Anna's Adventures

If you haven’t already read day one of our anniversary trip you might want to so that you’re up to speed!

50’s themed diners, apple cider & mountain coasters!

Like our normal vacation mornings, we started off slowly. No alarms, no set in stone plans…just vibes. I made my way upstairs to the kitchen, brewed us a pot of coffee, and sat on the porch like some kind of mountain grandma. LOL! But it was so nice to soak in the rainy morning. The mountains were doing their smoky, magical thing, and everything just felt so cozy. The rain just gave us the perfect excuse to stay cozy and do absolutely nothing. 10/10 morning.

By lunchtime, we headed down to the Parkway in Pigeon Forge to find something to eat. There was a 50s-themed diner, Sunliner Diner, nearby so we put our name on the list. Inside the diner felt like jumping into a movie scene. There’s classic cars, neon lights, jukeboxes, and servers wearing old school uniforms. I ordered a waffle, onion rings, and a crispy diet coke. Honestly, I don’t think it gets more southern than that.

After lunch we wanted to do something exciting! Our original plan was to go white water rafting but the water levels were not high enough. So, we opted for doing a few mountain coasters. We didn’t know if they would still let us do the coasters in the rain but to our surprise, they had rain shields on the ride vehicles. Awesome, sign us up!! LOL.

We started with the “goat coaster” at Goats on the Roof. Let’s just say this was way more thrilling than I was expecting it to be. This was my first mountain coaster and I couldn’t stop laughing. SO MUCH FUN!

Our next stop was just down the street. The Smoky Mountain Aline Coaster. It’s the longest mountain coaster in the US! The view riding up the mountain was so peaceful and pretty but I’m not going to lie, I was a little anxious that I was going to see a bear and not being able to do anything about it. That thought probably helped fuel my adrenaline. HA!

All that coaster excitement definitely worked up our appetites, so we made our way to The Apple Barn for a little snack break. Y’all already know I was hyped for this stop. (I love apples) The Apple Barn is basically apple heaven, and yes, it lived up to the hype.

They had apple everything…jelly, butter, cider, candles, decor. The general store was like a rustic apple wonderland. We grabbed some of their ice cold cider to sip on and picked up a half dozen apple donuts to go, because why not?! I will have dreams of those honey glazed apple donuts for the rest of my life.

We took a little break back at the cabin and played a few rounds of pool. We aren’t professionals by any means, but we did have a few close rounds. My husband might say otherwise but I would of totally won if we kept playing…I just needed a few more rounds of practice. LOL!

We made our way back into town for our dinner reservations at The Greenbrier. The restaurant was a little on the fancier side, making this a perfect place for a one-year anniversary celebration. And let me tell you… this place really hit the spot.

The Greenbrier has this cozy mountain charm with rustic decor, soft lighting, and the kind of ambiance that makes you feel really special. Our table was glowing with candlelight, and our waiter handed me a single red rose to celebrate our anniversary. Like, what?! So sweet.

Dinner itself? Absolutely divine. We enjoyed every single bite. If you’re ever looking for a cozy little date night spot in the mountains, The Greenbrier is definitely the place to go.

Day two is in the books, and another full day is ahead. See you for day 3?

must see: smoky mountains, tn

• Goats on the Roof
• The Smoky Mountain Aline Coaster
• The Apple Barn

must eat: smoky mountains, tn

• Sunliner Diner
• The Greenbrier