Need travel info through North Carolina from Williamsburg in mid October
Sep 5th, 2001, 10:20 AM
#1
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Need travel info through North Carolina from Williamsburg in mid October
We will arrive by air in Atlanta October 15, drive to smokies (staying at Mountain chalet in Gatlinburg)then travel up to Charlottesville, VA and to Williamsburg. From there we'll have two nights in North Carolina enroute back to the airport in Atlanta. Any suggestions where to stop? Also can you suggest the best route to take from Williamsburg? Should we expect the foliage to the pretty during mid October?
Sep 5th, 2001, 11:48 AM
#2
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You could make it all the way in one day but taking three (2 nights) will give you time to "dawdle".
Take I 85 from Richmond. Good places to stop and "poke around" are: Chapel Hill, NC (home of UNC, quintescential college town, although you will have already seen Charlottesville). Raleigh has a nice Art Museum as does Charlotte. Winston Salem has Old Salem which is mini version of the period of Williamsburg.
If you wanted to you could take a more coastal route and go via I 95 down to the coast of NC and SC. Good beaches. Will still be nice in Oct. though the water may be chilly.
If you really want to go off the track. Go all the way to Charleston and spend time there. It would take most of the day to get from Williamsburg (via I95 and I20). From Charleston to Atlanta would be most of a day too. so you may not have enough time.
My recommendation would be to stay in Chapel Hill, NC for both nights and explore there. (Duke is 10 miles away in Durham--try touring a tobacco factory).
Good luck.
Take I 85 from Richmond. Good places to stop and "poke around" are: Chapel Hill, NC (home of UNC, quintescential college town, although you will have already seen Charlottesville). Raleigh has a nice Art Museum as does Charlotte. Winston Salem has Old Salem which is mini version of the period of Williamsburg.
If you wanted to you could take a more coastal route and go via I 95 down to the coast of NC and SC. Good beaches. Will still be nice in Oct. though the water may be chilly.
If you really want to go off the track. Go all the way to Charleston and spend time there. It would take most of the day to get from Williamsburg (via I95 and I20). From Charleston to Atlanta would be most of a day too. so you may not have enough time.
My recommendation would be to stay in Chapel Hill, NC for both nights and explore there. (Duke is 10 miles away in Durham--try touring a tobacco factory).
Good luck.
Sep 5th, 2001, 12:18 PM
#3
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The leaves in the mountains should be at their peak. Chapel Hill/Salem is a good idea although it will be repeating what you have just done in a way. You could pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway in western NC and meander down that for while--45MPH speed limit but beautiful views. Get off in Blowing Rock or Asheville and look around.
Sep 6th, 2001, 05:21 AM
#5
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As much as I love Chapel Hill, I would spend the two days driving the Blue Ridge Parkway. You could do Williamsburg and then Charlottesville to make for a shorter drive on the final NC part. If you prefer beaches, Williamsburg would put you in a good position for the Outer Banks. The beaches should be nice and quiet that time of year. Charleston is wonderful, but it is hard to do it justice in 1-2 days.
Sep 6th, 2001, 09:50 AM
#6
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I agree with Dan and John, at least partially: go coastal!
You're already spending time in the mountains, and although I love Winston-Salem (which has Old Salem), that might seem old hat after Williamsburg.
Instead, drive from Williamsburg through (or around) Norfolk/Virginia Beach, south to the outer banks (Duck, Corolla, Kitty Hawk, Hatteras, and Ocracoke). You will see lighthouses, beaches, the Wright Brothers Memorial & Museum, huge sand dunes, and as a corollary to your Williamsburg experience, Ocracoke is hundreds of years old and you can still pick up a trace of English accent (mixed with a southern drawl) from the town locals. If adventurous, you could take a ferry south to Morehead City (I believe).
You could easily spend all you time at the outer banks. But you could consider staying in Wilmington NC or Myrtle Beach overnight and then drive back to Atlanta through Columbia SC.
Alternatively, drive straight through to Charleston SC and spend your 2 nights there. I slightly disagree with Dan--I think you could see quite a bit and get the flavor of Charleston in 2 days--if you stay in the Battery (the historic section). Also, you can visit Fort Sumter and/or Patriot's Point (where you can explore a WWII aircraft carrier, submarine, and several other vessels).
Any way you go, have a great time!
You're already spending time in the mountains, and although I love Winston-Salem (which has Old Salem), that might seem old hat after Williamsburg.
Instead, drive from Williamsburg through (or around) Norfolk/Virginia Beach, south to the outer banks (Duck, Corolla, Kitty Hawk, Hatteras, and Ocracoke). You will see lighthouses, beaches, the Wright Brothers Memorial & Museum, huge sand dunes, and as a corollary to your Williamsburg experience, Ocracoke is hundreds of years old and you can still pick up a trace of English accent (mixed with a southern drawl) from the town locals. If adventurous, you could take a ferry south to Morehead City (I believe).
You could easily spend all you time at the outer banks. But you could consider staying in Wilmington NC or Myrtle Beach overnight and then drive back to Atlanta through Columbia SC.
Alternatively, drive straight through to Charleston SC and spend your 2 nights there. I slightly disagree with Dan--I think you could see quite a bit and get the flavor of Charleston in 2 days--if you stay in the Battery (the historic section). Also, you can visit Fort Sumter and/or Patriot's Point (where you can explore a WWII aircraft carrier, submarine, and several other vessels).
Any way you go, have a great time!
Sep 6th, 2001, 11:20 AM
#7
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I actually do agree with Chuck on Charleston, depending on what you want to see. Two days would give you plenty of time for walking the historic area and taking one sidetrip (say Ft. Sumter or a plantation). I was thinking of seeing more than that, but you could see the highlights in that time. The ships can take up several more hours, and then there are house tours (you could probably squeeze in 1-2), shopping, carriage rides, and on and on. In fact, of all the places mentioned Charleston would be my top choice for the one you will most remember.
