(upbeat music) - Today the road takes us
to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. We're going to be spending a few nights at the fabulous Camp Margaritaville. I mean, this area is always a good time. ♪ I'm riding ♪ ♪ Riding, riding ♪ ♪ Riding in my RV ♪ ♪ My RV ♪ ♪ Wherever I want to be ♪ ♪ Because I'm free ♪ ♪ In my RV, yeah ♪ Approaching one of my favorite areas of the Eastern United States, and that would be the Smoky Mountains. Pigeon Forge is one of those towns with every tourist attraction imaginable, not to mention Dollywood, and many more. It is certainly great family
fun, even though we are not into that sort of thing
as much anymore more. We're staying at the new
Camp Margaritaville Resort. A couple of months ago they
reached out and invited us to stay for a few nights, and I'm like, "Yeah, I would love to." And it is only now that
the stars have aligned to make it happen, so here we are. It is pretty empty here on a Monday, but it'll fill up as the week progresses. You know, it's true what they say, "The shorter the trailer,
the harder it is to park." And here we are, our site with
the view of the swimming pool so we know what's going on all the time. Okay, first impressions. This place seems to be fabulous. Right there we have the swimming pool and there's like a lazy river and hot tubs and all kinds of activity. And just for full disclosure, Margaritaville did reach out to me. By the way, very windy today. We're not gonna be able
to enjoy the pool today, but one of these days. Eh, we're gonna be here for four nights. They reached out to me and
they asked me, you know, "Would you like to stay at our new resort "here in Pigeon Forge?" And I'm like, "Yeah, sure." So that's one of the reasons I'm here. And I figure what better
way to break in, you know, Minitini IV than, you
know, we did state park, we've done boondocking,
now, did we did boondocking? No, we haven't done boondocking yet. We still have to do that. But, you know, couple
of nights at a resort, it's always my way to do things. And you know, everything,
oh, I forgot to close this, everything seems to be
more or less brand new. And it's got that footloose that I like. Those dump receptacles, they usually work very well. And that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna chill for a couple
of days here and, you know, have some margaritas
because that's what you do. So at least this time around today, the chief pelican head is
joining with the parrot heads and we're gonna spend some
time here at Margaritaville. By the way, very well located. It's right at the end of Pigeon Forge. So Gatlinburg is just a few minutes away. You know, you don't have to drive like through the whole Pigeon Forge to go to the Smoky Mountains. And I doubt we're gonna go to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park this time around. But you never know. (upbeat music) Well, let's check out the facilities, especially now that it is nearly empty and it is easier to film. Nice swimming pool. It's got a slide and a hot tub. I can't show it to you on this video, but they have happy tunes
playing throughout the resort, which automatically puts
you in a good party mood. To be honest, sometimes
it is a little much, but I like it for the most part. And it feels appropriate
because, Jimmy Buffett, right? They have this propane fire pit here, which is a good thing
because the whole area is under a fire ban. And this is where they
do the breakfast buffet. And here's the lobby, which
is quite nice, actually. A place like this, of course, will have a little more of a
hotel or resort vibe to it. It is definitely glamping. (Caribbean style music) Here's a large arcade. Yep, it is definitely
a family destination. (Caribbean style music continues) They have pong. And Ileana and I are going to
play some air hockey later, but we may not film it. (Caribbean style music continues) Let me tell you, eerily deserted
on this Monday afternoon. But I am sure it'll fill up
as the weekend approaches. It's been in the 60s and very windy, so definitely no pool
or lazy river weather, at least not for the Floridian in me. (Caribbean style music continues) Cool. They have duckpin bowling. (Caribbean style music continues) Finally, the camp store, which is not bad, but I've definitely seen better. (Caribbean style music continues) Oh, this is so cool. Here they have Jimmy Buffett's
original 1963 Airstream Bambi from where he recorded the vocals for "The Far Side of the World" album. Well, we finally caved in. Had to have a perfect margarita. (Caribbean style music continues) Well, we got a complimentary
breakfast buffet, so let's do that. By the way, good morning. Forgive me for I have goofed. I didn't realize the camera
was on time lapse mode. I mean, it is a new GoPro after all, so I apologize for the strobe effect. (energetic music) That certainly hit the
right spot. Very good. Let's continue. Let's go see the Airstream once again. Well, considering how deserted
this place was yesterday, today, the breakfast
buffet was pretty packed. So that's good. Maybe it was 'cause it was Monday. You know, things are
getting started in the week. But very cool to see the Airstream. It would be cool to see inside, right? The Airstream that belongs to, of course, to the chief parrot head, Jimmy Buffett. All right, let's get
back to the campground, I mean to the campsite. And if it warms up this
afternoon, we'll hit the pool. But maybe we'll just play some pool. (energetic music) Well, we're going to this
place called The Island. They have restaurants,
they have entertainment, Ferris wheel, probably gonna be good. (energetic music) This is it, The Island. (energetic music continues) Parking is a little far away,
but they do have a shuttle. I guess technically a tram. It really isn't that far. We could have walked,
but I'm still recovering from my ankle injury from last January, so I don't want to overexert myself. This place opened in 2013 and I can't believe I
had never heard about it. It has several Margaritaville properties like Fins and the Island Resort. And according to what I read, it is owned by the same developer, hence the Margaritaville-esque
vibe everywhere. There are many attractions,
but I think the main one is The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel. And here we are, we've
made it to The Island. Seems to be pretty cool. We have an Old Smoky Moonshine,
they have Margaritaville, but I think, I think that we wanna see if we can get into Paula Dean, Paula Dean's Family Kitchen. Let's do it. (energetic music) Enter through the gift shop. Overall, great ambience. The bread is to die for
and they have local IPAs. Let me tell you, it's gonna be a feast. It is family style, all you can eat. Next time, I want one of
those tables by the window. You like Paula? Good food. Good food. I think we're gonna do
the Ferris wheel first. We are too stuffed to do any of the other attractions anyway. By the way, lots of different
types of attractions. I like it. One thing that I have
noticed, not very busy. It must be low season in Pigeon Forge, which I don't really mind. You know how I feel about
waiting in line for anything. (energetic music continues) - [Ride Operator] For your safety, please remain seated at all times. Do not rock or shake the gondola. And please refrain from--
- What's the fun in that? - [Ride Operator] Eating
or drinking while riding (energetic music continues) - The ride lasts a pretty long time, four whole revolutions, I believe. (energetic music continues) Let's go for a stroll, even though I shouldn't
be walking too much yet. Just like at Camp Margaritaville, they're cranking the latest
hits all over the place through very high fidelity
speakers, I might add. The downside, I won't be able to offer you any of the original sound. (smooth jazz music) How about a moonshine tasting? Ooh! (smooth jazz continues) So this is where they
make that good stuff. Lemme tell you, after
about seven of those, you start getting a little tipsy. Every half hour they have
the dancing fountains to the rhythm of "Margaritaville,"
"Sweet Caroline," or some other classic happy song. After the short time we've spent here, I can tell you that I really like it. It is of course by
definition a tourist trap, but it is a very well executed one, and that's something I appreciate. Nothing wrong with that. It is time to take the tram
back to the parking lot. (lighthearted music) Just like that, another
day comes to an end. It seems a little livelier tonight, so let's go for a night cap. The watermelon margarita
does not disappoint right here by the pool. Goodnight. Oh, they just started the
music. It must be 10:00 AM. Anyway, at some point in the
journey you have to do laundry, so let's do that. I'm gonna drive over
there because I still have a little bit of a limp. Wow, this is very nice. Very new machines here. And you can either use an app or quarters. I'm gonna use quarters. (energetic music) (smooth jazz music) (grill sizzling) (can popping) Cheers. (grill sizzling) Swiss cheese. Bon appetit. All right, let's go for a
walk around the campground. (Caribbean style music) One margarita, two margaritas. It's perfect. (Caribbean style music continues) We had some nachos at the cafe, and that was it for another relaxing day. (Caribbean style music continues) (energetic music) This place is starting to fill up. In my original plan we were
going to walk around Gatlinburg, go to Clingmans Dome,
but both those things require a lot of walking and
I'm not yet up to the task. What we're gonna do is
take the Gatlinburg bypass and there's an overlook, and
then drive through Gatlinburg, and perhaps stop by Sevierville. (energetic music) This is it, the Gatlinburg Overlook. (majestic music) There goes the Ober Gatlinburg tram. We took that one last year. Now let's go for a cruise
along the main drag. Gatlinburg, in my mind,
has such a happy vibe. There on the left is the entrance sign to the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. And here we are approaching Gatlinburg. I am so bummed out I'm not
gonna be able to do any hikes in the Great Smokies this time around or walk around Gatlinburg. But that's okay. I gotta give my ankle time to heal. It is early in the morning so there are not too many people around. And I was tempted, very tempted to park and walk around just a little bit. But I'd rather go somewhere
we've never been before. Meanwhile, enjoy the
ride through Gatlinburg. (lighthearted music) Coming up on the right, Anakeesta, one of those things
we've never done before. And I'm sorry we haven't
done all that much this week, but it is what it is. As I said, my leg is not
quite ready for prime time, not yet anyway, so I'm saving my strength for Alaska this summer. Hopefully we'll come back
soon because I love this area. But right now, actually,
let's go by Sevierville. We've never actually stopped there and there's supposed to
be a historic downtown. It is on the other side of Pigeon Forge, so we're going to take Veterans Boulevard that bypasses the main thoroughfare. This is the road you would take if you wanna go to Dollywood. (lighthearted music) And this is it. On a Thursday here in
April, it seems to be more of an evening kind of place. There's the historic courthouse. Yay, we found parking right
here where we wanna be. This is, of course, the site of the ornate Sevier County courthouse built in 1895. But the main reason we are
here is because of the statute depicting a young Dolly
Parton erected in 1987. Well here we are in front of
the Sevierville courthouse and here's that famous statue of Dolly, Dolly Parton playing her, her six strings. And I don't know, this is pretty much all we're gonna do today, really. I haven't, you know, I still
have a little bit of a limp and don't wanna be
overexerting myself too much and walking too much. But, you know, this was here. We found parking right there. I mean. There is also a Veteran's Memorial. Overall, pretty good
looking small downtown here. The Appalachian there
seems to be really good, but it only opens for dinner and we're not hungry yet anyway. The brochure I picked up
at the visitor's center a few days ago mentioned
a walkable downtown, so this must be what
they were referring to. You know what we haven't done in a while? A brewery. And there's a new one in Pigeon Forge. (lighthearted music) Iron Forage Brewing Company
just opened up in mid-April and I really like what
they've done with the place. The West Coast IPA is still a little flat. Maybe they didn't give it
enough time to fully cook. But lemme tell you, it tasted delicious. My kind of IPA. The staff, super friendly, and I think it is going to be a success. They are right here next to the river and they have outdoor seating. Well, apparently this place is brand new. They opened last week. And, well, by the time you watch this, it's gonna be open for about a month. But lemme tell you, good West Coast IPA. (easy listening music) Well, as you can probably tell, we've had a wonderful time
here at Camp Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge. We didn't do much. We just wanted to relax,
enjoy the amenities, you know, shake down cruise for Minitini IV here. But now if you would like to
stay at this marvelous place, I have a special promo code
for you guys to get 15% off, and it is just promo code ROBERT. Easy to remember my name. Just promo code ROBERT, you get 15% off here at Margaritaville. Now for our last dinner
here in Pigeon Forge. I don't know exactly where we're gonna go, but that's what we're gonna do. And then tomorrow, early,
early in the morning, we're heading south to Pelicamp. We ended up going to
this Brazilian steakhouse called Gaucho Urbano,
but I didn't film much. It was kind of our date night,
if you know what I mean. They have a buffet and they come around with different cuts of
meat until you say no more. It was overall a good experience. Now, see you tomorrow. And that's it for our
time at Margaritaville. We're gonna, we're heading back home. Tonight we're gonna sleep
somewhere in southern Georgia and tomorrow, Pelicamp. And right now we just have to drive across Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. And then we're gonna avoid Atlanta. I'm gonna take the route
through Athens, Georgia. I think that's gonna be better. Enjoy the ride. (easy listening music) We're going home on
this beautiful morning, driving across the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. We are slowly gaining elevation and it is only going to get steeper. This is actually a really good test for Starship towing Minitini IV in mountainous terrain for the first time. And let me tell you, it is
passing with flying colors. The new trailer feels noticeably lighter. Part of me wants to stop and explore more, but we can't do that. We have to make it back to home base in South Florida before Monday because I have a doctor's appointment where they're gonna tell me
my ankle injury has healed. Did you notice we did a 360-degree loop? I was gonna say there
aren't too many people, but all the trailheads are packed. (easy listening music) Let's stop here real quick for the view. (easy listening music continues) It is a tradition. We're gonna stop at Newfound Gap, the lowest drivable pass in the Smokies, the border between Tennessee
and North Carolina. And the Appalachian Trail
crosses through here. I couldn't do it. I couldn't just keep going without stopping at Newfound Gap. This is the Tennessee/North
Carolina state line. And, yeah, just walk
over there a little bit. See the view. This, by the way, this right
here, the Appalachian Trail. By the way, a little chilly up here. It's in the low 50s,
but just for a second. And this is that classic view, that classic view of the Smoky Mountains. (majestic music) There it is, the AT,
the Appalachian Trail. Mount Katahdin, only 1,972 miles that way. 1972, I think that was a good year. Now, that's one good looking
truck and trailer combo. Florida, here we come. Now we have nowhere to go but down. (easy listening music) Pelicamp, pretty overgrown. We have several fallen trees,
lots of cleaning up to do, but that will be another time. We still have to accessorize Minitini IV and get everything ready for the long Alaska trip this summer. Until then, thank you
so much for watching, and see you on the road. (easy listening music) ♪ I'm riding ♪ ♪ Riding in my RV ♪
