Day 1: 6/2/24
From: Reading, PA
To: Pigeon Forge, TN
Distance: 610 miles

After nine long years, we’re doing it again! We’re going cross-country. This time with four of us in the car. Did I mention it’s a smaller car than last time? Never mind that. We’re going anyway!

Up bright and early. Out of the house by 7:30. The fam was in good spirits despite having two teens intent on sleeping most of the drive.  And they did. They really did. The time they didn’t sleep was filled with laughter, so that’s a win, right?

10 hours later, we arrived at Pigeon Forge, TN. A mashup of Niagara Falls (minus the waterfall) and Las Vegas (minus the casinos) set against a backdrop of the beautiful Smoky Mountains. (Seriously. The photos say it all.) This place? You could spend a week here and not do everything there is to do or see everything there is to see. You would, however, probably be broke after all that.

The highlight of our destination? Alcatraz East Crime Museum, at the request of Younger Child. I dreaded the visit, but it ended up being an exceptionally interesting experience. See also: bizarre, fascinating, sad, and very, very disturbing. Older Child got to meet up with a longtime online friend who drove four hours from Alabama to meet them, which made the day that much more special.

For Day 1, we’ll call this a success! Happy kids, happy family. We’re ready to make this trip as wonderful as our first trip from 2015.