Halloween

October 31, is a fun filled day for most! Children get dressed up in their favorite costume and going trick or treating through the night! Many people decorate and carve pumpkins.  Some throw Halloween parties, or go to Haunted houses.  Superstition is in their air and people are jumpy and vulnerable. But why? Where did all of this come from?

According to history.com, the tradition of trick or treating probably dates back to the All Soul's Day Parade in England. During the parade poor citizens would beg for food and the church encouraged people to hand out "soul cakes", as a way to replace the tradition of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits.  This was called "going a souling" and was soon taken up by children going through their neighborhoods asking for food and money. 

According to history.com, the tradition of wearing costumes share Celtic and European roots. Winter was a scary time for people long ago and they believed that on Halloween, ghosts would roam the world and if they left their homes, they would encounter these ghosts. In order to avoid being recognized by the ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes because they believed that the ghosts would mistake them for spirits. On Halloween, people would place bowls of food by their front door in order to keep the ghosts from entering. 

Halloween is a fun tradition.  Even though (most) people no longer fear ghosts and evil spirits, there is still s sort of magic, or creepy feeling in the air.  It's a time to celebrate the fears of the past and to have fun with the haunted houses, decorating, and dressing up.  

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Every year, my family and I visit Gatlinburg, Tennessee for fall break.  It's always beautiful this time of year because all of the leaves on the trees are changing colors.  We usually have warm weather, which is perfect for walking around, shopping, and doing other outdoor activities. We will be visiting this area the week of October 21st this year.  

We usually stay at the Wyndham Resort in Sevierville, which is about 5 minutes from Pigeon Forge and about 15 minutes from Gatlinburg.  This hotel has a huge indoor water park with big water slides, a kid area, and a wave pool. There are also a couple outdoor pools and hot tubs.  I have two 11 year old sisters and they love this hotel because of the water park.  There are also golf courses on the property, which my dad and husband appreciate.  

The streets of Gatlinburg are lines with different shops.  I love the candy/fudge and popcorn shops! They are always taste so yummy! They also have antique stores, tourist stores, candle stores, toy stores, and just about anything else you can think of.  There are also a lot of restaurants and bakeries.  There are many different attractions in this area that could keep you busy for weeks.

There are many different shows, museums and attractions that you can visit.  One of my favorites is the Wonder Works Upside House.  There are a lot of different things to do inside of this attraction.  It's child friendly, but also fun for adults.  They have tornado simulators, rock climbing, an arcade, a bed of nails that you can lay on and many other types of attractions.  This is an all day type attraction. 

Gatlinburg is beautiful, especially in the fall.  There are several different camp grounds, hiking trails, and horse riding trails through the mountains.  There are natural water falls and the scenery is amazing.  This is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall.