Gatlinburg, TN

I Experienced A Gatlinburg TN Dream Vacation At White Oak Lodge & Resort

It's not often that I get a chance to make a getaway out of Central Kentucky...but last week I headed south of the border into the mountains of Tennessee.

My destination was White Oak Lodge & Resort.

I had seen their gorgeous pictures on their website.

A few months ago, I decided to give my readers a chance for a free trip to this resort after contact from Activerain member Donnie Hatfield. He and his wife Lisa manage the complex.

Once a month, a drawing is made from entries emailed through my weekly newsletter, "I Love Kentucky News!"

The lucky winner gets two nights in a chalet at White Oak Lodge & Resort.

Since I haven't been there to see it myself... I decided to visit.

I took the back way to get into Gatlinburg I-40 exit 435 and travel down scenic 321 straight to White Oak Lodge & Resort. It was so easy to find and absolutely no traffic jams.

Usually, my experience of traveling through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge traffic usually takes hours! This new route to get to Gatlinburg is fantastic!

Check in was a breeze and in moments I was at the chalet.

Let me tell you...I've been coming to Gatlinburg since I was a child and we have stayed in motels, hotels and chalets.

This chalet is a Smoky Mountain Palace!

The very best one I have ever stayed in.

Attention to every detail in decor, cleanliness, comfort and top of the line amenities everywhere you looked. I think my jaw dropped on the floor.

I couldn't wait to get settled in to enjoy my vacation. Now as much as I want to chillaxe... I still have to be connected to the outside world.

My laptop worked great with it's Sprint aircard and my cell phone worked well also with it's Internet connection.

Well...I could go on and on but you need to see White Oak Lodge & Resort for yourself and enjoy your next vacation there.

I know I will!

Lizette Fitzpatrick- Principal Broker at Lizette Realty.

#1 featured Kentucky Realtor on Activerain.com and Localism.com.

Publisher/Author for the only Central Kentucky email newsletter on local real estate listings and sold properties, Kentucky relocation, local events, homeowner information and fun!

For more information on Lizette, Kentucky Horse Farms, Lizette Realty, Madison County, Fayette County, Richmond or Lexington KY real estate click on Lizette.us.

See for yourself what Lizette's extraordinary clients have to say about their Kentucky Real Estate experience. Copyright © 2009 By Lizette Fitzpatrick, All Rights Reserved..*I Experienced A Gatlinburg TN Dream Vacation At White Oak Lodge & Resort*

A few years ago, a teacher named Ken Smith was spending his summer working in the gift shop at Yellowstone National Park. One of the items they sold there were the circus animal cookies that are so popular with children.

Ken thought that it was silly to sell cookies depicting giraffes, lions and tigers at Yellowstone. He thought that the cookies should depict bears, elk, bison and other Yellowstone creatures instead, and have an Yellowstone theme instead of a circus carton.

When he discovered that there were no such products on the market, he started the Wildlife Cookie Company to fill the niche. The first product he released was indeed based on animals in Yellowstone, and the cookies were a success. The company then made the decision to branch out into other National Parks, with a unique product for each area.

So when they decided to do a Great Smoky Mountains cookie box, our lives crossed. Ken contacted me and asked if I would provide the photos for the product container. I was only too happy to comply, and about six months later, the cookies appeared in gift shops and concession stands both in an out of the Park.

So if you are visiting the Smokies, and if you buy a souvenir cookie box, look on the back! If you look at the Clingman's dome observation tower very closely, you can see my wife waving at me! She has been immortalized forever in the sphere of animal cookiedom.

Now, how many people can say that? And the point of all of this? If you have a good idea ... run with it!

For more information visit the Wildlife Cookie Company and SmokyPhotos.com

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Realty and Coweta Fayette Real Estate of ERA United Realty Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2008.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and Lake West Point Lots.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is within a day's drive of half of the population of the United States, making it one of the mist visited national parks in the system.

Typically, the park attracts between eleven and thirteen million annual visitors. They come to hike, fish, view wildlife, investigate pioneer history and enjoy the spectacular vistas from the many overlooks.

The park encompasses over 800 square miles so there is always a new experience to be discovered!

There are more species of trees in the park than on the entire continent of Europe. This floral diversity has contributed to the park being designated as an International Biosphere preserve!

To get more information, please visit the park's website.

Photos courtesy of SmokyPhotos.com

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Realty and Coweta Fayette Real Estate of ERA United Realty Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2008.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and Lake West Point Lots.

Here in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee the rental properties and the income they generate are a crucial part of our economy. Particularly, the real estate industry in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

So far this year the bad economic news hasn't affected our rentals much. The looming crisis for our best rental season, the Fall leaves changing color, is a shortage of gas in several major southern cities. We have plenty of gas to go around here but it seems that many of our visitors from such gas starved areas as Atlanta, Nashville, and MIami are having a tough time making the choice to place their families in the car or mini-van for a vacation.

I fully expect the fear of travel to quickly subside once the gas stations in those cities have full tanks again. Hopefully, in the meantime a few travelers will go home and tell everyone, "they have gas in East Tennessee."

Every October I take several trips to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park to photograph the change of the seasons. In the Southeast, the mountains and autumn are intrinsically intertwined. The brilliant leaf color, the cooler temperatures, and the abundance of visible wildlife all contribute to a rejuvenating experience.

And it's not just the sights that draw me either. It's the smell of the new fallen leaves, the autumn blooming flowers and the fragrance of the cascading brooks and rivers. Every breath recharges and renews, and goes deep within the spirit.

And there are fall tastes as well. Anything apple: apple cider, apple fritters and fried apple pies! In the south, we also enjoy a big sack of boiled peanuts while we are on the road. The best are made in a big black kettle over an open fire. The mountains are also associated with huge country breakfasts of ham, eggs, hash browns, grits, biscuits and lots of gravy! Oh and pancakes too, we mustn't forget the pancakes.

But, sad to say, this year might be different. Downturns in the real estate market have made discretionary cash very limited. It is also unnerving to "hit the road" with an uncertain supply of gasoline. In our part of the country, only one in twelve stations have gasoline to sell, and when you get it, it's a long wait at the pump.

And two years of drought have taken their toll. The water level in the streams and rivers is very low, sometimes just a trickle. Also, the drought makes the leaves a little browner and a lot less colorful. Not only is that bad for the vegetation and the ecosystem, is isn't the best scenario for the dedicated photographer.

I will find a way, somehow, to make my annual treks. It's the only way I can revitalize my spirit! I must. I need to breathe!

Photos courtesy of SmokyPhotos.com

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of ERA United Realty and Coweta Fayette Real Estate of ERA United Realty Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2008.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and Lake West Point Lots.