March 2019 – Storybook Erin

Hands-On Learning in Cherokee!

The Oconauftee Visitor Center

If you are traveling through The Great Smoky Mountains, do yourself a favor and stop by the Oconauftee Visitor Center. This cute little visitor center is full service, and “green”. (Read all about the “green” features here!)

The beautiful visitor center, and clean restrooms aren’t the only perks of stopping here on your way through the Great Smoky Mountains. This visitor center for also be a destination for an educational experience. In my opinion, meaningful learning experiences are crucial for children to thrive in school. The Oconauftee visitor center was such a highlight of our North Carolina vacation, because of the face-to-face experience with history.

Things to Do at the Visitor Center

Outside of the visitor center, you can take a short walk to an open-air museum featuring a barn and other buildings that have been taken from the mountains and preserved for guests to see. The museam is set up to give guests an idea of how people would have lived 100 years ago in the mountains.

In addition to the village, there are indoor exhibits featuring images, artifacts and other information life in the Great Smoky Mountains. My girls enjoyed seeing how butter was churned. There is also a 20-minute informational video and a paved walking trail to enjoy.

The visitor center is open every day (except Christmas) at 8:00 a.m., and the closing time varies between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. depending on the time of year. You can find hours and contact information on this website.

In addition to the educational component this particular visitor provides, there are stunning views of the mountains and if you are driving through early in the morning you might catch a glimpse at some Elk grazing in the field.

We loved all the stunning mountain views and couldn’t resist a family photo or two. Before you leave, make sure you pop into the visitor center and get a stamp for your national parks passport.

The Street Address

1194 Newfound Gap Rd, Cherokee, NC 28719

Sharing is Caring

If you found this post helpful for planning your trip, I hope you’d do me the honor of sharing.

More Fun Things Nearby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HVcVeD7QEM

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About The Mouse Boutique

Central Florida locals, Michele, and her sister have been selling t-shirts since 2014. I met Michele when she joined my Disney Fans Facebook group I was so honored when she asked me to select a few shirts for my family to review. If you saw my unboxing video you know that I couldn’t decide so she sent me a sampling based on our families interests!

Watch the Video Here!

Sometihing that I found to be unique about The Mouse Boutique is their approach to creating the shirts. Instead of typical vinyl on a fabric t-shirt The Mouse Boutique (TMB) does things a little differently.

All of the designs are custom created and printed directly onto the shirt with a process that fuses the design into the fabric. This produces prints that are crisp, soft, and breathable. Inks are Earth-friendly, water-based, and are non-toxic. Prints are sealed with a commercial heat press to ensure the design stays put.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/themouseboutique#about

Photo by: Erin Jimenez, StorybookErin.com

Interview with Michele

What do you love about being a small-business owner?

My sister and I both love the freedom it gives us to be with our family stay home with child and grandkids

What are the challenges you’ve faced being a small-business owner?

Making sure each of our customers are 110% happy with their order and always trying to go beyond what is needed. After all the customers are the heart of our business.

How do you stay motivated?

We stay motivated by the sweet comments that our customers post about our excited they were about wearing the shirts on their trip.

What do you think is unique about your store?

All the different designs and shirt colors that we offer. I am sure we are one of the few with soooo many designs. My sister does a great job.

My Thoughts on The Mouse Boutique

The Quality

The shirts are comfortable and hold their shape throughout washings. We haven’t gotten a stain yet – but with three young children, I’m sure we will test stain removal soon.

The Designs

There are so many designs, TMB could absolutely be a one-stop shop for all your customized t-shirt needs. They have RunDisney inspired shirts, park-inspired and with the ability to add your name to it you are destined to find a shirt you like.

Turn around time and communication

Working with Michele is so easy! She is quick to respond to Facebook messages and willing to help you find the best shirt for your trip.

Once the item leaves the shop it generally makes it to the customer in 2-3 days. However, since they are local to the theme parks, TMB will often hand-deliver the shirts to your hotel. How awesome is that?

hcom/shop/TheMouseReady to order?

Michele was kind enough to give my readers a discount code. Just use BLOGGERFREE when checking out and you will receive FREE shipping on your order!

Visit her Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMouseBoutique

Michele, thank you so much for sending these adorable shirt to our family.

FREE Facebook Group for Disney Fans!

Are you a Disney Fan? Would you like to join my FREE facebook group for Disney Fans and content creators to connect! This free group is managed by my dear pal Keri from https://www.flipflopweekend.com/. We’d love to have you join our Ohana!

Storybook Erin