My mom and I travel together every other year for two weeks in the fall. We've done the New England leaves trip and the Maine coast, Montauk NY, New Jersey shore and want to do the Outer Banks or Great Smokey Mts. Even tho we both live in the south central USA we seem to always head east, any suggestions to other locales? We drive to all of these places from central Missouri. HELP PLEASE.

Daughter
The Outer Banks are nice, also, Florida Panhandle (ex Destin,(www.holidayisle.net, Pensacola, beautiful white beaches and clear waters), Door County,WI is WONDERFUL, www.doorcountyvacations.com, Vancouver,Canada and Victoria. What great memories you are making and your choices so wide and varied!

California (redwood forests, wine country, etc. is great but probably too far).

A closer to home option is Colorado. I love Colorado in the summer better than winter. Great scenery/hiking (Breckenridge, Boulder) and fun shopping and restaurants (Aspen and Vail).

I second the Canada vote.Montreal,Quebec are French enough to make you feel very far from home,which can be a good thingHow very nice for both of you that you enjoy taking trips together!

my first choice would be santa fe and surrounding countryside. you would have time to visit taos, canyon de chelly and maybe monument valley if time. my second choice would be the same! santa fe is truly a wonderful town. i envy you to be closer than i am in michigan. my first night on the road is springfield mo. you are half way there!

Thanks all. Mom and I are enjoying being friends, we are making memories of being together. We started this as a respite from taking care of Dad who was sick for over ten years, and is now gone to the great beyond. mom says she likes mountains and the beach and that's why we go east, so looking for cabins in the Smokeys near Asheville NC. And kudos to my hubby for letting me do this and staying home with the kids!!!!

Carmel California certainly has mountains and the beach, but you'd probably have to fly.

How about a few days by the ocean in Charleston or Hilton Head during this trip? Too bad to drive all the way to Asheville and not go a few hours further to the ocean.

Have you checked out any of these?

www.ashevillepines.com

www.goasheville.com

www.cabins.com

The closest beach to Asheville would be a Charleston beach and that is over a five hour drive. In Asheville, hands down stay at The Grove Park Inn.

What a great tradition! And your husband is great to support it. I second the Colorado recommendation. Summit County is my personal favorite.

My family used to summer in Asheville and the area around Little Switzerland,I barely remember anything about it but that it was beautiful

Thanks Mare,CalGal and others. We want to tour the Biltmore Estate, visit Cherokee, and then to the beach. About five days each. So many cabins to choose from in and around Asheville, we want great views, secluded but close to town for eats. Recommend any good mom and pop type eateries so we can sample the local flare?

Daughter

I think it's hard to go wrong with any non-chain restaurant in the area. Some of my favorites are Barley's, Noodle Shop, Bistro, Max's Celebrity Deli, and Trevi (although lately they've been hit or miss). If you haven't already, go to www.ashevillechamber.org and order a visitor's guide. They may also be able to help you with cabin rentals if you haven't already made reservations.

What interests you about Cherokee? I ask because it is quite the tourist trap and I'm afraid you'd be disappointed with your trip there.

Message: Asheville my home

The restaurants suggested sound great, we look for unique restaurant names when we eat on the road ie Wok N Roll and Dusty Dawg. We want to visit Cherokee because we are part Cherokee and so is my hubby. We are people watchers also and don't mind tourist traps. Maybe someday I can post why I liked it there. THANX.

How about seeing some mountains out WEST, like in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, New Mexico? Both are beautiful cities with loads of local culture and charm. My parents went there last fall and had a wonderful time.

Mom likes the beaches and the crash of the waves, Christie, dear, there are no beaches in New Mexico, unless it's the monsoon season, there are plenty of snakes and scorpions, we have those in Missouri. Hubby and I have done the New Mexico thing with the kids (we hunted aliens at Roswell, White Sands etc.) Your correct it is beautiful.

My vote is to head west. THe fall is a great time--warm days, cool nights, and the colors are magnificent! I have taken quite a few trips-Colo, NM, Ariz, Utah and never had any encounters with snakes or scorpions--I'm sure they are around but not in abundance to chase you down!

St. Padre Island in Texas?? Don't know a lot about it but something to research. Destin, FL, would be nice as well.

I also like to take trips with my mom. Our last trip was to San Franscico which was great. We also have taken several cruises which is a great experience. The last cruise we took was from Montreal to New York which mom really liked.

Ditto for Rudy's in San Antonio which is a major yum fest and Sonny Bryan's in Dallas which is also delicious.