While in Gatlinburg one day, I dragged the family over to Ober Gatlinburg because I wanted to go, so they had better as well. Well now, I wasn't that bad, but I loved going up the cable car when I was younger and knew they would too.

And they did.

Two cable cars carry up to 120 people at a time from downtown Gatlinburg and all the way up Mt. Harrison every twenty minutes to the ski resort and year-round amusement park.

During the winter, snow skiing and indoor ice skating are popular activities, while the rest of the year, people can ride the various rides in the amusement park or take a scenic chair lift the rest of the way up the mountain to an overlook with breathtaking views of Gatlinburg below and the Smoky Mountains in the near distance. We, of course, bought the photos that they took of us going up the chairlift.

Later, back in Gatlinburg, we took the boys to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. J loves sharks and one of the main attractions in the aquarium is an underwater tunnel through the shark reef. He was astounded and wanted to go through it multiple times.

So, we did. ;)

But what gave me the heebee jeebees was the giant Japanese spider crab thingies.

Sorry, but they were really creepy.

Did you know they can grow up to a spread of 10 feet? They are known as the "the largest crustacean in the world" according to Ripley's website.

More my style was Ripley's Davy Crockett Putt Putt golf. It's nice and slow and country and no giant sharks or spiders forcing their way into your subconscious making you have nightmares for days to come...

I love putt putt and think I did pretty well. I could have kept on playin'. But, instead we headed out for dinner and shopping, which is something Gatlinburg has an abundance of.

Now tomorrow, I'll tell you about Cades Cove back in the national park. Some gorgeous scenery and wild animals there, folks.

Thank God, no Japanese spider crabs. (shudder)