{"id":8155,"date":"2014-10-16T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T17:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/?p=8155"},"modified":"2016-09-07T19:47:28","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T00:47:28","slug":"great-smoky-mountains-railroad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/?p=8155","title":{"rendered":"Great Smoky Mountains Railroad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"DSC_0460\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3935\/15340325870_3179688a50_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0460\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3935\/15340325870_3179688a50_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0460\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Andrew wanted to surprise the boys with a special adventure during our Asheville trip. And though they have been on plenty of city trains, the thought of an open-air car traveling through the Smoky Mountains to a pumpkin patch sounded too good to pass up, even though it was a bit of a splurge. I have to say, it was a completely different experience to have fresh air blowing in through the open car, traveling alongside a river, beautiful rolling hills and fields, and across an old bridge.\u00a0<a title=\"DSC_0454\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5601\/15340169849_4aacc3eaed_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0454\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5601\/15340169849_4aacc3eaed_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0454\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0459\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3951\/15523912501_291fa6c6a1_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0459\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3951\/15523912501_291fa6c6a1_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0459\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0461\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5603\/15340326890_c9c23a8047_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0461\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5603\/15340326890_c9c23a8047_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0461\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0463\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3928\/15340328020_f6cc3cc0a2_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0463\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3928\/15340328020_f6cc3cc0a2_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0463\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Oliver stood by the window the entire trip, being careful not to reach out the open windows. But Emil was the biggest fan, as he has recently been a bit obsessed with trains. He talked about the train for a good part of the drive there, and then after as well. I think it kind of blew his mind.\u00a0<a title=\"DSC_0464\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3950\/15527080935_6b0653fa84_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0464\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3950\/15527080935_6b0653fa84_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0464\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0467\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5605\/15523918441_9d3106487e_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0467\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5605\/15523918441_9d3106487e_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0467\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0469\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5597\/15503909716_7e5088b185_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0469\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5597\/15503909716_7e5088b185_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0469\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0470\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5603\/15527086925_a31d946b87_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0470\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5603\/15527086925_a31d946b87_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0470\" width=\"680\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0472\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3930\/15340186899_3dd6fc05a0_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0472\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3930\/15340186899_3dd6fc05a0_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0472\" width=\"680\" height=\"1024\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On the ride there, someone read part of &#8220;It&#8217;s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown&#8221; and when we arrived, we were greeted by Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy characters, along with a whole field of kid-awesomeness (and plenty of kitsch). It was the kind of amusement-park silliness that is sometimes necessary. They ate it up.\u00a0<a title=\"DSC_0478\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5610\/15526691852_e4ed8ffa01_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0478\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5610\/15526691852_e4ed8ffa01_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0478\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0483\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5608\/15340428638_7c7078b84a_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0483\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5608\/15340428638_7c7078b84a_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0483\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There was trick-or-treating (they did NOT skimp on the candy&#8230;), marshmallow roasting, there were games and a pumpkin patch, where the boys each chose a pumpkin to take back with them.\u00a0<a title=\"DSC_0487\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3952\/15340479947_84799fc3a8_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0487\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3952\/15340479947_84799fc3a8_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0487\" width=\"1024\" height=\"731\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0488\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3936\/15503920006_3112893f58_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0488\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3936\/15503920006_3112893f58_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0488\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0491\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5610\/15340484827_301a0af6c5_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0491\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.staticflickr.com\/5610\/15340484827_301a0af6c5_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0491\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And then the ride back&#8230; we lucked out with more rain in the forecast. It held off until we stepped off the train, then started to pour on the drive back to the cabin.\u00a0<a title=\"DSC_0493\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3931\/15340437598_10bbca94c2_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0493\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3931\/15340437598_10bbca94c2_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0493\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0495\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3936\/15340199609_6a6a2e1003_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0495\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3936\/15340199609_6a6a2e1003_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0495\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a><a title=\"DSC_0496\" href=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3945\/15340353390_cf7295eb05_s.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"DSC_0496\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3945\/15340353390_cf7295eb05_b.jpg\" alt=\"DSC_0496\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" \/><\/a>It was such a treat! If you&#8217;re interested in going, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.romanticasheville.com\/great_smoky_mountain_railroad.htm\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> is the website. They do a Polar Express train on Christmas Eve, which sounds like a blast!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andrew wanted to surprise the boys with a special adventure during our Asheville trip. And though they have been on plenty of city trains, the thought of an open-air car traveling through the Smoky Mountains to a pumpkin patch sounded too good to pass up, even though it was a bit of a splurge. I &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/?p=8155\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Great Smoky Mountains Railroad&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[188],"tags":[74,157,75,54],"class_list":["post-8155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-adventures","tag-asheville","tag-ingenius-ideas","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8155"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8158,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8155\/revisions\/8158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crumbbums.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}