The Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee was our destinations earlier this month.

As “leaf peepers,” we came to look for more color this fall, which included the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg.

Our stay in the Smokey Mountains was in the tourist town of Sevierville, Tenn., which is near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tenn. The Smokeys are mainly in the states of North Carolina and Tennessee and includes more than 400 miles of breath-taking cliffs, and scenic overlooks above the clouds.

Our step-on-guide in Gatlinburg was a naturalist in the park, entertaining us with bird sounds and pointing out the many native flowers and trees along the way. This is also bear country with more than 1,500 bears calling this their home.

The fall decorations of pumpkins and scarecrows, plus the smell of apples, was everywhere. People were relaxing in rocking chairs and listening to blue grass music in the outdoor shopping areas. The warm sun made for a real down-home feeling.

Included in this tours were five shows including the Hatfields and McCoys, Smoky Mountain Opry Show, the hilarious Blackwood family, Cirque De Chine acrobats and dancers, and the Patty Waszak one-woman show. This trip is another one that could be revisited with so much more to see and do.

This group of travelers will get together again at 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 at the Sweets Hotel in LeRoy. Please bring pictures you want to share or exchange. Call the travel number at 507-438-3946, if you would like a group photo.

 Back to Oktoberfest

We made a return trip to Harriet Island for an Oktoberfest Cruise. German food, music, and dancing was the order of the day. We even spotted several bald eagles as we went through the lock and dam.

Our next trip will be to the Old Log Dinner theater near Excelsior, Minn. The newest show is another comedy, “Perfect Wedding.” The fee is due now. You will also choose your main entrée for the noon dinner.

•Nov. 27

The Mall of America

This mall is one of the nation’s top tourist attractions and will be a Home and garden Television Holiday Experience. HGTV will be celebrating the holidays with a modern-day size Gingerbread House and will offer opportunities of daily demonstrations and to greet some of the popular HGTV designers.

 •Dec. 5

“Bye-Bye Birdie” at the

Chanhassen Dinner Theater

This award-Winning musical classic is set in the 1960s and is a love story about an Army inductee and American teenage girl. Fee is due by Nov. 8.

As we make our way through fall and the holiday season, our thoughts turn quickly to a winter get-a-way.

Plans must always be made early and this year our destination will be Florida, highlighting Miami and Key West in a 11-day deluxe motor coach trip with four consecutive nights in Miami and a day in the southern-most city of the United States, Key West.

Several tours and some free time in this beautiful area. Seventeen meals will be included along with 10 nights of lodging. More information is at the Senior Center or by calling 507-438-3946.

The winners in the recent Health and Awareness Fair on Oct. 6 were Joan Cheney, MCSC 2013 membership and Donna Oehlers a Travel Gift Certificate.