Do you remember in the fall of last year when there were so many fires burning in Western North Carolina? It was a scary time and I thought of the many places that were effected by the fires. Mr. D and I took a road trip to Cherokee in November and I wanted to share it with you. So as you look at the pictures you will see fall leaves and I just think it makes the pictures even brighter.
We did see smoke and a haze over the mountains and it was alarming. We visited Cherokee before the horrible fires in Gatlinburg. If it would have been a normal time I would have just shared with you how my family went to the Cherokee area of Western North Carolina for our annual vacation. I can remember the excitement of my Mother and Daddy as they prepared for an entire week without having to work. I also remember how much they loved the Maggie Valley and Cherokee area of western North Carolina.
It amazed me to go back to a place I visited so long ago and to see some landmarks that are still there. Even though I am more of a beach girl, I do have an appreciation for the native Americans of our country and what they must have endured with the invasion of the immigrants.
The pictures I am sharing with you are of downtown Cherokee. There is a beautiful park across the street from Harrah’s Casino. The shops that lined the main street of downtown Cherokee haven’t changed much but I was amazed to see such a beautiful park. I am also glad the Casino is there to help the people of the community to have year round employment. I think it is a great boost for the community.
The picture below is of a tree at the park and I am sharing it because I really liked this tree for some reason.
The following pictures are different views of the park.
The picture below is of a tree in the park and I like the way it turned out.
More park pictures and there are lots of walking trails in the park.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that I am always motivated by food. We decided to visit the Waynesville/Cherokee area after seeing a picture of a restaurant we visited over 25 years ago named Clyde’s. It is in Waynesville and the food was wonderful. We decided to give it another try.
We were not disappointed and we loved the rolls and cornbread.
Mr. D had fried pork chops with green beans, potatoes and fried okra. He said it was delicious.
I had fried chicken that I would say is real close to the quality of Mrs. Wilkes in Savannah. The okra, apples and macaroni and cheese was good. The vegetables were seasoned well and not greasy.
The dessert of the day at Clyde’s was strawberry cobbler. We decided to order one serving to go. The waitress came back to the table and said, “Shhhh! I gave you two servings because I wanted you to have enough for both of you.” Needless to say, we had a large portion of strawberry cobbler later and it was delicious too.
As I became a teenager, it was hard for me to understand why we had to go to the mountains every year. After leaving home, my parents went to the mountains every year until they were not able to visit the area anymore. Now, I do understand that as we have our annual visit to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. That is our happy place and the mountains were my parents happy place.
I will admit I do not have much of a desire to visit the mountains and I do believe it is because I had to go so much when I was young.
Thanks for stopping by.
So Does That Mean I'm SOUTHERN? 