Who can resist the penguins?

Who can resist the penguins? A Day Away By Mike Steely There’s no question that Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg is huge and likely the main attraction in the busy tourist city. A visit there could last hours and you can see just about every saltwater and freshwater...

Taking the Greenback Loop

Taking the Greenback Loop A Day Away by Mike Steely Fall is a great time to get out and visit some of the least visited small towns in our region. A family drive with a few stops in interesting places can be fun and you might be surprised with what you find. From...

Dollywood celebrates everything pumpkin

Dollywood celebrates everything pumpkin A Day Away By Mike Steely You’ve only got until next Tuesday, October 30, to visit Dollywood’s Pumpkin Festival where you can see huge, prize-winning pumpkins, hundreds of pumpkin characters, pumpkin-flavored food, and all of...

Visiting Flat Lick, Kentucky

Visiting Flat Lick, Kentucky A Day Away By Mike Steely Early settlers traveling along what would become the Boone Trace had several landmarks to encounter along the way down the Shenandoah Valley to Bean Station, north across Clinch Mountain to Cumberland Gap, and on...

Visiting the Blue Heron Coal Community

Visiting the Blue Heron Coal Community A Day Away By Mike Steely If your family is from upper East Tennessee you probably had a relative who was a coal miner. I had an uncle who was a miner until he took his family to Ohio for a better living and another who worked in...

Revisiting Alcatraz East

A Day Away by Mike Steely My wife and I have been to a lot of places over the years that we recently rediscovered at Alcatraz East Crime Museum in Pigeon Forge. The attraction had exhibits that reminded us of our trip to New York City the Thanksgiving following 9/11....