Towns close to Blue Ridge Parkway/Shenandoah
 

Heading north from Asheville, my husband and I would prefer staying in towns right off Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive (or within a few miles) with budget lodging ($100 or less) that would be fun to walk around in at night (a TV is an added plus for us). We plan to stop 4 or 5 nights and it's been a challenge trying to decide where this will be as we head to Washington, D.C. We are considering the Mt. Airy area, and Blowing Rock, NC for starters. Recos for a hotel close to the parkway at Roanoke would also be great. Thanks for any input.

Absolutely stop by Mt. Airy. We are the real Mayberry and there are many fun things to see. Check out www.visitmayberry.com for some ideas. There are some nice b and b's in Mt. Airy and I think if you will give them a call you might be able to negotiate a deal a bit better than rack rates. You will find links to all of them on the visit Mayberry site.

A great stop for lunch is Chateau Morrisette just off the parkway at Meadows of Dan.http://www.chateaumorrisette.com/

I agree! cm, I should have known you were from MA!

I also like Mabry Mill for breakfast.
http://www.virginia.org/site/descrip...p?attrID=36565

I would recommend Charlottesville, VA - within a short drive to the Parkway - home to Jefferson's Monticello and fun downtown.

This seems crazy, but the Hotel Roanoke has a rate for a room at $129. I checked because I grew up in Roanoke and I think you will love being at this grand old hotel -- which is down on the market. From the hotel, you can walk over a covered foot bridge to the Taubman Art Museum, visit Center in the Square and eat at lots of great restaurants.

Check it out -- you might find a great deal and I know you will love downtown Roanoke!

Elizabeth
www.adaysouting.com

That is a great old hotel! Makes me want to go there now. But Charleston is under a snow warning :0 so I'm staying put!

I love the Hotel Roanoke. You might also want to check out this article which ran in the LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-trw...ov29,0,2923762. (if the link doesn't work for you use the search function on the LA TImes homepage for Roanoke.

Sue, I am in Pinnacle at the foot of Pilot Mountain (where the "fast" girls Barney and Andy dated when Helen and Thelma Lou dumped them.

Enjoy the snow and keep it there!!!!! We can't take any more of it.

I would second a stop in Charlottesville. Jefferson's home at Monticello is magnificent, and the Grounds of the University of Virginia -- designed by Jefferson in the early 1800s -- are beautiful. Lots of motel choices (provided you're not there on a Fall football weekend) and excellent restaurants on the downtown walking mall. You could easily linger for a day here. However, if time is short, Waynesboro, Virginia is just off the parkway at Rockfish Gap on the west side of the Blue Ridge, with several inexpensive motels.

Staunton or Lexington, Va