Electerik

Well, to be fair, apparently some moonshiners did have a still in the cave during Prohibition. I do agree, though. The worst culprit in these attractions is usually lighting. "Does this rock look more exciting in green light? How about yellow? Rainbow?"

^ Thanks, I appreciate that. In an unincorporated area of Sevierville, far from the main drag, lies Forbidden Caverns. Just head straight to the intersection of Whywouldanybodywanttobethere and Blowing Cave Road. And I leave you with a shot of Old Cave Mill and Blowing Cave Road. (Yeah, I was serious about that.) Has it really come to this? The Forbidden Caverns Rock bids you aloha. Smisty has no sympathy. I got cave spooge on my shoes. The gift shop. Let's get out of here. Ew. Misty touching the "rock you're allowed to touch." Over the course of millions and millions of years, dripping water has formed this electrical box. At this point, the cave just decided to eat us. Is that a big white penis over there? No? Oh, okay. Throw a penny in. Underground river. The caverns are a constant 58-degrees. Old moonshine still--because, why not? Watch your head. (Or, if you don't watch your head, please watch your language.) And now, here it is in red! Interesting rock formations. (Get used to that caption.) Down into the depths. Layout and basic facts. I have no idea. "By us handing you this, you can't sue us." Might be a bit hard to read: Adult tickets are $13.00, kids are $7.00. Just go anywhere. It is forbidden...like our love.

That's pretty much been the bane of this thread all along. Imagine if basketball had this problem, and random people just ran out onto the court and starting shooting with a ball they brought from home. The rules really aren't that hard: You can't post a photo until you've earned your turn. /Not that I really care anymore, mind you.

^^ Don't worry. She wouldn't have bitten you. She only bites me.

Day 14 should read "Indiana Beach" instead of "Indianapolis." I'm just saying.

Loving these reports. Well, sure. Cedar Fair wants every park they operate to be more like Cedar Point. They're the ultimate narcissists.

Hooray! Looking forward to that one twitter a month.

Not a big Six Flags fan, but of the ones I've been to, I like the original one the best: Six Flags Over Texas.

I dislike it, but I try not to let it bother me--especially if it's someone's natural reaction, and not just two 13-year old girls who think it's funny to see how long and obnoxiously they can keep it up. /Can you feel my non-bitterness?

Indiana Beach is one of my favorite parks. But I've only ever been when it was slow. I imagine it probably doesn't handle crowds well. But I'm glad you finally made it out there. I think it's an amazing park.

Thanks for the TR! Of these, I've only been to Castles-N-Coasters. Loved the pinball and the mini-golf, enjoyed the super Desert Storm funkiness, but I'm still not too sure about the whole "110-degrees in May" thing.

And...that didn't help any. Thanks for the kind words, though! (Even if you are a wand fetishist. )

I was actually a bit skeptical about MagiQuest going in. But I figured it was worth a shot, even if turned out to be stupid. I really liked it, though. If they're really doing something like this at IOA, I'm liking Potter better already.

One of the newest attractions in the area is MagiQuest. Well, sort of.... On second thought, maybe we'll keep playing. Hooray! I've found the Pixie Crystal! Guess we can go home now. Or maybe I'll just cheat. Perhaps it's in the Forest Realm.... It's not on Jupiter. We must help the princess find her jewelry! (Yeah, seriously. I actually didn't even realize how lame that sounds until I typed it out.) Basically, it's a life-sized, adventure-style video game. This central area is where you choose which quest to go on next. Smisty is ready. (Yes, that is her Magi Name.) So what is it? Well, it's kind of like a scavenger hunt. You collect items by "enchanting" them with your wand. Some are easy to find, some are hard. Sometimes you have to do things in a certain order, sometimes you have to properly interpret your clues. Your wand remembers everything you do, so that you don't have to start over each time (even at the other locations). "MagiQuest assumes no liability in the event that you are turned into a toad." You can also buy lots of other accouterments. But they're mostly just for decoration. Pirate Golf is cool, but MagiQuest is cooler. Here's the deal: They'll loan you a basic wand to use in the attraction for free. Or you can buy your own fancy one and keep it as a souvenir. (If you go that way, they'll throw in an extra half hour of gameplay.) Avast! Ye've found me treasure chest! "Madam Olga" exists both here and at Circus Golf. The cannons on the battlements light up red, PotC-style. It's well-documented that most pirates were practiced golfers. There's nothing cooler than a giant skull to putt through. Garrr! They call me Red Eye, mini golf pirate of the south seas! Overview of the main room. Of the three or four blacklight courses in the area, this one is my favorite. But no matter. Pirate Golf makes up for it. Yeah, it's hard. It's also low capacity, since there can really only be one person in the room at a time. The idea is to cross the room as fast as possible, while breaking as few of the laser beams as you can. In contrast to building's three other attractions, The Vault is weird, short, and not very fun. That was pretty cool. Now what? Disco exit hallway. We have found enlightenment. Section three features a forest paint scheme. Techno music pulsates throughout the maze. (You can't actually see it in this photo, though.) Don't shoot Seth, lady! The Infinity Room transforms Misty into a Bond girl. At the end of the first section. The first section of the maze is distinguished by these markings on the columns. Looking back at the entrance. All the employees now wear cool medieval clothing, regardless of whether or not it fits their actual attraction. The price is fairly reasonable, at $20.00 for all four attractions (including one hour's worth of MagiQuest). Odyssey is the biggest, most interesting mirror maze in the area (despite the "world's largest" claim by one in Gatlinburg). This year, Adventure Quest expanded, and rechristened itself in honor of its new attraction, MagiQuest. The next year, the building got a major facelift and reopened as Adventure Quest. Adventure Quest featured three indoor attractions: pirate-themed mini golf, a mirror maze, and a strange laser maze attraction called The Vault. Two years ago, Scenic Helicopter Tours finished work on a huge, $8 million museum dedicated to helicopters. Unfortunately, it failed before I ever got the chance to check it out. Our names shall live forever! I'm not sure I've conveyed it properly, but despite my mockery, MagiQuest is actually really cool. We ended up playing for three-and-a-half hours. In fact, overall, I think MagiQuest--by which I mean the entire building--is one the best attractions in the area. Behold! We are now Master Magi! Misty slayed the dragon. ...and defeated the Goblin King! I found a secret room... Ooh, a magic rune!

CP: Toft's Ice Cream in Sandusky is more important than Cedar Point (but there's also a Toft's location inside the park if you disagree with me). IB: Pay the extra $3.00 a person for Frankenstein's Castle. KI: Um...I really enjoyed Scooby-Doo & The Haunted Castle.

Six Flags Over Georgia?

If I had to choose something in the area to label a "hidden gem," I think I would choose Fort Fun (also known as, Old Gatlinburg Golf & Games). Old Gatlinburg Golf & Games. Er, I mean, "Fort Fun." Whatever. Go there and play the Old Town Square course. You won't regret it. You know what? I think I'll just quit now. Cool music in here--all classic water-themed tunes: The Tide Is High, Sea Cruise, Octopus's Garden, etc. Apparently, I did something cool. It's fun, but short at only 9 holes. Pirates are cool. This is their indoor blacklight course. But let's get back to mini golf. The bumper craft were fun. We chose "Alice in Wonderland" as our 3-D movie. It was, uh, interesting. How bad could it be? On second thought, let's go back inside. What else do they have in this mall? ...housing the final hole. The railroad building... Misty...um.........yeah. Still, if you can only play one, choose Old Town Square. It's still a fun course, though. This course has fewer buildings, and the placards detail the history of the larger Smoky Mountain area. And now for the Old Mountain Trail Course. My putter clearly deserved it after that game. Inside the jailhouse. Uh-oh. Where do you go once you're done with school? Misty helping me out a little. The hole inside the schoolhouse. Okay, back to the game. That's the schoolhouse behind Misty there. The fact that he was a cross-dresser has never been suggested, but could definitely be possible. Interesting view of Gatlinburg from here. At the top. Wait, the "fact" that was never documented but obviously MAY have been true? That's awesome. Evidence of my "started as something else" theory: Random stairs that go nowhere. That space between the trees is the path to the next hole. I can't wait to hear how it ends! I like this course. Smisty pointing out where her ball went. Huh. Sounds like a good guy. The holes themselves are clever and fun, and the real stone buildings add weight to it all (as opposed to the standard fiberglass figures and thin wooden windmills found at most mini golf places). My theory is that this actually started out as a historical attraction, and was only later turned into mini golf. But that's just a guess. Smisty tries her hand at the toilet bowl hole. Placards sit at the start of each hole, explaining the history of Gatlinburg. The Old Town Square Course is the best, and one of my favorite mini golf courses anywhere. Choose thy course! (Actually, we're going to play both. But let's start by going right.) The highlight is the outdoor mini golf, built up the side of a hill. It's a weirdly grouped conglomeration of different attractions, some of which are substandard, and some of which are totally awesome. Fort Fun is located in the Reagan Mall area of Gatlinburg.

^ Technically, there are four roller coasters in Pigeon Forge (and one in Sevierville). But I assume you mean Thunder Eagle. Sadly, that was gone before I first visited the area.

^ Thanks! ^^ I'm not totally convinced that it is though, based on your description. You actually walk through the "Taj Mahal" at Adventure Golf. Is this your castle? The white lattice fence on the left is where you walk out of the back to the next hole.

Great trip report, Erik! Lot's of cool shots from some less-covered parks.

^ & ^^ Never been much of a zoo person--but Misty likes them, so she really campaigned to go to this one. We had fun. But then, we have fun everywhere. That would be awesome. But, honestly, I think I lack the drive and acumen to successfully run a business. I could do the creative part, maybe.

Knoxville is the closest big city to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, at about 40 miles away. And though not nearly as touristy as Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, it does have a zoo. Gift shop goodness, and the end of our Knoxville Zoo adventure. Thanks, as always, for reading. The Big Egress. Actually, it probably doesn't know what we are, either. I have no idea what this thing is. That's just wrong. (And possibly even Fail Blog worthy.) Smisty does her umbrella trail dance. Guys, you're missing the bird! Bird trail. Okay, monkey sex is pretty cool. But I'll always wonder about the rocks. Monkeys or rocks? Translation: "Our zoo sucks too much to have this animal." Spot the monkey! The only indoor eatery. Very basic. You couldn't even get tasty zoo animal meat. (Well, cow....) Agent of Satan. Human. Zebras. (I'm totally out of stuff to say.) Cool elephant. Cool elephant mural. Natty dread llama. We passed on the camel rides. I may never know the joy. And another turtle. (Easy to photograph.) A butterfly. Butterfly house. Misty got an elephant. These plastic mold machines are all over the zoo. ...but impossible to get a decent picture of. Tortoises are much easier. Otters are cool... Wait, seriously? Is this sign actually explaining how to use a bench? I must be in heaven. Step on the wrong one, and the frog squirts you. Er...less cute animals. Cute animals. Yes, there is one ride at the Knoxville Zoo, the Fuzzy-Go-Round. I live for signs like this. Why in my day, we had to milk REAL cows. And it was work, not fun. And we ENJOYED it! Petting zoo. I insisted on petting a goat. White Rhino Red Panda Kid's Cove? I vote left! And we're off to a rousing start! The Black Bear habitat is right in front. Yay! We're in! So...you can buy tickets for a half hour after the zoo closes? Maybe I should read the sign again. Ticket booths...manned by actual zoo personnel! Extra ghetto parking toll booth. In fact, now that I think about it, this might just be a couple of enterprising youngsters.

^ Thanks for that! (Even if it does kind of blow my theory.) You're reaction to Montu and Afterburn's endings is interesting in that it's the exact opposite of mine. I feel like Afterburn's is, "Well, we've done a bunch of cool stuff, now let's wrap this up." Whereas Montu's is more, "Okay, what should we do now? Um...how about another vertical loop? That was cool the first time, right?"

"Stirring up trouble" by inadvertently suggesting that people who like Montu don't know any better, or are somehow "wrong." But I have noticed that Afterburn does pretty well among most of those who've been on it, even though it only places middle of the vote. (Presumably, because not as many people have ridden it.) Afterburn actually has a very similar layout to Montu, which might be why I find this idea so interesting. I even imagine that I would have liked Montu more if I hadn't already ridden Afterburn.

Not trying to stir up trouble, but it's interesting how many people who put Montu in the top spot haven't ridden Afterburn.