mommy2

My husband and I are planning a summer trip. We were thinking of Asheville, NC. We are traveling with 2 small children(4yr old and 1 yr old). After reading many posts on this forum, my original plan of making Asheville my 5 – 6 night base may be too long. I’m now thinking of flying into Asheville and out of Knoxville. Any recommendations otherwise or how to split up this trip. I’m hearing that the whole Gatlinburg area may not be so Nice.. I know my children are small but, we are thinking they
will do all right. Can anyone offer their own ideas or experiences. Is the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding Mountains not right for us?? It just seems like a beautiful
area to explore. PLEASE any thoughts would be appreciated.. Thank you in advance..

xrae

Some people absolutely love Gatlinburg and/or Pigeon Forge and all their cheesy touristy glory, and some people absolutely hate it, so it's up to you to decide which that will be for your family. Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg have a lot of amusements for small children, as well as miles of outlet malls, hotels, and restaurants. Both towns are surrounded by the mountains so if the kitsch gets to you, you can be out of civilization and in the Great Smoky Mountains national park in half an hour.

If you make Asheville a base, your kids are at the right age for the small amusement park Tweetsie Railroad between Boone & Blowing Rock, N.C. www.tweetsie.com It's about an hour northeast of Asheville. Tweetsie can be done in half a day, then you could devote the other half to the Blue Ridge Parkway or hiking or picnicking.

growingup

Spend some time on the Parkway. I am more of a fan of finding an inn or rental somewhere on/off the parkway than staying in Asheville. Research the Blue Ridge Parkway area but be aware that young kids don't like riding in the car for long, they like getting out and hiking/exploring. Also the Great Smokey Mountain National Park is within an hour and a half. Townsend, TN is close to Cades Cove and is a nice quiet town in the mountains but much easier to deal with than Gatlinburg. Tweetsie is fantastic!

mommy2

Thanks you guys, these are great suggestions.. I appreciate it everything the Fodor's crowd has to say.. Such wonderful advice, as always. Keep it coming.. Thanks.

SAnParis2

We go over that way several times a year & always rent from www.vrbo.com. Take a look there once you narrow down a location.