Anyone who knows John and I well, knows that we love a good trip. It doesn’t have to be a long vacation (though we do love those) sometimes it can be just a quick weekend! Trips are our love language– experiencing new things together, finding little restaurants, picking a spot on the map, and hitting the road. In the past we’ve gone to Hawaii, Montana, Mexico, Florida, Atlanta, Asheville, Greenville, Austin, Hilton Head, Savannah, Jeckyl Island, etc. for all sorts of fun, but this time we had a specific request to Santa from our little guy–  The Polar Express. And the Polar Express leaves out of Bryson City, NC– in the heart of the Smokey Mountains. So as soon as John finished his last final on Tuesday morning, we picked up Hunter from preschool and headed to the mountains.

We had the best time exploring this cute little mountain town, and highly recommend the whole trip to anyone looking for a fun little trip! We had a lot of people asking about what we did, and where we stayed, so I included the links below 🙂 Our airbnb was incredible, and we couldn’t have loved it more. It was just 2 minutes from downtown, but still felt secluded. Watching the Geminid meteor shower was magic– we saw dozens of meteors shoot across the sky!

Many thanks to my sister Katherine for stopping by on her way home from college to watch the baby so we could go on the train without a crying, tired girl 🙂 Also, if you’re ever in the Smokeys, you should check out the Road to Nowhere– that is the tunnel in the last set of photos 🙂

Our video: https://vimeo.com/247500812

Polar Express Train: http://www.gsmr.com/events/polar-express

Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20266165

The Iron Skillet: https://www.facebook.com/The-Iron-Skillet-195551680466902/

La Dolche Vita Bakery: http://www.dolcebryson.com/