carolina road trip in March

My husband and I are in our late 20s. We%26#39;d like to take a road trip from western TN to NC. I love Asheville and Brevard (and would like to see the Biltmore, Grove Park Inn, etc.), but I%26#39;d love any suggestions for other days. I%26#39;m not very familiar with the area...any suggestions for hiking/romantic destinations would be great! I%26#39;ve heard the Greenville, SC area is also beautiful. Any suggestions for an itinerary or ';must see list'; would be great! We have an entire week to travel! Yippee! Thank you!

carolina road trip in March

Transylvania County ( Brevard area) has excellent hiking and beautiful waterfalls. In Greenville - be sure to see the world-class art gallery at Bob Jones University! It%26#39;s a hidden treasure and houses a collection to rival any in Europe. Best wishes.

carolina road trip in March

I%26#39;d hit the Blue Ridge Parkway, and head north to Blowing Rock. Lots to see along the way - see map link below.

There are good hiking spots at (heading North) Mt Mitchell, Linville, Grandfather Mtn, and Blowing Rock.

There are two great parks/museums at Grandfather and Blowing Rock (Moses Cone Manor).

You can camp, canoe (rentals), hike, and picnic at Julian Price Park %26amp; Campground.

But IMO, there are few things more special than driving across the Linn Cove Viaduct with the windows down.

And end your evening in the picturesque town of Blowing Rock for with a cone of icecream and a romantic dinner. Enjoy.

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/map5.htm

Wow! Thank you for your specific comments. I will write all these things down and start planning!

I would allow 1 day to travel to western NC and 1 day to travel home. I would rent a cabin in Maggie Valley NC. It is centrally located for all the activities. I would pass on Greenville SC. Area north of there is nice. I will have an itenery when I have more time. I would suggest whitewater rafting and a few days in the Smokies.

I%26#39;m only familiar with Tennessee and the Smokies area, but here%26#39;s a rough itinerary (I%26#39;m just guessing the right amount of time for western NC). Where in west Tennessee are you? I%26#39;m assuming that Chattanooga interests you.

Day 1: Get up early and drive to Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness; hike all day and drive to Chattanooga in the late evening.

Day 2: Chattanooga sightseeing. Recommended ideas: Tennessee Aquarium, riverfront (North Shore, Bluff View Arts District, Walnut Street Bridge), Lookout Mountain (Point Park, Rock City, Sunset Rock, Chattanooga Nature Center, Reflection Riding), zoo. Hiking: Cloudland Canyon on Lookout Mountain, to Edwards Point from Signal Mountain in the Tennessee River Gorge, to Skyuka Spring from Reflection Riding. Btw, everything I listed could fill up several days; only three or so could actually fit in one day after you%26#39;re tired from hiking at Virgin Falls). Post a thread in the Chattanooga forum for more info.

Day 3: Maybe something from the above in the morning before setting out for the Smokies. Drive to Maggie Valley by way of Cherohala Skyway.

Days 4, 5, and 6: Do sightseeing around Asheville, Brevard, Cherokee and in the Smokies. Probably one full day for Biltmore. Sample idea for day in Smokies (only do one of two hikes listed):

Drive up to Newfound Gap; hike to Jumpoff (four miles round-trip) or even all the way to Charlie%26#39;s Bunion (nine miles total). Continue on to Clingman%26#39;s Dome. After checking out the panoramic views, hike to Andrew%26#39;s Bald (four miles) or to Forney Creek Cascade as well (seven miles).

Day 7: Drive home.

That%26#39;ll fit in a lot of hiking in the coolest places in Tennessee. Virgin Falls is between Nashville and Chattanooga and is one of the most incredible places I%26#39;ve ever been (and I%26#39;ve been to many). Google it to read more about Virgin Falls, Big Laurel Falls, and Martha%26#39;s Pretty Point (you could also go to Sheep Cave and Caney Fork river, but that%26#39;s pushing it for a day hike). You%26#39;ll be doing ten miles of hiking on a pretty rough trail, but it%26#39;s worth every step.

Just some ideas. I don%26#39;t know if you want to go to Chatt at all, but I%26#39;d recommend that you do. In any case, you%26#39;ve got an awesome week ahead of you!

Hope this helps,

Kristian

Forgot the map! Here%26#39;s a Google map for the route I suggested: http://tinyurl.com/2wb338