Fall Creek Falls

We took the kids to Fall Creek Falls State Park Saturday. I love that place. Everything about it is nice. And the kids need the exercise.

The short hike from the Betty Dunn Nature Center to the main viewing area always leaves a question in my mind: What the hell is that smell? It reminds me of petroleum.
While everything is nice, that smell is out of place. If you ever take the hike, you'll notice it just before crossing the little bridge over Fall Creek. Also, the rocks and earth under the water are a reddish color.

We continued on to the base of the main waterfall and the kids played at the edge of the pool. I showed off along the way back up - while my family rested, I climbed a rock face (insert crude comment here).

As the kids played at the Cascades, I took photos of them slipping and falling on the slick rocks. Then we rented paddle-boats for an hour and we were off to dinner.

The restaraunt at the Fall Creek Falls Inn has good and bad points. Good: they have good food and they're close. Bad: service sucks and they're overpriced (expected, of course).
Try the catfish, fried squash, and dirt cake. Skip the ribs. Get all you want from your waitress the first time you see her - ask for the bill immediately, as it will be a while before you see her again. Waitress's tip... I had to make myself leave one and it was small. If it would have been a restaraunt in town, we would have went to another or I would have left no tip. (It's not hard to get a good tip from me, but I don't give money to people that don't work).

My wife and I believe we'll keep taking the kids on outings like this. It's hard to find things to do in Knoxville (that we haven't done, that we all enjoy, or that's not too expensive). Movies, malls, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame... woohoo! What else ya got?

Perhaps fishing next weekend.