Ok so as bad as this is going to sound, my family has not been on a family vacation, as in all four of us...at the same time... in, well, ever. I told you that was going to sound bad. Sure we have been on day trips, even weekend trips, but a real vacation out of the state..yea no. This year I have decided that was going to be a thing of the past. Yes, we live in a beautiful city that people love to vacation to, but we are going to start being the ones to travel. We are going to explore new things & new places. I grew up traveling, living in places such as San Francisco & Key West so I love to travel. And it's about time I do more of it! So first trip: Maggie Valley NC. I went to Maggie Valley with my youngest daughter when she was a wee 1 month old. Of course we had to re-create:
With a population of 1,247 according to 2014 census, Maggie Valley is a quaint little town nestled in, you guessed it, the valley of the Great Smoky Mountains. It is the birthplace of legendary moonshiner Marvin"Popcorn" Sutton. Hotels and cabin certainly aren't lacking in this little town and we found one that fit us perfectly. The Alamo Hotel is owned & operated by Mike & Dawn who will always greet you with a smile & generosity! They made our stay such a pleasure. If you are in the area, swing by and say hello!
While we were there we decided to explore the area over the next few days in our down time. We saw the famous Ghost Town in the Sky which was abandoned. According to their website they are in the process of rebuilding and the park is closed until 2016. I wanted to get some shots of the abandoned park but never made it back that way before we left. There are tons and tons of old abandoned buildings in the area, which is right up my ally
I hope to be able to explore more of these beautiful buildings when I go back. I would have loved to get better shots but with the time we had, trying to squeeze everything in...next time!
Right smack in the middle of town, you can find Maggie Mountaineer Crafts store. We stayed in this place for what seemed like hours. Everything from toys, jewelry, souvenirs, homemade candy - spices - sauces, and FUDGE! Literally like every flavor you could imagine made daily. There are some pretty awesome photo props out front that we thoroughly took advantage of.
Then, when you are all done getting your shop on, you can relax around back by the creek.
Trust me, its worth it.
I absolutely loved visiting this little town. Just to sit in the valley with nothing but mountains surrounding is so serene. It simply gives you a sense of calmness & tranquility. I can not wait to venture back up to Maggie Valley and capture more of this beautiful place.
Next on the blog: Soco Falls
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