Making Mountain Memories 

Things you can do to make your Smoky Mountain vacation unforgettable

When I was a young man – somewhere around the Cretaceous period – I went on a school trip to Europe. It was 10 days in Holland, Belgium, Paris, and London. As it was in the ancient days, I didn’t have a cell phone camera with which to document my trip. I had a small Cannon camera – not even an SLR – with a dozen rolls of 400 exp film, 36 shots to the roll. The good stuff, you know. 

It was a fantastic trip filled with the kind of adventures that you assume at the time you’ll remember for a lifetime. When I got the pictures developed – that sentence has dust on it – my uncle Mark suggested I write on the back, describing the subject of the picture so the older version of myself – the current me – would know what they are without having to remember.

Friends, at the time I had a mind like a steel trap – whatever that means. Basically, I didn’t forget things. I. did. not. forget. I smiled at his suggestion, patted him lightly – possibly condescendingly – and thanked him for the suggestion and went about my business.

Today, 30 years later I remember his suggestion but half of the stuff in those pictures? I have no idea. It’s just gone to the passage of time, replaced by newer memories which have themselves been replaced.

Make some memories

I say that to say this, there are a lot of reasons we take vacation. Part of it is to recharge, a well-earned respite from the grind of our lives. Part of it is to live in the moment, enjoy time with family and friends. And part of it is to make memories, something to hang on to when our lives are in a different place. Much of what I think about today is trying to make memories for my family to have when I’ve gone on, following the subject of my own memories into the great beyond.

Wow. Sorry for that little morbid turn. But the point is, build memories with our families – enjoy them in the moment – and hang on to them for later. But how do we do that? How do we create something that is better off occurring spontaneously? 

Well, we’ve got some tips.

Create a tradition

This doesn’t work so much if you only come to the mountains once or twice in a lifetime. But many of the visitors to the Smokies and the National Park – presumably, a majority – visit several times over the course of their lives. One of the ways you can build lasting memories is by taking advantage of that creating a tradition that you and your family can carry on and your kids can pass down to their kids.

You have to be a little considerate here. Change is the watchword of the Smokies. Things come and they go. You’ve got to have a little bit of a crystal ball about what will and won’t last. For instance? If in the ’80s you decided that your family would go to Ogle’s Water Park every time you visited, that tradition went the way of the dodo. 

But if you ALWAYS include a picnic at Metcalf Bottoms or you ALWAYS drive the Cades Cove Loop, those are things that will last, things that become part of the itinerary that everyone understands are just going to happen. Other places I would suggest that have staying power are the Pancake Pantry, Ober Mountain and Dollywood. Just because they have weathered the test of time doesn’t mean they will continue to do so, but things look good, you know?

Document the passage of time

Since we live in the mountains, we rarely have a full vacation there. We like to go to the beach or places like Washington D.C., maybe New York. And we’ve done a lot of Disney vacations in Orlando.

One of our traditions – see above – is to look for the table in the Storybook Circus area of the Magic Kingdom. When John Paul was just turning 3, he and I sat at that table while his mom and older sister when through the nearby shop. It was approaching the golden hour; he was tired and a little hot. He laid his arm down on the table and rested his head. The scene struck me. I snapped a couple of pics and some video of him sharing his thoughts. He was still a wild-haired toddler and had a quick mind and a penchant for mischief. Somehow all of that is captured in that photo.

A few years later, we were back in that area and the idea struck to recreate the shot. So now when we go back, we take the shot again, at that same table in the same pose. You can see him, in a couple of swipes on the phone, age from that little boy to the young man he is now. I wouldn’t trade all the souvenirs in the Magic Kingdom for those pics.

You can do the same thing in the mountains. Good options are at some of the cabins in the Cove or at a favorite picnic table. Atop Kuwohi would also work well. There are also several places in Dollywood that would be perfect. Now, I do suggest you choose something a little more permanent than a theme park table. Disney could retheme the area any day – and the way Disney is going, they’re likely to – and our picture locale would be lost.

Splurge a little

Vacations are expensive and you have to budget. I get it. You have to be smart with the allocation of your finances. And there’s something to be said for the idea that money can’t buy happiness. However, let us quote the philosopher Daniel Tosh. “Money doesn’t buy happiness … It buys a wave runner. You ever see a sad person on a wave runner?”

If you build room for a careful, considered splurge in your vacation budget, it can really kick things up a notch. Stay in a fancier hotel than normal – maybe one of the Dollywood suites or a cabin that’s nicer than your house. Get those Dollywood Time Saver Passes. Skip catfish place and pay for a more expensive meal. Money can’t always buy happiness, but it can make your vacation more memorable.

Do something out of character

Remember that time dad rode the zipline? Or when mom got on the Wild Eagle? Vacation memories can be built by throwing some amount of caution to the wind. Want to really build a memory? The Mountain Monster at the Mountain Mile, which offers three thrilling options, including one in which you are dropped at 65 MPH from a 175-foot-tall tower. You WILL remember that. Unless you pass out, of course. But in that case, your family will remember it and talk about it frequently at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What is your favorite way to make memories on vacation in the Smokies? Let us know in the comments!