Map Of Gatlinburg

McGinn: Get your kicks (and try to avoid bed bugs) on Route 66

Every vacation has one of those moments where the wheels almost come off.

No, the car’s fine.

I’m referring to my marriage.

For us, that moment occurred this past holiday weekend in a roadside motel somewhere in the Ozarks. (Why, yes. You’re absolutely right. Nothing good can come from a roadside motel somewhere in the Ozarks.)

“What’s your problem with this place?” I asked my grumbling wife as the room’s window air-conditioner sputtered over the din of the 15-inch TV.

“Well, the bed is wet from other people’s sweat,” my wife shot back. “There’s a blood stain on our son’s mattress.

“So the fact that you’re fine with it tells me you’re either overmedicated or you never really had OCD to begin with.”

For that one night, I’ll admit, my desire to have an authentic Route 66 experience actually outweighed my usual fears of germs, various zoological diseases, home invasions and coerced, black-market organ harvesting.

I fully realize I potentially put my family at risk to all those things that night — but, man, this place had an amazingly sweet neon sign out front in perfect working condition.

“Memories are forever,” I told myself as we pulled in off the road. “Bed bugs can be treated.”

The great thing about living in Springfield, I’ve always thought, is that it’s so easy to leave.

Our proximity to things is one of the reasons I love it here.

In fact, that should be Springfield’s official motto — “We probably don’t have it ... but you’re close enough to a place that does!”

Right before the birth of our son in 2008, my wife and I had driven Route 66 from its starting point in Chicago — an easy, five-hour drive from here — through Illinois down to St. Louis.

We’ve always been obsessed with kitschy and retro Americana. We’ve always loved cruising around aimlessly.

The trip didn’t disappoint.

We posed for pictures next to the world’s largest ketchup bottle and the world’s largest covered wagon (on which sits a massive Abe Lincoln), ate burgers at 10 in the morning at a joint with a gigantic fiberglass spaceman out front and meandered our way through small towns that were left for dead when the interstate system eventually bypassed them.

Elk Springs Resort – Gatlinburg Cabin Rentals » Blog Archive ...

Gatlinburg, TN – When you are visiting a new city, the last thing you want to worry about is getting around town. Sure, you could drive your own car around town, attempt to find a parking spot and pay extra fees, or you can take advantage of Gatlinburg’s trolley system. With seven different trolley lines to choose from, you can travel all around Gatlinburg and with ease from your Gatlinburg Vacation Rental without having to look at a map once. Sounds pretty good, right?

Gatlinburg itself isn’t a very large town, but frankly, that is how we prefer it. It is densely packed with dozens of activities that will keep your family busy for days on end; we find that most of our guests have trouble leaving at the end of their stay! There are seven trolleys that take you in and around Gatlinburg: the River Road Trolley, Parkway Trolley, Arts & Crafts Trolley, National Park Trolley, Dollywood Trolley, City Hall Trolley and Welcome Center Trolley. As you can see from their names, you can travel to all of the major areas/attractions in Gatlinburg just by hopping on.

You can find an official trolley map on the City of Gatlinburg’s website. There you will see all of the stops offered and the fares. With fares ranging from just 50 cents to tw0 dollars, you simply cannot pass up a chance to ride on a trolley. If you have any questions about using the trolleys or where to park your car downtown, don’t hesitate to call or email us at the Elk Springs Resort Gatlinburg cabins main office. We look forward to your stay at the Elk Springs Resort this summer.

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