On the way to the outlet mall in Pigeon Forge, we stopped for some Chick-Fil-A chicken minis, hash browns and a biscuit for Michael. It was delicious! I love their breakfast.
We ended up spending way too much time at the mall (oops) without getting anything. The weather was beautiful and warm, which was nice, but Paul was having a rough time going with the flow. He did not want to walk around and was easily upset. We were all tired by the time we left. It turned out in our favor that the short drive from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg took more than an hour (without traffic it's a 15 minute drive) because Paul fell asleep and got a good nap in.
We were pretty hungry by the time we parked a little ways from "the Strip" in Gatlinburg. Our first order of business was to find food. We found some cool bear statues first though!
We saw Fannie Farkel's and decided to get a giant corn dog! Luckily we all shared one or I think I would have been sick! I had seen that there was a good donut shop nearby so we set out to find it. The Donut Friar definitely lived up to its reputation! I got a chocolate crueller, Michael got a sprinkle donut and Paul went for a chocolate glazed donut.
I love this picture of Paul! He ate the top -- the chocolate part plus a layer of donut -- off first.
After we had filled up with good fried food, we went to play putt-putt. We had originally wanted to Hillbilly Golf, which is an outdoor course built up on a hill. But despite the beautiful weather, it was closed. We found this indoor one and it was perfect! I think it worked out even better. The hill might have been hard on Paul, but this one was so fun for all of us. Paul actually played pretty well, getting several holes in two or three strokes. The true miracle of the game was that I played well and even won! Michael always wins (in pretty much every kind of game we play, except Banangrams). It was my birthday miracle! Michael and I both got hole-in-ones, which was fun! Paul absolutely loved it -- of course, he loves every single sport he tries, and while this was his first time playing, he has a plastic golf set that he plays with at home. We will have to go back for his birthday in April.
Paul taking a little break.
Michael in the fun black light section.
Check out this swing!
We almost left him there. He blended right in!
After our very fun golf adventure, we walked up the Strip, checking out shops and candy stores as we went. Eventually, we were hungry for dinner, so we went to Calhoun's for ribs. We were all exhausted (as you can see in a later picture of Paul and Dad) but dinner was great! Afterward, we had a hike ahead of us just to get back to our car. We walked much faster back, but it still took us 20-30 minutes.
Christmas lights were still up!
The drive home took much longer than anticipated due to bad traffic, but that was ok! We had so much fun and were all very glad to be home in time for bed. It was a wonderful birthday!
Looks like the perfect day!
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