Driving from New York/New Jersey to Charlotte

Hi

We are travelling to the US from Australia in June. We are going to stay in New York/New Jersey from 15 June until 23 June when we need to leave to head to Nashville booking in at the Grand Ole Opry on 30 June. So we have about a week to drive to Nashville. I want to go via Charlotte to visit and stay with friends for two nights.

I%26#39;m considering catching AMTRAK from New Jersey to Washington having one or two nights there and then hiring a car and driving to Charlotte and then onto Nashville.

Would like some help please with the following

Should we drive from New Jersey or take the train to Washington and drive from there. While my hubby will be driving I%26#39;m a bit scared of driving from New Jersey ... will the traffic just be too awful? Will it be any different leaving Washington?

What should we look at in Washington? After leaving Washington do you have any recommendations of what to do along the way.

Many thanks.

Driving from New York/New Jersey to Charlotte

If you drive from Washington to Charlotte the conventional way ( I-95 and I-85) there is little to see except a couple of Civil War battlefield sites. When you get to Winston-Salem, NC, there%26#39;s Old Salem ( check out their website). The most scenic route would be to drive over from D.C. to N. VA where the Blue Ridge Parkway begins and head south on that. Beautiful and leisurely drive.

What to see in D.C. ? Too much to recommmend! You%26#39;ll want to see the Smithsonian museums, but there are scores of others also. The Cathedral, The Capitol, The Zoo, etc... just pick up a guide book when you get there and buy a metro pass and take off! Or, you could buy a ticket on one of several tour company buses/shuttles that will let you get on and off frequently anf they will take you around to major sites and get you oriented. Getting around D.C. is easy- IF you take public transport - don%26#39;t drive.

Best wishes.

Adventure plus mining holiday

Having spent a wonderful holiday last year mining for crystals in Hot Springs Arkansas, we thought we%26#39;d try Franklin NC this year, although not really that keen on coloured gens (except possibly Opals)but interested in mining anyway and having a fun and exciting 3 weeks holdiay. Can anyone tell me if Frankling would suit us, also are there mossies or other flying biteing things! Thanks for your help on this. What should we NOT miss in NC.

Adventure plus mining holiday

though I have never been, I know there are several spots for gem mining in Western North Carolina. In addition to Franklin, the Linville area has gem mining as well as Spruce Pine (Gem Mountain),and Little Switzerland (Emerald Village). I am sure there are others as well in North East Georgia.

There is a small but very nice gem and rock museum in downtown Hendersonville NC on the Main Street and in downtown Asheville, NC there is the Colburn Gem and Mineral Museum which has a larger collection.

The town of Franklin does not have a lot going on except maybe a Scottish Tartans Museum. You are close to some beautiful areas like the town of Cashiers and Great Smoky Park. You are also very close to the reservation for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians and there is a very good museum there. Asheville has the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in the US. The grounds are beautiful and the house includes many works of art. You can also tour a winery.

I wouldn%26#39;t make Franklin my only destination but you may enjoy staying in some of the more interesting a scenic towns...Cashiers, Asheville, Blowing Rock...

As far a insects...yes, but as we are higher in elevation and cooler they are not as bad. In some areas wearing insect repellent is a good idea.

What are your favorite hikes along/near Blue Ridge Pkwy

In April or May I hope to drive the BRP. I%26#39;ll certainly enjoy the drive and scenic overlooks but would also like to hike. I have a list of all NC BRP hikes by milepost %26amp; very brief description but would like to know if anyone has a favorite hike along or near the parkway (don%26#39;t mind getting off for a great hike). I might be alone so don%26#39;t want to venture into a dangerous area but I am used to and prepared for hiking alone. Moderate to slightly strenuous is OK, 1-4 hrs, I like water (views, streams, waterfalls, etc) and any other interesting views. I%26#39;ve read %26amp; saved some previous posts that were quite helpful. Your suggestions are appreciated.

What are your favorite hikes along/near Blue Ridge Pkwy

I think your best waterfall hikes are off the parkway in Transylvania County - Highway 64 and environs. You can pick up a great hiking map at area visitor%26#39;s centers in Henderson and Transylvania counties. The Pisgah National Forest area near Brevard is my favorite hiking spot in the whole state. Don%26#39;t let the recent news of the couple murdered there scare you off. As unfortunate as that was, it was an abberation - a crazy man who could have struck anywhere. Of course, it%26#39;s always good to use precautions, but I think Pisgah is as safe as anywhere else.Visit The Cradle of Forestry.

Best wishes.

What are your favorite hikes along/near Blue Ridge Pkwy

Bud41, Thanks for the info. I%26#39;ve been to the Mt Pisgah Inn but did not have a chance to hike much. I%26#39;ll check out Brevard and others places you mentioned. I heard about the hikers killed, very sad, and as you said most unusual. Appreciate your response, just what I was hoping for.

I bought a book that is great for hiking to waterfalls in North Carolina mountains. Gives you how long trail is and how difficult. All most 600 pages of info. Given me many enjoyable minutes reading. Here is a link to buy at Amazon.com.

amazon.com/North-Carolina-Waterfalls-Hiking-鈥?/a>

Thanks lee, I%26#39;ll check out the book on Amazon.

And sincere thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

write c program

Stopover from NY to Outer Banks

Any suggestions of hotels to stay at on the way from New York to Corolla? The total drive from our home is 9 hours and was thinking of stopping midway or past midway to break up the drive. Maybe Delaware or Maryland or Virginia Beach.

Stopover from NY to Outer Banks

Definately go Rt13, not 95 from Wilmington south. Virginia Beach is 8 hours into the trip. If the purpose is to avoid peak traffic, great idea. If you want a break, Salisbury is on Rt 13, and lots of small motels in southern Delaware. You can get off and drive maybe 45 minutes to either side of Rt 13 to the ocean or bay. Ocean City, Assateague, Chincotegue, Cambridge are some nice choices.

Stopover from NY to Outer Banks

I suggest taking Rt. 113, instead of Rt. 13 through DE into MD. It bypasses a lot of the headaches (small towns with ticket writing police and lots of traffic/red lights.) Do not stay at the old Best Western Sunset Beach Resort just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. What a dump! I%26#39;d recommend any motel in Chincoteague, VA. What a beautiful, family oriented area. I think your drive will take longer than 9 hours. It%26#39;s 8 hours from DE to the OBX, with only two quick stops for lunch and rest area break. I%26#39;d guess you%26#39;re easily looking at 11-12 hours.

I see that mapquest estimates 8 1/2 hours and 445 miles from NY to Corolla. Remember beach traffic if you%26#39;re going in season and during peak check-in periods. Also remember the OBX limited speed limits. mapquest figures on a basis of 55 mph I understand.

At any rate VB is well past midway. It%26#39;s about 100 miles to Corolla.

You might do a word search in the empty box just above these posts for Chesapeake Bay Bridge and get some info there if you%26#39;re using that route. The bridge is beautiful. There are so many thoughts on routes though.

Although we are only 6 hours away we often stop in Va beach then got to Knots Island to take the ferry over to Currituck, You may need to time it right but it’s a fun way to go and staying in Va beach is a bonuses, It also depends on what way you come You might think of Williams burg too if you coming down 95 to 64

You might like this site if you have never been there before check out getting there from the north.

http://fishoinc.tripod.com/

We%26#39;ve got it down to a science, 10 to 12 driving hours each way from Manhattan to Duck. First, we book a Sunday-to-Sunday rental to avoid the Saturday turnover traffic getting to OBX. Leaving on Saturday morning, we take the main I-95 corridor through Jersey Turnpike, Delaware, MD, then stop off to see friends near DC. That%26#39;s a 4 to 6 hour drive, depending on traffic and weather.

We stay over in a Hampton Inn (all are dependable) near the ';mixing bowl'; interchange near Woodbridge, VA, and drive the rest of the 5 to 6 hours to Duck on Sunday. If we leave the motel Sunday morning around 10, we have time to stop for a sit-down lunch. The highway going toward Williamsburg has a pleasant canopy of trees, the shipyard scenery around NewPort News is interesting, so it%26#39;s not a miserable route. Once you%26#39;re south of Newport News-Norfolk metro area, you%26#39;ll pass many terrific farm stands where you can buy your weeks%26#39; seasonal fresh local produce in the last 30 miles as you near the OBX bridge. This brings us to the realtor%26#39;s office around 4 p.m., which is check-in time.

Returning from Duck the next Sunday, we check out at the realtor by 10 a.m., have a nice brunch, leave Duck about noon and take the ';scenic'; route via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Then, after a drive devoid of traffic congestion, through flat coastal land where the radio stations play only gospel music, we take the ferry from Lewes, DE, to Cape May, NJ. This gives us a nice break from driving, and in Sunday night shore traffic, puts us 4 to 5 hours from home, where we arrive between 10 and midnight. Caution: You must have nerves of steel to drive the bridge-tunnel complex because of considerable huge truck traffic; if the weather is windy, take a Dramamine for the ferry. Don%26#39;t forget to make ferry reservations. Although the round trip is a bit grueling, we survive and soon look forward to the next year%26#39;s week in Duck.

We like to stop overnight on the way down at Williamsburg. We get there early enough to walk the old colonial town some before turning in. The next morning, it%26#39;s only a 2 hours drive down to the Banks, so we stop at Jamestown for a few hours visit. Kids love it! We don%26#39;t do that on the way home, everyone just wants to get home by then.

Night life in OBX

We are looking to rent a house for three couples in sept. Where would be the best location for nice beach, also walking distance to fun bars and restaurants. We will be cooking a few nights at the house, but would also like the option to go to entertaining bars and good breakfast spots???

Night life in OBX

To be near bars and restaurants I would stay down in the Nags Head/Kill Devil Hill area. Unfortunately there are few places where you can stay and walk to the beach, restaurants/bars. Around milepost 7 to7 1/2 is the Jolly Roger, which is a tacky little place that has a decent bar, cheap eats, and a good breakfast. There are a few other bars in that area as well. I%26#39;m thinking Tortuga%26#39;s Lie is in that area.

To get to other spots you are either going to have to drive or take a cab, if you drive have a DD. Do NOT attempt to Drink and Drive in OBX!!!

Not sure what type of bar you are looking for but we like Outer Banks Brewing Station, great place to hang out, have a beer, appetizers, and relax.

Kelly%26#39;s Lounge can be fun, depending on if they have a live band or not. Decent place to eat too.

Port O%26#39; Call is another place that we%26#39;ve had a good time at.

Slamming Sammy%26#39;s has a sports bar type feel, and is a pretty cool place.

All of the above are located off hwy. 12. OBX Brewing Station and Port O Call are somewhere around mp 8 or 9, and Kelly%26#39;s and Slamming Sammys are both around mp 11 or 12.

Night life in OBX

I would agree that the Nags Head/Kill Devil Hills area would be the best place to stay. There are 2 main roads on the OBX, the beach road (Rt 12), and the ByPass (Rt 158). It may be farther than you would think to walk to the bars/restaurants in the area, and depending on where you wanted to go, it may not be easy/safe either if you had to cross 158-which is a major road. Of the restaurants mentioned in the above post, only Tortugas and Jolly Roger are on 12. All the others are on the bypass, and they could be a pretty good walk from most hotels/rentals. Tortugas is a great place, and is located at about milepost 11.5. Other good places to eat are Kill Devil Grill, JK%26#39;s, Penguin Isle, and Red Drum. These are all located in the Nags Head/KDH area. I agree with the do not drink and drive advice-they are very strict down here-especially at that time of year, too.

I think everyone covered the restaurant and bar possibilites pretty well. I just want to reiterate the NO Drinking and Driving. It is wrong in every sense of the word, but they are VERY tough on it down there.

While vacationing, we used many cabs. Well worth the money,plus we now have some interesting stories to tell about the experience of 6 in a cab!

lodging in Charlotte

I%26#39;m looking for a hotel to stop over on my way to Charleston, either on the north side of Charlotte or someplace a bit north of the city. Thanks!

lodging in Charlotte

I%26#39;m not exactly sure of the location but I really like the Candlewood Suites in Charlotte.

lodging in Charlotte

Depending on how far north you want to go, could check out Huntersville or Mooresville. There are some nice hotels near the University area (think there is a Hilton at the lake), but it%26#39;s growing a bit unsafe up there. I live on the far south side of town and don%26#39;t trek up that way much, but I%26#39;m sure someone else will have some ideas for you. Best wishes!

I%26#39;m thinking Mooresville is where I%26#39;ll stop; unsafe how?

There are lots of burglaries, home invasions, car break-ins, etc... in the University/Harris Rd. area. You can link to a map of incidents on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police website. But that%26#39;s the I-85 corridor - I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;ll be coming down that way.

I assume you%26#39;ll be coming down I-77 - there are many hotels along the road - all the chains - Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton, etc.... Mooresville/Huntersville/Davidson/Cornelius is where you want to search.

Best wishes.

I just checked Hampton Inn Cornelius here on TA- good reviews. Just use good old TA and make a choice.

Thanks, bud...yes, I%26#39;ll be on I-77 and based on TA reviews, looks like the Sleep Inn in Mooresville for me.

Several hotels right off of I-77 in Huntersville....Country Suites, Hawthorne Suites, Sleep Inn are in nice areas (lots of shopping and restaurants as well). University area is out of the way. I prefer Huntersville area over the Cornelius spot mentioned, but that%26#39;s OK as well. Huntersville is about 5 minutes South of Cornelius.

Mooresville is a really nice area - we stay there two or three times a year. We like the Sleep Inn the best - its a really nice, quiet hotel just off exit 36. We%26#39;ve also stayed at the Hampton Inn and its pretty nice, too. From what we%26#39;ve seen, Mooresville seems a bit less expensive than the Huntersville/Cornelius area

Mooresville would be a little less expensive. The Meck. Co. occupancy taxes kick in further south.

Thanks for all the info!

this works

Market/Grocery Stores

My husband and I are going up the second weekend in February. We are staying at Barkwell%26#39;s - cabins outside of Asheville where you can bring your dog so he can play in the 5 acre fenced-in property.

We will have a kitchen and I would like to cook some semi-gourmet food. Does anyone have any suggestions on good quality markets or grocery stores? We would also like suggestions on any good wine stores as well.

Thanks!

Market/Grocery Stores

I took a look at the website and you will actually be in Fletcher which is about 20-25 minutes outside of downtown Asheville, though the map on that site says only 9 miles - that%26#39;s not to downtown Asheville.

The biggest supermarkets in the area are Ingles which you will be familiar with from Tucker, though I think the store you have there is smaller and older than any in this area.

There is another small market along 280, I think maybe a Food Lion or Bi Lo but I don%26#39;t know how good it is. You may want to stop at one of the larger Ingles in Hendersonville or Fletcher before you get to your cabin if you want more of a selection. Alternatively a drive into Brevard (about 15 minutes or less) would put you at Poppies on your right which has limited food, large wine and cheese section and people seem to like the meat or a little further up on the left there is a brand new Ingles with a Starbucks.

Brevard is also a nice place to pass some time.

Market/Grocery Stores

There is an Earth Fare grocery on Hendersonville Rd. It%26#39;s a large organic-gourmet grocery--think Whole Foods. While I have not been to this particular Earth Fare, I frequent the one in W. Asheville. The one on Hendersonville is about a year old and is supposed to be grand. They have wines, also, and there is a store called Wine Guy also on Hendersonville Rd.

Welcome to Asheville--we are v. dog friendly here!

I wouldn%26#39;t want to deal with the stop and go traffic of H-ville road if I was on vacation...of course you are from metro Atlanta so you may feel right at home :{

There is a nice wine store in Brevard but both Poppies and Ingles have a big selection and Ingles has very good prices on wine.

The best gourmet shopping store is in Hendersonville on Greenville Hwy (just south of downtown) called the Fresh Market. I used to live in Stone Mountain, GA - very close to Tucker - before moving to H%26#39;ville 2 years ago! Welcome! Anyway - the Fresh Market is on the right. Also, you will find several good wine stores - there are a couple in downtown H%26#39;ville and there is a very nice one in Flat Rock, which is also on the south side of H%26#39;ville.

sorry - I have no idea about markets - but I am very interested in hearing how your stay at Barkwell is - i am looking at booking some time there in july for my husbands 30th bday - he doesn%26#39;t want to go anywhere with out our furry child! If you think about it please post a review- or email me at lgoubeaux at gmail.com

Thanks! Enjoy the trip!