May 13, 2016
The 5th graders hit the road early yesterday for the annual GFGA trip! The winning destination is Gatlinburg, TN, and Theo Reeves and Kate Patillo planned the itinerary packed with fun and adventure. Their first stop was WonderWorks, an upside down house with an inversion tunnel that makes you feel like you’re walking on the wall, a huge laser tag arena, a mind ball game, bikes that take you upside down, and even a Glow-in-the-Dark ropes course on the ceiling. Then, they visited the Gatlinburg Space Needle. This needle goes 342 feet up in the air and offers a breathtaking birds-eye view of Gatlinburg! Next, they visited Ripley’s Aquarium and had an overnight sleepover with the sharks. Students participated in a scavenger hunt and games, exploring the Aquarium, and, of course, sleeping in the tunnel looking up at beautiful sharks and other sea creatures.
Today, the group ventured to Clingman’s Dome and had a two hour guided tour that had students searching for salamanders in a creek, playing fun games that engaged all of their senses, and going on challenging scavenger hunts. Next, they experienced the Gatlinburg Ski Mountain Coaster. This coaster has a tranquil 1000 foot long uphill beginning, and then once it gets to the top, it will whisk you away on a 2775 foot long adventure through the forest of Gatlinburg. On this, you can go up to speeds as fast as 25 miles per hour!
Tomorrow, the class will visit Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee, NC. This is a living museum where people will tell students the story of old Cherokee ways of preparing for war, their buildings, their arts and crafts, and much more! There is an indoor and outdoor area for students to learn all sorts of things about these Native Americans. They will also see a special dance performance. Lastly, students will visit Soco Falls, a double waterfall located on the Cherokee Nation close to the Blue Ridge Parkway!
