satrijoe

Next week (1st. of Jan) I am driving from Savannah to Gatlinburg, TN. I was wondering if I should drive up I-95 then take I-26 West/North towards Asheville - OR - go via Atlanta.

Anyone familiar with these routes could provide advice?

Thanks!

Gretchen

Do the 95/26 route. Atlanta would be 'way out of the way.

gmoney

Drove this exact route in October. Take I-95 north to I-26 to Asheville, then take I-40 to gatlinburg. Stop at NC welcome station to check road conditions on I-40, there was a section that was only one lane because part of the highway had been washed out.

GoTravel

As of two weeks ago, the one lane on I-40 is still only open but I can't remember which part around Asheville. I would check with the NC roads division. If it is closed you can always take Highway 74 or 76 (can't remember which it is).

satrijoe

Thanks for the messages.
Another question: I have seen in some websites advices saying that the road from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg might be crowded. Does anyone know if that is worse than going through the one-lane portion on I-40 past Asheville?

The NC Highway Dept. showed a detour taking I-26 then on to I-81 towards Knoxville but that seems an awful large detour...

Thanks again.

ncgrrl

Double check with NCDOT, but I would go on I-40. At least one lane in each direction is open.

If you have to detour, take the recommended I-26 to I-81. If there is bad weather, interstates are plowed before others roads.

gmoney

the one lane section is not in Asheville it is very near the NC-TN border, which was about 40 miles west of Asheville. It is only one lane for about a mile and did not cause any delay for us. If the traffic is really heavy it may cause delay but for us it was no problem.

Litespeed_Chick

There is nothing worse than the road through Cherokee. Take I-40.

satrijoe

OK. Convinced to go through I-26 then on to I-40.

Now, can anyone recommend a place to stop for lunch?

I was thinking Spartanburg just because it is around 4h into my trip but I have no clue. I am looking for something decent but not too slow as I do not want to get to Gatlinburg after 4PM.

Also would like to avoid big cities. (do not want to get lost...)

Thanks again.

Gretchen

I think your driving time is going to be about 7 hours so you may just want to stop for sandwiches. Look for a BBQ place in Spartanburg--or even Columbia.

leahinsc

There are all sorts of chain places just off of 26 in Spartanburg. It might be a bit of a hassle to get in/out of Spartanburg for anything else. For a short detour off of 26 into a cute town right at SC/NC border - get off in Landrum - just north of Spartanburg. Go into downtown (about 2 miles off of 26) and there is a good Mexican/burrito place and another on the right on the corner - can't remember the name.

BetsyinKY

Just to reaffirm your I40 decision...we just drove from Charleston, SC to Knoxville, TN today. The one lane section of I40 is around mile marker 5 on the NC side. We did not experience any delays and traffic was moderate.

Pat2003

Please tell us about your trip and places you stopped on the way. Thanks

satrijoe

Not sure if I will be much of a help. We made one stop for lunch at a shopping mall just off of I-26 near Spartanburg.
Major disappointment was not finding hardly any snow. Definitely, would love to go back to visit the Great Smokey National Park during the spring. Lots of trails.