Flying to Knoxville TN to visit our daughter Christine and the grand kids is a bit tricky and always involves a change in planes. Since Christine was working Atlanta, I was able to take a direct flight to Georgia.
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| Circling Silicon Valley after take off |
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| A stop in Denver |
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The Atlanta GA airport is enormous and this part of the country is so much more humid than California. After a few hours of driving, we settle in a Farm House vacation rental just south of Knoxville.
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| Downtown Atlanta GA |
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| The Farm House - our home for the next two weeks |
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Circle G Ranch
One day we take the kids to the
Circle G Ranch, a drive through Zoo just outside of Knoxville.
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| Truck Safari through the park |
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| Cody and Brooklyn ham it up for the camera |
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| Zoomobile |
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The main attraction is the drive through area where you can feed all kinds of critters from your car.
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| Cody surveys the critters |
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| Emu with an eye for food |
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Many of the animals are in your face, not at all shy about getting a handout...
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| No bull - give me a goody |
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Others have tricks for a treat...
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| Tongues for treats |
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| Please, please give me a goodie |
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| Tongue and teeth for treats |
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Besides the drive-through, there's also a petting zoo...
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| Camels neck stretching for food |
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| Joe Cool Camel |
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| Llama takes a nap |
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Pot-bellied pigs and chickens are everywhere.
Caged goats bleat for breakfast.
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| Cody feeds a goat |
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| Feed me.... feed me |
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| Brooklyn gives the goats treats |
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Picnic tables and a playground are fun for the kids.
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| Peacock patrols picnic area |
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| Cody and Brooklyn check out the playground |
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| Brother and sister on swing |
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Chuck E Cheese
No - not all Chuck E Cheeses have gone out of business. It's alive and well in Knoxville.
Lazy Day on Little River
Just south of Townsend TN is a parking lot alongside the Little River which is a favorite of locals and visitors. Besides just hanging out along the river, tubing is a fun summer trip.
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| Little River |
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| Tubers and picnickers gather along the river |
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| Bubba approved! |
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We pick a nice place in the shade and hang out with the kids for a pleasant afternoon.
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| Picnic lunch time |
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| Cody gives a thumbs up |
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| Brooklyn builds sand castles |
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Anchor Park, Farragut TN
Another afternoon, I hang out with the kids at a large playground in Farragut while Christine runs errands.
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| Kid friend fishing |
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| Brooklyn casts critters out of sand |
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| Cody's in the construction business |
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Fireworks!
With the lush vegetation and many lakes, ponds, and waterways, there's not much fire danger in this part of Tennessee. In fact, just east of Knoxville off of I-40 in Lenoir City is a huge
Fireworks Supermarket. This place is stacked to the ceiling with all kinds of fireworks. So many that the store hosts an interactive video system so sales people can demo how some of their more expensive pyrotechnics explode.
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| Fireworks Supermarket |
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| Stacked to the ceiling |
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| Salesman demos different explosives |
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On the flight home, it's easy to see just how lush this part of Tennessee is.
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| Large lake below |
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| Ahhhh... we've above the clouds bound for home |
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Loved seeing Christine and the kids. Knoxville has a lot to offer. Thanks for giving me visuals.
ReplyDeleteWith the Great Smokey Mountains National Park http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm close by, this area of Tennessee really does have much to offer families.
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