GarretNYC

Hi All -
I'm taking my 15 year-old son on a week-long road trip at the end of this month. We have a loose itinerary planned at this time and I'd love your help to fill in the blanks with suggestions on places to stop along the way - activities, where to eat...etc.. The only parameters are we're more interested in outdoor rather than indoor activities (my son isn't really into the museums, etc) and we love food so eating along the way is part of the adventure.
Here it is:
Sunday night: Arrive in Charlotte. Spend the night.
Monday: Drive to Asheville in the morning and either hike (Pisgah National Forest?) or raft in French Broad River that afternoon.
Spend the night in Asheville.
Tuesday: Morning - hike or raft then drive to Gatlinburg and spend the night there.
Wednesday: Activities in Gatlinburg - Alpine slides, hike, rafter etc. Stay in Gatlinburg for the night OR head to Knoxville and spend the night?
Thursday: Morning in Gatlinburg (or Knoxville?) then drive to Athens, GA where we'll spend the night.
Friday: Up early and drive to Savannah. Lunch at Ms. Wilkes. Spend night in Savannah
Saturday: ??
Sunday: Fly out of Charlotte in late morning.

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions! Thanks in advance for the help!
Garret

tomfuller

Do you plan on renting a 2 man kayak or raft in Charlotte?
As for Saturday, try for Congaree National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/cong/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
Sound like a great trip if you can work out the logistics.

Gretchen

I can't see why you would go to Knoxville on this trip and ignore some nicer things to do (IMO).
In SC around Charleston there is Hunting Island with much to do and see.
http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/hu...roduction.aspx

There should be plenty of outfitters for kayaks on the French Broad.
Plenty of trail heads to access north and south of Asheville but it will require getting to them which will take time.
If you are going to Savannah just to eat at Mrs. Wilkes, you could do better "dining" in Charleston--and even see a little more of history. There is also the Confederate submarine that has been found and is on display--the Hunley. And there is a pleasant albeit small aquarium in charleston. Someone here has talked about a trip on a shrimp boat that can be done near Charleston.
This part of the coast is a straight shot down the interstate from Asheville. Is Athens a 'must". Big college town, yes.
The weather on the coast will be lovely and balmy this time of year. It will be chilly (probably) in the mountains. I'd think for kayaking you might need wet suits.

GarretNYC

Thanks Gretchen!
We're kind of locked into the Asheville/Gatlinburg portion. Not married to the Knoxville/Athens leg though. WOuld love to hear alternative itenieraries for that portion (2 days). I'm thinking we'd hit Charleston on Saturday and then head up to Charlotte early Sunday morning. The shrimp boat does sound like a fun idea. Will look into that.

Thanks Tomfuller - Planning to raft not 2 man kayak but not in charlotte...French Broad instead. Will look into Congaree.

Gretchen

I wasn't suggesting not going to Asheville/Gatlinburg, although the latter is a kitschy conglomeration.
Just head to Charleston from there and then decide if you even want to do Savannah--a couple of hours south.
It's a 3.5 hour drive to Charlotte from Charleston.
Actually in Charlotte if you wanted to spend the day there is the Whitewater Center which is REALLY fun--climbing, whitewater rafting. Take a look online.

dwdvagamundo

What I would do (and have done) with your time around Asheville and in the Smokies:

When leaving Asheville, take the Blue Ridge Parkway west--it will hit US441 right at or near the Smoky Mountain Park entrance. The drive between Asheville and the Smokies is the most scenic part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, IMO.

If I were you, I'd stay in Cherokee, N.C. rather than Gatlinburg. The big advantage to me is that traffic on US441 through the Park can be pretty terrible, traffic around Gatlinburg WILL be pretty terrible, and therefore you'll be better off on the south side of the park, where you can drive straight to Athens on US441.

There are a number of interesting things to see in Georgia between Cherokee and Athens: Black Rock Mountain, Tallulah Gorge, charming little mountain villages in North Georgia.

jent103

What an awesome father/son trip!

I'd skip Knoxville (and I'm from there). Market Square/downtown are neat to walk around, but it's out of your way and your trip is pretty busy as it is.

Since your interest is definitely skewed outdoors, I'd +1 the recommendation to stay on the NC side of the park and skip Tennessee altogether. Some people love Gatlinburg (Gretchen is definitely not among them ) but I don't think it has more to offer you two than the Asheville/Cherokee area. Skip the extra driving and save the time for adventuring.

The French Broad will be cold!!

Ackislander

Is it warm enough to raft in the mountains at the end of March?

Otherwise, I like dwdvagamundo's suggestions. But I would also go to Charleston rather than Savannah to eat.

Ackislander

By the way, you will never ever regret this time with your son. The details are only details.

Gretchen

Cherokee is a good idea--and if you want you could do some fly fishing on the reservation. There is an excellent outfitter there that can advise you--and probably rent equipment. You can fly fish or spin cast in tribal waters for a daily fee with no trout license required. Access to the Park is right there and VERY easy.
Then just head south to Charleston.

GarretNYC

All of your replies are so helpful!! Thank you so much.

I like the idea of spending some time in Cherokee for sure. It sounds like there is so much to do in the Smoky Mountain region that heading down to Savannah, or even Charleston, for that matter seems superfluous. I'm thinking that we should just stay in the Charlotte/Asheville area with plenty to do for the week. Thoughts?

Gretchen

NO, I don't agree with you. There is lots of "stuff" to do in Asheville/Cherokee, but Charleston is an added layer of a different sort. I WOULD let Savannah go. By not going to Knoxville and Athens you have extra days, and the return from Charleston to Charlotte is an easy one, depending on when your flight leaves.
Re-do your whole itinerary with what seems good now, but please do go to Charleston. I think you are from NYC--you and your son will enjoy this charming town. I think of it as the most European of American cities for its history and ability to walk so much to enjoy it--plus great food and the authenticity of the southern way of life.

GarretNYC

Thanks Gretchen. I'm swayed. Though I think Savannah is incredibly charming (and I do love Ms. Wilkes ), that's not enough of a reason to go. I've never been to Charleston and heard only fantastic things about it. That said, it's still a schlep (YES, I'm from NYC) to go straight from Cherokee to Charleston...nearly 5 hours or more, so yes, will have to re-do the itinerary so that it makes sense and the drives aren't so onerous. Smaller chunks would be better. Thanks again!

jent103

You <i>could</i> definitely fill a week in the Asheville/Cherokee area, but if you have the time and desire, Charleston would be a great second destination (and I prefer it to Savannah). It is a drive, yes, but it's all interstate and easy!

And Mrs. Wilkes is great traditional Southern food, yes, but the food in Charleston... <i>yum.</i>

Gretchen

You were going to have 5 hour schleps on your other itinerary!!
You will NEVER regret going to Charleston. You may just catch the beginning of the lowcountry blossom season also which is nothing short of spectacular.

GarretNYC

True...true. Would have that drive on my other itinerary as well. Thanks again for your help!

jeffergray

If you do go to Charleston, your son (and you) might well enjoy the H.L. Hunley Museum, which is on the northern side of the city -- maybe even in North Charleston. It contains the salvaged Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley, which in 1864 carried out the first successful submarine attack against an enemy warship, but then sank afterwards on its way back to port.

Your son might also enjoy the boat ride out to Fort Sumter, although the Fort itself is underwhelming once you get there. And the World War II aircraft carrier USS Yorktown is right across the river in Patriot's Point (although if you're from NYC, it would be pretty much the same as the USS Intrepid).

I hate to disagree with tomfuller, but Congaree National Park? It's one saving grace is that it will not take you too long to see -- I recall there being only one relatively short trail that takes you down to a lake. At least at this time of the year, it won't be steamy and buggy. And if you've never seen a cypress swamp -- well, do this and you can cross that off your list. I suggest you go to Flickr, do a search for "Congaree National Park", and see if it looks like your cup of tea.

(There was actually an amusing article in the New York Times a few years back about how visitation to this park jumped after the SC pols got together and managed to re-engineer Congaree's promotion from a mere National Monument to a National Park. But Acadia, Yosemite or the Grand Canyon, it's not.)

If you wind up driving I-95 between Savannah and Charleston, there's a place called the South Carolina Artisans Center in a town called Walterboro which might be a good place to buy a souvenir for any womenfolk you and your son have left behind.

The Chattooga River along the Georgia/South Carolina border is also famous for whitewater rafting: the 1970's movie "Deliverance" was filmed there.

If you do wind up driving through the north Georgia mountains, a really nice stop and short hike just north of Helen on the Richard B. Russell Highway is the Duke Creek Falls. Here's some info: http://www.atlantatrails.com/hiking-...k-falls-trail/.

And if you or your son have any interest in history, there are two important Revolutionary War battlefields (Kings Mountain and Cowpens; the former offers a good short hike) not far off of US 74 if that's the route you take from Charlotte to Asheville.