I think we've settled on the mountains of western North Carolina for summer of 2004 (late June-mid July). We are a family of 5 with kids ages 4, 8, and 11. I'm overwhelmed with all of the rental choices so thought I'd post here and see if someone could help. Here's what we are looking for:
a cabin/cottage/home-not condo or resort
near golf (husband)
would love water on site-stream/lake/creek
near hiking, tubing, wildlife
not too far from some kid friendly activities
hot tub would be great
and OF COURSE we want MOUNTAINS!
Is this asking too much?
N. Carolina just seemed like the perfect place to find all of these things.
Thanks in advance!

You might want to try looking for someplace around Blowing Rock, NC. We had a long weekend there when my kids were just a bit older than yours (10& 14) and it is a beautiful place with lots to do. There is every sort of lodging possibility...but if you focus on one area, it will tell you if that's where you want to stay.

Try this link. It's not on water, but has other items you are looking for, including being near Fires Creek (bear sanctuary) for picnicking, tubing and swimming in swimming holes, beautiful public golf course vey close to cabin, as well as being a perfect home base for all activities in the mountains of NC, TN and GA:

http://www.hometown.aol.com/L6898

Ksmom, where are you coming from?, driving/flying?, how long? Great choice for all activities you mentioned!

Hi ksmom,
Although not in NC...it has what you are looking for...It's in TN, but still in the smokies.
Check out paradiselandingresort.com
Don't let the resort part fool you, it's not what most term a resort, but is very very nice.

We are coming from SE Kansas. Probably about a 12 hour drive or so. We'll break it up over a couple of days-maybe more if there are things we want to see on the way!

Lake Lure, where Dirty Dancing was filmed, has the Lake Lure Inn as well as rental homes on site. It is about 40 minutes outside of Asheville.

Hiking close by Chimney Rock is amazing. Check out these websites:

www.LakeLureInn.com
www.ChimneyRock.com

The Lake Lure and Chimney Rock area is a very pretty. (Although some of the area is like a honky-tonk tourist trap, which can be fun if you don't mind that sort of thing...) The Pisgah National Forest is not a long drive away, Here you will find sliding rock and the trout fishery (the kids can feed the fish)

The Boone/Blowing Rock area is beautiful, along with the Asheville area.

I think that you can find most of what you are looking for just about anywhere in the NC mountains...

Maybe the Maggie Valley area? There's the tacky Cherokee for the kids. And even Ghost town in the sky. Close to water, in a mountain valley. I don't know about golf or cabin rentals. Nearby is family-friendly white water rafting, close to the Great Smokies National Park.

You might want to do a search on South Carolina state parks. There are several parks on lake x in the mountains with cabin rentals (sorry, I don't remember the name). I doubt they have a hot tub.

I live in Boone, North Carolina--the northwestern mountains. Boone is a small mountain town in Watauga County--Blowing Rock is around 8 miles from here. Blowing Rock is even smaller than Boone, but it's very pricey. Stay in Boone and visit Blowing Rock. You'll like our area for everything you mentioned--golfing, local restaurants, hiking, etc. We're right at the parkway too.

Asheville is a great town too, but it is much larger and in the southern NC mountains.

Postscript: if you decide to stay in the Boone/Blowing Rock area, there are a lot of cabins near or on water. Following are a few sites to check out. If you want to visit Boone/Blowing Rock, but don't mind staying out in the country a bit, you can get cheaper cabins or homes to rent (no hotels/motels) in Cove Creek, Sugar Grove, or Todd (these places are around 15 minutes from Boone).

http://www5.vacationrentals.com/vaca...als/12242.html
http://www.amountaindream.com/homepry.html
http://boonecabins.com/index.htm
http://www.highcountrylogcabins.com/cabins.htm

also check out yahoo.com vacation rentals

I would recommend the Blowing Rock, Boone, Seven Devils area of North Carolina. Lots of nice cabins for rent by the week.

Have you looked into Cashiers? It has dozens of waterfalls, each one a different adventure, take picnic lunches, swim. We stayed one summer at Lake Glenville in a wonderful wooden A-frame loft, bright sunset everyday.

check out mountainrealty.com

I'm sorry. Make that mountainrealty.NET

GoTravel, the camp my parents shipped me off to when I lived in NC was Lake Lure and that was where they filmed the movie
ksmom, it is certainly beautiful up around there!

The web site for Cashiers doesn't seem right. It was supposed to be house rentals but it is real estate. Sorry but I can't find the right one.

The cabin is the only part I can't give a recommendation on. Searching the web would be my best advice.

In addition to the other towns mentioned, also search for Brevard, NC.
It should meet all your needs.

The older kids and adults should love climbing around on Chimney Rock. Most kids don't appreciate the Biltmore House, but you might make a deal with them if they'll go with you.

Finally, if you get the Turner South network, they will be featuring Asheville on their "Three Day Weekend" show (02/16/2004 07:30 pm). It will give you a feel for Asheville, but don't make your vacation as jammed packed as that couple did - we'd like you to come back sometime

Mike Honeycutt

To Mike:

Is the Turner South channel the same as TBS possibly. I would love to catch the show on Asheville this weekend, but don't know if I get that channel down here in FL.

I think they are different networks ... anyone know for sure?

Mike Honeycutt

Turner South and TBS are indeed two different networks. TBS is available on almost every cable system and satellite dish in the country, while Turner South, although it's been around for a few years, is seen on few cable systems outside the southeastern U.S. (it is on Direct TV, however).

The Turner South "Three Day Roadtrip" episode on Asheville is a good one. It's a very good overview of the area.