Planning a Vacation Isn't Quite As Fun When It's Not Gatlinburg

It never mattered how many times we visited Gatlinburg over the 12-year span prior to moving here. It was always fun, and every single one was anticipated to the highest degree. Of course, when you’re disgusted with your job, living life going through the motions, and unable to find any sense of satisfaction with…anything, the allure of Gatlinburg was what made our life tolerable. Not saying we didn’t enjoy anything about our prior existence. We enjoyed having a day taking a shopping trip, eating at a favorite restaurant, or attending the games of our favorite Ohio sports teams. But Gatinburg was always on our minds. For me, it was definitely daily for years, and I think that last year was true for my wife and son as well.

There was a point in our Gatlinburg visits—more than 25 by my estimation—when we didn’t feel like tourists anymore. It was our de facto second home, at least in our minds. Our visits became a place where we could relax. The attractions weren’t so attractive to us anymore, so we were happier when we spent our hard-earned money at our favorite restaurants. Sitting comfortably inside our condo rental we became regulars at, was, at times, an hours-long respite we desperately needed. It’s funny that we now live almost across the street from that very same condo. Our idea of a staycation now would be to spend a day there, just to change things up a tad. Not that it’s needed, of course. It would be a pleasant reminder of our brief stays here.

I don’t need reminders of how much we still love living here. Nothing is more revealing than the fact we haven’t yet had a multi-day trip to another destination. I know it’s only been 13 months, but…yes, we are breaking that streak real soon.