure, this is my kitchen laptop so nothing fancy.. what ever Dell installs on the Xp Home version of things.. I buy aircraft parts for a living, doesnt require alot of computer smarts.. :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Great report!! Love the checker board mat. Where you find that? Keep it coming.. :suspense:RVMats.com (I think that's it), Carol posted an ebay link that had the same mat for about 30 bucks cheaper than I paid :argh: this is the story of my life, I did order the pirates one they had on the ebay site, will match my Halloween motif perfectly.. If your POC flag gets missing.. it wasnt me!! :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 This is great! I love the bunkbed and the baby's bed. That would be an awesome idea for a group baby shower gift. It's something that as a mom would not think of purchasing myself, but would have loved to have had it when mine were babies.Looking forward to reading more about your trip.thanks Yvonne! it's amazing how much cool stuff they make for babies these days! I wish I'd had something like that when my big kids were small!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 at the risk of sounding totally stupid..I'm not sure, this is my kitchen laptop so nothing fancy.. what ever Dell installs on the Xp Home version of things.. I buy aircraft parts for a living, doesnt require alot of computer smarts.. :rofl2:That means you have the dreaded internet explorer. Get Firefox or Google Chrome! IE SUCKS! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AuburnJen 771 Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 please get off IE, and now...thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 please get off IE, and now...thanks.Yes Ma'am!!! Done, that was easy enough, now let me try that multiquote thing again.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MLM5.. aka Judy 97 Posted June 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 That means you have the dreaded internet explorer. Get Firefox or Google Chrome! IE SUCKS!please get off IE, and now...thanks.Hey it worked! who would have thunk! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beccaewert 10 Posted June 6, 2011 Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Great trip report...loved seeing all the pics! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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