Starbuc's non-fort 4th of july Tennessee Vacation

[Starbuc71 162]

7/8/2012- UPDATE.... Many of you know we take our annual trek to gatlinburg, TN every 4th of July. This year was no different...and i mean no different. Below was our trip report from last year just about everything this year was mirroe image of last year right down to the same camping sites and visiting the same resturants and attractions. I guess some can call us boreing people taking the exact same vacation, but I call it planing a perfect vacation that we never get bored with. For some fiends that have joined after this trip report ran it's course last year enjoy the whole trip. Just picture my kids a year older and the dates on the pics changed to 2013. For the ones who already read this feel free to enjoy again.

Dave

Well, here it is. All of you knew I took a break from the fiends site for a while. My intention was to return when we came back from our summer vacation with a cool trip report. And as most of you know, I came back a little earlier to clear my name....lol, well, not really. Anyways, every year we take one big vacation which is usually at least 7 - 8 days. For the past 2 years we have been doing our normal 4-5 long weekends at the fort (remember we live about an 1 1/2 away) and usually (1) long whole week at the fort usually sometime during the MNSSHP. Before the kids and pre travel trailer, the wife and I would vacation in and around Gatlinburg Tennessee every year. As the kids and camping came along and our first trailer grew from a 17ft hybrid to our now 30ft toyhauler, Tennessee was a tough trip. But this year, we decided to load the Hess station in the back of the truck and make the trek. Now I know a lot of you fiends are from up North or out west and getting the fort is a major trip in it's self, but since we usually only hang around FL with our long weekends, this is a major trip for us. My wife and I are in the same business so it's sometimes hard to get time off together. We were lucky and got 12 beautiful days off in a row.

I have to admit, I am nowheres a good trip reporter in terms that I forget to carry my camera alot and always say sh$@ after we passed something and forgot to take a pic. But I think I got some good shots so you all get the idea of our trip.

We stated our trek on Wed. June 28th. We planned to be on the road by 7am and actually for once got going by 6:30. We were supposed to leave Thurs. but we thought to get a good start on Wednesday and drive 1/2 way or at least past Atlanta. I searched online to find a good overnight stop. Nothing fancy, just close to the interstate and fairly safe. We stumbled upon the Georgia state Parks website and came across Red Top Mountain State park. It was about 20 miles north of Atlanta and literally right off 75. Normally for an overnight stop we would pick a KOA, but nowadays, it's hard to find decent ones without a lot of permanant scary campers. I don't mind, but the wife and kids do. Some of you may be familiar with Red Top Mountian park. All I have to say is WOW. What a nice park. The park is huge. We arrived there about 5:30 due to a 2 hour back up on 75 right near Ocala. For those familiar with 75, all northbound traffic from Wildwood where the tunpike merges with 75 to past Ocala was closed. We took farm roads for 2 hours. I was hot. Anyways back to Red Top. We reserved a 40ft pull through for $25. It included 30/50 amp, water and cable. How can you beat that. We explored the campground by foot since herbie sat this trip out. What an asome campground. For people with pop ups or smaller trailers, the lake front sites rock. Below are a few maps

Here was our site. We never unhitched and the traier was perfectly level. We dropped the jacks, pluged in with elec. water and cable and we were set

The kids loved the exploring. There were many huge rocks and the kids love to climb

These shots were looking down from our site. If you look at the map, all the pull through sites were located together, I believe there are like 12 or 14 pull throughs

We grilled out since once we set, we were set for the night. We took along walk over to the other size sites near the lake. They were beautiful and so was the lake. Wouldn't you know, I forgot to grab the camera on our walk...duh. As I stated the park is huge and we were not able to explore the whole park. I believe they have rental cabins, rental boats, picnic shelters and even a yurt...which is a new kinda tent thingy to me.

Tomorrow is a ealy day back on the road to Gatlinburg.......

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great start. I know what you mean about pictures, I never remember my camera. The ones you did take look really nice. Your kids are precious.

I just wish we had state parks in Michigan as nice as the ones down south. I'll be waiting patiently to read more :popcorn:

[anolefan 8]

I have been waiting for this report!

I knew you were going to Gatlinburg and staying at the Smoky Bear Campground right? We have family in Kingsport and love that area. I can't wait to read your thoughts on your stay, we have been eying this place for a while.

You are off to a great start and I can't wait for more.

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

I love state parks and Georgia has some really nice ones. I have never been to Red Top, but it looks gorgeous! I am looking forward to hearing more.

[Starbuc71 162]

I forgot to add the website for Red Top Mountian incase your all wondering what the heck is a yurt?

http://gastateparks.org/RedTopMountain/

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Well those are just cool :banana:

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Looks like a great park. Looking forward to reading more. :popcorn:

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

Looks like a great park. Looking forward to reading more. :popcorn:

X2!

[stacktester 78]

I've said it before and I'll say it again unless you had joined back up you'd be our lost fiend that wasn't in the flock. The pics look great and I can already tell this will be a multi page report that I look forward to reading. As of late this place should be called tripreport.com lol. Hope to see some updating soon.

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

:popcorn:

[blm2003 2]

:popcorn: Looking good so far, can't wait to read more!

[stefa70 205]

You're off to a good start! I'm still stuck on "a 40 foot pull through site with water & cable for $25" Holy cow, sign me up! Looks like a beautiful place, looking forward to the rest. :popcorn:

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

:popcorn:

[campingpixi 11]

:suspense:

[Starbuc71 162]

Great start. I know what you mean about pictures, I never remember my camera. The ones you did take look really nice. Your kids are precious.

I need to get a new Camera, I have the old kodak digital that everyone had back on 03 and it's bulky. One of these days. The kids always look the happiest when were camping

I just wish we had state parks in Michigan as nice as the ones down south. I'll be waiting patiently to read more :popcorn:

Actually the state parks in Ga don't even compare to the ones in FL. We actually stopped camping in the ones in FL due to most are dusty and very tight spots (ask lou about Ft. Desoto) Have you ever camped up in the UP? We were at a park called little girls point right outside of Ironwood Mi. that was real nice

I have been waiting for this report!

I knew you were going to Gatlinburg and staying at the Smoky Bear Campground right? We have family in Kingsport and love that area. I can't wait to read your thoughts on your stay, we have been eying this place for a while.

You are off to a great start and I can't wait for more.

With all the trip reports I was going to wait but I said what the heck. If you plan on going camping around Gatlinburg, I highly reccomend Smoky bear. I will get into that place down the road

I love state parks and Georgia has some really nice ones. I have never been to Red Top, but it looks gorgeous! I am looking forward to hearing more.

From what I could see Red top was a very nice place to enjoy a beautiful lake and awesome camping. If anyone here has camped there, please chime in

Well those are just cool :banana:

If you mean the pics...thanks, if you ment the Yurts, I thought so too. It may be a GA thing since I believe a place called Durahamtown (an ATV park) has them also. Donnie may have more info since he's been there

Looks like a great park. Looking forward to reading more. :popcorn:

Thanks Dave. A new installment should be on the way

I've said it before and I'll say it again unless you had joined back up you'd be our lost fiend that wasn't in the flock. The pics look great and I can already tell this will be a multi page report that I look forward to reading. As of late this place should be called tripreport.com lol. Hope to see some updating soon.

Thanks for talking me into coming back. Hopefully I can add an installment every night. I think I took around 100 or so pics. It was really a great, non-incident trip

You're off to a good start! I'm still stuck on "a 40 foot pull through site with water & cable for $25" Holy cow, sign me up! Looks like a beautiful place, looking forward to the rest. :popcorn:

That's what i said. How can you beat $25. I have to admit the cable really sucked but I didn't care. What a great place for a relaxing GG even if I don't partake...lol You should check it out

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

If you mean the pics...thanks, if you ment the Yurts, I thought so too. It may be a GA thing since I believe a place called Durahamtown (an ATV park) has them also. Donnie may have more info since he's been there

They have Yurts at Torreya State Park here where we live in Florida.

[Lizzy Dorie 777 1]

Glad you enjoyed Red Top, we have stayed there several times since it is about an hour south of us. Never had a problem always happy. They have several trails which parallel the Lake, great fishing and swimming at the Lake.The unfortunate thing is they closed the beautiful Lodge that is there. We always enjoyed eating there when we camped. State budget constraints have closed several in GA. :'(

[LONE-STAR 370]

:popcorn:

[Starbuc71 162]

Well, it's thursday morning and it's time to leave Red Top mountain. We got a great night sleep after a full day of driving. I forgot to mention, did you notice the concrete picinic tables? I have not seen them in a long time. I guess it keeps people from moving them. As always I forgot to take some pictures entering the park. I guess coming in is the same as going out. In this pic, 75 is right on the other side of those hills just over the bridge

The lake which this park is on I believe is called alltoona lake. by the map you can see it has many fingers and coves. Here is a pic after the bridge and look twords the lake

We were on the road by about 9:30. I couldn't pull another 6am. We were on vaction right?...lol The wife was smart and packed some breakfast items in the truck so we did not need a hour or so delay at the cracker barrel like usual. By this point I believe we were on our 4th fill up. Once we hit Chattanooga about 11am I stopped for another dose of fuel. I was surprised to see in both GA and TN regular gas was an average of about $3.34 per gallon. Not that that was great, but it helped compared to the $3.55 we are paying in and around Tampa. Getting gas while pulling the camper is the thing I hate most while camping. When we go to the fort, I always make sure to fill to the top before we leave and then fill up after we set up at the fort so we don't have to stop on the way home. We usually burn about 3/4 tank from our home to the fort. On a trip like this, it's always a crap shoot to see if you picked the right exit with a large enough station. With 20ft of truck and 20 ft of trailer, a lot of you know it can be a pain.

Around 1:30pm we were passing by lenior City which is a small town off of 75 in TN. In past trips we would always get off at Lenior City which for some of you more locals will know, this will cut over to Maryville via 321 to Townsend then through Wears Valley to Piegon Forge. We were leary time since the last trip here we ended up tearing our awining due to some scary hairpin turns and tight mountain roads. The other alternative was to go all the way through Knoxville and over to 40 then backtrack back to Gatlinburg. I guess i was feeling adventureous and decided to take the shorter route. to know surprise, it was a sucess. The last time we met a 40ft 5er on a hairpin turn and he was not budging so it was I who scraped the rocks. Not this time :) We finally arrived at Smoky bear campgrounds around 3pm

Don't pay attention to the dates on the camera since the battery kept dying and I screwed up all the dates. As I stated, this campground is one of our favorites. it is owned and operated by Barry and Chong O'leary. You could not ask for better host of a campground. This place has just about 50 campsites all with full hookup including electric, sewer, cable and water. 9 of the sites are concrete pull throughs while the others are back in quarry stone. They also have four cabins for rent along with a truck camper that is permantly on one of thier sites. There is also a small primitive camping tent area twords the back which looked like about 5 or so sites. Here are some pics driving into the campgrounds

here is the owners residence and also the camp store and office

This was the first time we were able to enjoy the pool at smoky bear since usually we are here in October or November. hre is there pool which is located right across from the office

This was looking at the pool from the other side with the office to your right. The 9 concrete pull throughs are lined up in the back of this shot

And this was looking at the pool/bathhouse from the back side through an empty back-in site

A couple things I forgot to mention and did not take any pics of (another Duh?) the store has a lot of basic items and also some local craft items I belive made from the owners and other locals for sale. they do carry camping supplies, cold drinks and a variety of other items. On the porch of the office is your typical brochure rack with all the pamphlets of fun things to do in the smokies.

I did not get a chance to viisit the bathhouse since we usually shower in the RV, but while at the pool, my wife took my a daughter a few times and she said they were super clean. the bath house is the large building on the backside of the pool with ladies on the right and gents on the left

We had booked this trip about 2 weeks after Christmas in January. I figured like the fort, holidays would book fast. Chong told me back then that people who stay more than a week, she tries to get them into some of the more roomier and spaceous sites. When we arrived, she gave us site 18. Boy were we happy. this was an awsome site. It was the largest site in the place, it was half shade and half sun, it had a grass area for the kids and it did not back up to the road. Just about every site has some sort of gardening done. Ours had a large flower bed in the front and it could not have been any better. Here are a few pics of the site

After set up was time to wash up and get some grub. the wife and I were starving and she wanted to head to one of her favorites in the smokies. More to come.........

[Starbuc71 162]

As usuall, i forgot to ad the website for the campground. From the site map you can see the layout of the campground

http://smokybearcampground.com/index.shtml

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

This is great! We love Smoky Bear Campground. For awhile we were spending all our fall breaks there. Then my son got really busy with football and gas prices went up :argh: so, the last time we went to Gatlinburg we ended up not taking the camper and just staying at a condo right in town. I really missed being at the campground. I love that when I would call to make reservations Chong would really take the time to find out about what you were towing, how many would be there and try to find the best site for you. Then when you get there they go out of their way to make sure you are happy.

[anolefan 8]

Looks like a wonderful campground!

We usually take the same route you mentioned along 321 to Gatlinburg. The scenery is great and Wears Valley is a pretty neat little town. I can't imagine pulling a rig that way though.

Great Job! Can't wait for the next update.

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

I can't wait to read more - thanks for sharing!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This report is great!

I always enjoy seeing other campgrounds, and hearing about other people's experiences in them.

It looks like you timed this trip perfectly in terms of gas prices.

I understand completely about the back-up you hit on I-75 south of Ocala. Been there. Done that. More than once. Not a good way to start your trip.

But, it looks like things smoothed out for you after that.

That State Park in Georgia is gorgeous. You are right about Florida's State Parks. We should be embarrassed.

I love the looks of your campground in Tennessee.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

Thanks for posting a report!

TCD

[Starbuc71 162]

They have Yurts at Torreya State Park here where we live in Florida.

Where is Torreya State Park. Sounds like an interesting name. Is it an interesting park?

Glad you enjoyed Red Top, we have stayed there several times since it is about an hour south of us. Never had a problem always happy. They have several trails which parallel the Lake, great fishing and swimming at the Lake.The unfortunate thing is they closed the beautiful Lodge that is there. We always enjoyed eating there when we camped. State budget constraints have closed several in GA.

I think when the kids get a bit older I would not mind staying there longer. Our kids get bored real quick at thier ages right now. I agree with you on budget constraints. Our wonderful governor here in FL is actually looking to close some parks to save money. Some are now even closing 2 days a week. have you ever heard of such a thing?

This is great! We love Smoky Bear Campground. For awhile we were spending all our fall breaks there. Then my son got really busy with football and gas prices went up :argh: so, the last time we went to Gatlinburg we ended up not taking the camper and just staying at a condo right in town. I really missed being at the campground. I love that when I would call to make reservations Chong would really take the time to find out about what you were towing, how many would be there and try to find the best site for you. Then when you get there they go out of their way to make sure you are happy.

Compared to the fort, smoky bear is our favorite campground. I just wished we lived closer. There is not much to it, but the owners like you said are super nice and it's a great place to relax and be out of the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas

Looks like a wonderful campground!

We usually take the same route you mentioned along 321 to Gatlinburg. The scenery is great and Wears Valley is a pretty neat little town. I can't imagine pulling a rig that way though.

Great Job! Can't wait for the next update.

Taking 321 saved us about a 1/2 hour in the long run. I bit a few nails off taking the road over to Wears Valley but we made it. With the gas mileage we get you have to make sure through mountian raods you have the gas or your screwed. i am starting to realize that a pop up can get you many more places at times and also some nice campgrounds that the 30fter won't

I can't wait to read more - thanks for sharing!

With the amount of pics, I'm almost 1/2 way there

This report is great!

I always enjoy seeing other campgrounds, and hearing about other people's experiences in them.

It looks like you timed this trip perfectly in terms of gas prices.

I understand completely about the back-up you hit on I-75 south of Ocala. Been there. Done that. More than once. Not a good way to start your trip.

But, it looks like things smoothed out for you after that.

That State Park in Georgia is gorgeous. You are right about Florida's State Parks. We should be embarrassed.

I love the looks of your campground in Tennessee.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip.

Thanks for posting a report!

TCD

Yeah, the Ocala part sucked but overall, that was the worst thing on the trip and happened right at the start. We could have had far worse problems. Your right, we should be embarressed by some of our state parks. If Gov. Scott has his way, we will see less of them in the near future. Don't get me wrong, I love Florida but I think what I like most about the fort is that at times you feel like your not in FL. I guess you had to grow up in the North to understand what I mean. More to come.....