Small road trip - Richmond to Asheville to Nashville, back to Richmond
 

I have a conference in Nashville later this month, and we're planning on spending a few days in Asheville first. I'd love some ideas for places to stop along our routes, as well as restaurant and hotel recs. We're definitely not foodies, though we love to eat out.

We'll be in Asheville for three nights. We can either arrive around noon and kick around the remainder of the first day, or plan a stop somewhere interesting between Richmond and Asheville. We have a full day planned for Biltmore, and then are open the second full day - wandering around downtown, and whatever else looks interesting. We're looking at Homewood Suite or Brookstone Lodge for hotels - don't want to go over $130 or so per night.

Then on to Nashville. We'll need a hotel the first night before checking into the conference hotel, and will spend the afternoon of the day we arrive and the morning of the next day doing some sightseeing stuff.

Going back to Richmond, we can either do it all in a day with no stops, or take two days. The most direct route will be through southwestern VA (as opposed to the route down to Asheville). We're moderately active, but no long or strenuous Blue Ridge hiking is in the cards now, since I'm recovering from a medical condition. Any places to stop along the way? It'll be mid-week.

Thanks!

We were in Asheville September of 2009. Stayed at the Residences at Biltmore, these are apartments that were converted to a hotel. Absolutely gorgeous, reasonably priced. We were able to walk to Biltmore village where we had a wonderful lunch at the Corner Kitchen. And we were a short drive from downtown and the Biltmore. Don't know what dates you are traveling but a lot of places downtown were closed or open later on Sunday. Sorry I am no help with Nashville or Richmond.

Be aware that I-40 just west of Asheville is closed due to a rockslide a few months ago - and may still be closed when you travel. You'll want to have your alternative route planned.

What are you interested in doing in Nashville, and what is your conference hotel? Do you want to stay in more or less the same part of town the whole time you're here?

Here's a map of the official detour on I-40 - they're routing everyone from Asheville up I-26 to Johnson City, then along I-81 back down to I-40 close to Knoxville. I haven't driven this new section of I-26, but the drive from Johnson City to Knoxville is easy. TDOT doesn't seem to have any estimate for when the work will be done.

http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/rockslide09/maps/local.pdf
http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/rockslide.htm

Thanks for the info. The Residences at Biltmore are out of the price range, unfortunately! We're aware of the detour, and were planning on taking the scenic route anyway, so thanks for the links.

In Nashville, we're at the Opryland. I don't care where we stay the first night, pre-conference. A night at the Country Music Hall of Fame is part of the conference, and I haven't decided on much else: we not country music fans, so maybe Belle Meade, the Capitol, the State Museum, or just wandering around some neighborhoods.

The Opryland Hotel is kind of fun in an over-the-top Las Vegas way, but the attractions in the area tend to be either country music oriented (Grand Ole Opry Museum) or tourist traps (Cooter's Place, Willie Nelson and Friends Museum).

You'll need to head into downtown or further into the outskirts of the city to see the kinds of things that might be of interest. Belle Meade is a very good historic house, as are The Hermitage and Belmont Mansion. The state capitol and State Museum are well worth visiting, and the Frist Center for the Visual Arts can be very good depending on what temporary exhibitions they have (they have no permanent collection). There aren't a lot of visual art options here besides the Frist, unless the Van Vechten Gallery happens to be open (check first!) -- and I found the Parthenon kind of fun in a kitchy way, though its art collection is simply not worth the visit. The Lane Motor Museum isn't the best car museum I've been to, but might be worthwhile if you enjoy such things. And the Ryman Auditorium is very much a country music oriented attraction, though the architecture might be of interest beyond this.

The Ryman is great to me because of the sense of history. I don't really care for country, but appreciate the talent and history of it, and the Opry and the Ryman are fantastic ways to see some of that. But yes, there's not much by Opryland (other than the Opry) that would hold much interest.

Hillsboro Village is one of the better "wandering neighborhoods" around. It's also near the Vanderbilt campus and Centennial Park. Lots of good restaurants around there as well. Staying downtown, you'd be close to the Schermerhorn symphony center, plus the honky-tonks if you're interested in that. Those are the two most convenient areas for most visitors, I think, and they're only a 5/10-minute car ride apart. Vandy is a little more convenient to Belle Meade, but the Capitol and the Tennessee State Museum are downtown.

i noticed you mentioned a senic route around the rockslide. Be very wary of detouring another way other than the suggested one. 441 through the Smokys is incredibly curvy. It will add at least another hour to the suggested detour. Hwy 129 is also VERY curvy and is also closed due to rock slide until July. Just thought you would like the fair warning.

Thanks for the Nashville suggestions, and the detour tip!

Thanks for the Nashville info. My husband and I are planning a little jaunt there in May so this is all timely and interesting. We will likely fly rather than drive, but we're still working that out. Any thoughts on historic hotels of B&Bs?

What is your budget? The Hermitage is one of the oldest hotels downtown (maybe the oldest?), but it's also one of the most expensive. You could try Union Station as well.