Blue ridge parkway
 

Hi! I'm taking the family (three of us) on a trip, landing july9 in Dulles and leaving Knoxville on the 16th through the Parkway etc. Open to any and all travel ideas, having never spent any time in the area.

Thanks!

Budget? What do you like to do?

Biltmore House/Asheville

Don't skip Shenandoah National Park on your way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just don't run into deer or bears, as I have.

Biltmore and Asheville are worth stops. Also, Poster above is right about Shenandoah Park, worth the time. I'd also take the route through Great Smokey Mountains Nat. Park. I enjoyed a visit to Gatlinburg. Like nearby Pigeon Forge, it is pretty "touristy" but had interesting points.

I always loved visiting Charlottesville, not too far off the parkway, visit the University there and also Monticello, well worth the time. Also Shenandoah Park as already mentioned.

Thanks! Gretchen, not necessarily on a budget, but want to see worthwhile stops and spend time accordingly.

"worthwhile" as in exactly what?

Hi Dukey, Just wanted to spend time judiciously, see the "must see" spots as well as any other points of interest in the limited amount of time that we have.

Charlottesville is a good suggestion. I also like Lexington, which you can visit as a day trip from the Peaks of Otter Lodge, which has just re-opened. It is one of (now) only two places where you can stay actually on the Parkway - the other is at Mt. Pisgah, on the other side of Asheville.

http://www.peaksofotter.com/
http://pisgahinn.com/

South of Asheville there's Transylvania county and a lot of waterfalls.

http://www.visitnc.com/journeys/articles/waterfalls

If you like small towns then Staunton would be a nice stop. They have the Frontier Culture museum and a nice downtown.

Monticello and Charlottesville are certainly worth visiting (about an hour off the Parkway).

Plenty of great hikes on the parkway, too. I recommend you get a book that lists the hikes there so you can find some that are less traveled in addition to hitting popular spots like Humpback Rocks, etc.

Asheville and the Biltmore are fantastic as well.

The Great Smokey Mountain National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville, North Carolina are very close together and have so much to offer.

I’d suggest you begin your trip near Cherokee and spend some time in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

There’s also the Cherokee Indian Reservation that may interest you and they have a wonderful outdoor drama during the summer months called ‘Unto these Hills’. It’s been produced for many, many years and is still very moving and interesting.

http://www.cherokeesmokies.com/
http://www.cherokeesmokies.com/unto_these_hills.html

There is also a casino there on the reservation if you like the games though if you have children there are things nearby that they'd like too.

http://www.harrahscherokee.com/

When you’re finished with that area, simply get on the Blue Ridge Parkway (clearly marked) and drive over to Asheville stopping along the way at the overlooks and then spend one or two nights in Ashville. Asheville is a pretty city with the big attraction being the Biltmore Estate, also known as the Biltmore House and Gardens. It has a house, stables, winery, gardens, restaurant, small hotel and more. Some people like to hurry and do it in a day while others like to take it more leisurely and make it two days. However, Asheville has much more to offer too.

http://www.biltmore.com/

http://www.exploreasheville.com/


The Blue Ridge Parkway starts near Cherokee,NC and goes 469 mi or 755km to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and offers access to the Skyline Drive. When you are finished with what you want to see in Asheville, you might want to get back on the Parkway and head for Boone and Blowing Rock. Along the way, depending on how far you choose to go, you may want to stop at Moses H. Cone Park, Mile Post 294. A majestic 4,200 acres at the foot of Grandfather Mountain, named in honor of Julian Price, lies directly adjacent to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Rocky Knob & Mabry Mill, MP 169, 176.2 and many other points of interest listed on the Parkway website linked above.

Along the way there are many entrances/exits, overlooks, sites to stop and enter, etc. So, take your time and enjoy them all. This is just a tiny bit of what North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia had to offer, but it is one of the best offerings. I’m providing a link to a couple of videos I’ve made in the area so you can get a taste of the flavor of it.

This one I made in the fall on the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Eff_Fjyig

This one I made in the fall on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA05LoIB7Is

If you choose this route, I’d love to hear your feedback on what you thought of the area. Have fun, enjoy the area and depending on when you go there are festivals of bluegrass music and other festivals throughout the area. I believe they update this site as dates are set.

http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/att...als-and-events

BTW,the National Parks site linked above, shows various stops along the way which are interesting and worth your time.