Blue Ridge Parkway questions

I%26#39;m in the land of confusion -- help!

I see that the BRP is over 400 miles long. We are planning on driving the entire parkway from north to south and getting off near Ashville to visit The Biltmore Estate. After the Biltmore, we are planning on with the parkway and heading to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

My main questions of help are:

1.) If we started driving in the morning, how far could we get in one day and what are some ';must do'; things to do in that one day?

2.) Are there any places to stay towards the end of one day of driving? Could we make it all the way to Ashville and still get in some ';must sees';?

The Blue Ridge Parkway is just a portion of our trip. We want to enjoy it, but we can%26#39;t spend days and days here, even though it looks like there is soooo much to do!!

Any type of travels suggestions would be VERY helpful.....

I%26#39;m having a hard time figuring out how long this drive should take, including doing some sight-seeing on the way down.

I will also post this in the VA forum. I%26#39;ll take any help that I can get! Thanks!! ;-)

Blue Ridge Parkway questions

There are too many must sees to post! Get a Parkway Guide and see what interests you. It will take you several days to drive it if you stop and look at even just a few sights. The BRP has a good website with all the info you need. If I started typing about places I%26#39;ve seen and done, it would be thousands of words!LOL.

There are several lodgin options along the Parkway - cabins, motels, camping, resorts, etc...Read the guide and if you have specific questions about a place in particular, post again.

I%26#39;ll give you one place as a sample - Galax, VA - good lodging at ';A Place By the Parkway'; ( check their website). That%26#39;s also near Mt. Airy, NC ( the real Mayberry). And in Galax they have free Bluegrass music at the Rex Theater on Friday nights. I could write hundreds of paragraphs like this! LOL

Best wishes.

P.S. If you%26#39;ll fine tune what you are looking for that might help- what kinds of sights do you like? What type of lodging, how long do you have for the trip...etc.......

Blue Ridge Parkway questions

When are you driving?

This is not clear, are you trying to drive from mile 0 to Asheville, visit the Biltmore and continue south? All in one day? Or do you want to drive from mile 0 to Asheville, visit the Biltmore and stay overnight in Asheville? The speed limit on the parkway is 45 and many section has lower than 45 but there are some stretches where you cannot drive that fast especially if you get behind a slow car and there is no way to pass for miles. However, there is no commercial traffic on the parkway.

You need most of the day for a visit the Biltmore.

A number of posters here are knowledgeable when it comes to the parkway but it is hard to recommend any sightseeing unless you are going to tell when you are driving

I would say three days to drive the parkway would be really nice. Are you interested in taking some hikes, visiting local restaurants, side trips or do you only want to stop at many overlooks? So when are you traveling? Are you driving a car, motorcycle or RV?

We%26#39;ll be driving a car mid April. We are driving north to south starting in western NY, first doing The Skyline Drive and seeing some sights in the Charlottesville area. Then heading on the BRP. ';Several days'; to drive the BRP?? Oh boy, I didn%26#39;t think it would take days. I thought maybe one. I thought it would be nice to take this scenic drive instead of driving the Interstates, etc. We would love to find time to visit Grandfather Mountain and walk over the swinging bridge, etc. We do like to hike, but don%26#39;t like to see cheesy tourist trap sites. ;-)

This is our tentative itinerary that I posted on the VA forum. I%26#39;m guessing I%26#39;m planning too much to do on the way down. Tell me what you think!

Day 1). Leave Western NY at 5:00 pm and drive to Bedford, PA for a few winks.

Day 2). Drive to Front Royal and begin the drive. Stop at the visitor center and talk with the ranger to see what he suggests for a hike. Visit many overlooks. End that day in Staunton, VA. Visit Frontier Culture Museum (or do this the next day). If we are not worn out, we%26#39;ll take in a show at Blackfriars Playhouse.

Day 3). Head to Charlottesville to see the Monticello and UVA campus. Would love to see James Madison%26#39;s Montpelier, but I don%26#39;t think we have time!! Start our drive on the BRP. Would we make it to Peaks of Otter Lodge by the end of this day? Could we make it further?? I%26#39;m so confused as to how long the driving takes as the speed limit is low and I know we%26#39;ll want to get out and look once in awhile, etc.

Day 4). Continue on drive. We%26#39;re very interested in Grandfather Mountain and the swinging bridge, etc. Would love to have time to go there. End day in Ashville??? Will we make it in one day??

Day 5). Biltmore Estate in the morning and then do the GSNMP the rest of the day. End drive in Murfreesboro, TN

Day 6 %26amp; 7). Visit relatives

Day 8). Drive to Memphis (one day of activities there). Stay overnight.

Day 9). Drive to Mammoth Cave (one day of activities there). Stay overnight.

Day 10). Drive home.

My dilemma is that we were taking this trip to visit relatives and now we have only two days to visit, because there%26#39;s too many great places to visit on the way there! I%26#39;m trying to make the beginning of the trip shorter, but I don%26#39;t know how! Is it possible to do what looks like a four-day trip in three? I%26#39;m respectively asking, is it possible to drive the BRP in one day? I think I already know the answer......

Day 3 is too much. You%26#39;ll also want to have lunch at Michie Tavern in C%26#39;Ville - or at least visit it when you go to Monticello . I%26#39;d forget the Parkway from C%26#39;Ville. Hit I-81 and go down to Wytheville and spend the night. Then go south a little ways and pick up the Parkway at Fancy Gap, VA. You will never be able to do the Parkway in the time limit you have given yourself. You are planning too much!

You are going to see neat places of which you are not aware and you are going to want to stop! Don%26#39;t cram every minute! You can always come back!

I%26#39;ve been going to the Parkway for 50 years and never seen everything there is to see - you are trying to do in a few days what people take weeks to do!

P.S. The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton is great!

Best wishes.

Thanks for your honest opinion. I *knew* I was planning too much, but it%26#39;s tough to omit, you know? ;-)

I%26#39;ll take your advice and hit the I-81 and we%26#39;ll plan on coming back some day. ;-)

Thanks for your travel experience expertise!

Hey- try to catch a dinner and show at Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theater in Wytheville, VA - it%26#39;s great. Check out their website.

LOL. I just saw your post from a few years back in the Wytheville forum and found their website -- that place looks great! The kids will love it! Beauty and the Beast will be playing when we are there. I hope we can fit it in. Thanks again for all your help!!

We%26#39;ve been going for years - you won%26#39;t be disappointed.