As we head home from our short little Tennessee vacation, here are a few things we learned that should mean more savings next time.
1. Be sure to pay attention to the coupon racks. There are racks of brochures, coupon books, and flyers all over the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/ Sevierville area. Many of the coupon books etc are the same everywhere, but it is worth stopping to take a look at the racks in the hotels, restaurants and other tourist areas because there are usually a few different ones. If we had paid attention at our hotel and at the NASCAR Speedpark on Tuesday we could have picked up coupons for BOGO meals at CiCi's (our lunch stop that day). I also noticed that sometimes the value of the coupon varies from place to place. So, while I wouldn't want to waste an entire day trying to find all the different possible coupons, it is worth gathering some from the places we are at and taking a few minutes to scan them before heading to our next stop. I also think that in addtion to gathering the hotel and attraction coupons at a rest stop once we enter Tennessee, next time we will also stop at the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center or the Pigeon Forge Welcome Center to see what else we can find.
2.You don't have to eat like a tourist. Yesterday we roamed around Gatlinburg (and made our traditional stops for candy and Ben and Jerry's ice cream). At supper time we had planned to go to The Old Mill but the wait was going to be 1 hour. So, instead we went to a Cracker Barrel where there was no waiting. The boys were happy with their bowls of chicken and dumplings. Jim ordered biscuits and gravy since that is what he had been craving all week. I realized that I really wasn't hungry and so just got a baked potato. We left satisfied but not stuffed, with plenty of time to go play mini-golf, and for less than half the cost of supper at a touristy restaurant.
3. If you do decide to eat like a tourist, go early. Lunch is almost always less expensive than supper. I also noticed coupons for some of the bigger restaurants for earl bird specials for supper. If you eat supper before 5:00, the savings is greater. Further savings can be had by snacking for lunch and eating an early supper.
$. Traditions are good, even on vacation. When I asked the boys what their favorite things were on this trip, they both said wandering around Gatlinburg "like we always do". Since this is only our 3rd trip to the Smokies, it seems funny to call walking around Gatlinburg and stoppong at the old fashioned candy shop and Ben and Jerry's tradtion. However, this simple activity is already one at the top of our boys' list of things to do again next time.
5. Go earlier in June. We tried to sandwich this trip in after the boys' baseball season, but before Jim starts summer band practices. However, since both boys made the all-star teams, their baseball season still isn't over and they ended up having to miss a couple of practices anyway. Hotel rooms are less expensive in early June and three days was not really long enough for a restful vacation. Therefore, next summer we will leave earlier in June (even if the boys miss a game or two) and plan to stay longer. To make a longer stay possible, when we get home the boys will decorate an old oatmeal box to be our vacation bank. We will begin throwing our change in it along with other small amounts of extra money (such as the $2-$5 I occasionally get for doing surveys). This will become our trip money for next summer. I already can't wait to go back to the mountains!
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