Road trip ideas around the Blue Ridge mountains?
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Haleth (
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August 19th, 2015
I’m going to have some free time at the beginning of September. My family is going camping in western Maryland, but the trip is shorter than originally planned, and now I have five extra vacation days to use or lose.
Last week I drove to Cape Cod with a friend, and it was awesome! I left DC at 5 that morning, picked her up in New York, had lunch there, and after a bunch of stops and traffic we made it to Provincetown by 9 PM. That’s the farthest I’d ever driven all at once, and it was surprisingly easy and fun.
My folks have this rental in the western corner of Maryland. That’s already three or four hours west of my home, and I’d like to use it as a jumping off point for another road trip. If I can drive 500~ miles in a day, that gives a lot of options.
I’ve never really explored any further west of there, just flown over it. Like, I’ve never actually been to Tennessee or Kentucky. Asheville, NC seems like an appealing stop.
This time I’ll probably be traveling alone. We had a great experience using airbnb for the New England trip. It’s a site where you rent rooms by the day in someone’s house, with a few built-in safety measures. The host was a friendly and outgoing nurse who recommended fun stuff to do in the local area, and we cooked dinner with her one night.
I like hiking, painting outdoors, and going to art galleries. Where should I go and what should I do? :) Also is it worth heading northwest instead? Like in the Ohio/ Indiana/ Michigan direction? I’ve never driven through there either.
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12 Answers
Head south, my friend, through the Shenandoah Valley. Here is a schedule of events for that time-frame.
As for hiking, there are plenty of places to go that I would consider safe for a lone female. One isHarpers Ferry. ” Another is Natural Chimneys and a third is Natural Bridge. All three offer sites, so the amount of time spent at any of them is up to you.
I-81 is well marked with tourist attraction sites for history, wineries, antiques, etc. It’s only a matter of taking an exit to discover them.
From Roanoke to the Tennessee border, it’s a bit boring in my opinion, although still a pretty drive. Once into TN, it might be worth heading to Gatlinburg. I’ve only been there once, but so many people rave about its beauty that it holds a curiosity.
Heading east would put you into North Carolina. I would aim for Ashville, home of the famous Biltmore hotel. Keep heading east, and you’ll hit I-95, which will take you back north towards home.
Personally, I’d keep the trip to tooling around southern Va. and spend more quality time visiting the historical, artistic and quirky sites that the state has to offer. If this is the path you decide to take, let me know. I can provide some more tips that might be of interest.
Oh, and if you hike the upper falls at Chimney Rock, be sure to rent The Last of the Mohicans afterward and you can see the same trails that you spent the day on in the movie (don’t wimp out and take the elevator – the climb is worth it).
I grew up in the area, be sure to see sliding rock, Biltmore house and hike looking glass rock. If you are into mountain biking the trails in the area are world class. I would not bother with Gatlinburg though.
I’m also suggesting the Asheville stop… Really great city, great views, food, wine and especially beer! Wicked Weed brewing is a top notch brewey!
I am not familiar with the area, but I know it is near the Great Smoky National Park. Do any of you think that it would be worth a visit?
I’ve not been to the area (yet) but I googled Asheville recently as a coworker retired and moved there. He is an outdoorsman and bikes trails and stuff like that. I learned that Asheville is the “Hippie capital of the South” and it’s known for being funky and also having access to nature trails and stuff.
I’m a history fan and I would definitely see the Biltmore estate (home to the Vanderbilts). I googled that about a year ago,and I remember there are many tours that focus on various aspects of the estate (house tour, garden tour, etc.). I think you can spend as little as a day or a couple of days. If you are a history fan, I would plan a day there.
If you’re heading down I-81 through VA, do yourself a favor and stop by Klines. They have locations in Harrisonburg and Staunton. It is the best ice cream I’ve ever had. So amazing.
Staunton is chock-full of sites worth stopping for to visit. It’s a “small” town that has become artsy.
* Frontier Culture Museum which is just off of the interstate and is a walking outdoor live display of the people from different cultures that settled in the area. It offers demonstrations of weaving, blacksmithing, etc.
* Sun Spots is a glass/jewelry shop where they give live demonstrations of glass-blowing that can be purchased on the spot or in their gallery.
* American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse offers plays in a reproduction of the Globe Theatre building.
* Wright’s Dairy-Rite for a cheap meal at an original 50’s drive-in restaurant.
* Woodrow Wilson Library and Museum is worth the short tour just to see and hear about a US president born in Staunton.
The town is filled with independently run shops and restaurants that celebrate and support local resources, whether it is artists, farmers, or just each other. Just a stroll down its two-lane main street that is ~10 blocks long provides an opportunity to pop into shops that specialize in museums, movies, art galleries, book stores, antiques, local cheeses and wines, restaurants, and even an old church with Tiffany glass windows.
@syz missed as in never hiked it? I think it’s one of the best views in the entire south.
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