Summer Trip Planning could use any guidance, things to see (or avoid), food recs etc. We fly into Nashville and out of Charlotte but everything else is TBD. Traveling with 3 kids under 12, rough itinerary below.
Nashville ~2 days
- do I need a rental car? What neighborhood to stay in?
- probably usually tourist stuff, but any recs?
Smoky Mountains Area ~3 days
- might use Townsend as a home base
- Dollywood, Cades Cove ...
- Recommended hikes?
Asheville ~ 2 days
- too much or not enough time?
- besides the obvious any recommendations?
Charlotte - ?
- fly out of here but might just drive there instead of spending a night or 2.
- skip or see?
I took an amazing hot air balloon ride through the smokey mountains.....
Curate in Asheville is fantastic, a tapas restaurant just east of 25, just plan ahead, tables can be tough to come by. White Duck Taco is right across the street, and is perfect for lunch. LaZoom Tours has comedy bus tours of the city, a little campy, but I thought it was fun.
Nashville- Peg Leg Porker is excellent BBQ with a great local draft selection. Valentino’s out by Vanderbilt is really good Italian. Country Music Museum is well worth a visit. ACME Feed & Seed is a great spot, local cover bands (most are not country), with good food and a good beer selection. Just walk along Broadway and pop into the bars to listen to live music, most don’t have covers.
It is hot as hell in the summer so keep the little ones hydrated and out of the sun.
Its worth the visit.
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I thought the food there - for a park - was pretty good.
The Smokey Mountain trails are awesome, but some are pretty rough too.
In Asheville you might go on a raft or tubes for a float on the French Broad River, which is a gentle float
Check out the Nantahala Outdoor Center for more exciting rafting trips
If driving, there is a huge Buc-ees Travel Center on I-40 near Sevierville exit in Tennessee.
The Brisket sandwich is amazing
Hiking is incredible in that part of the country too but can be tricky with little ones.
If you like beer, you’ll be in heaven in Asheville
If you’re baseball fans, check out the Charlotte Knights. Nice ballpark, not expensive and lots to do around the stadium.
Also in Charlotte, consider going a couple exits south to Fort Mill, SC - my old stomping grounds! Carowinds is a terrific amusement park that straddles the NC/SC border and just a hop from downtown Fort Mill, which has a bunch of brew pubs and restaurants.
Hope y’all have a great vacation!
I’ve went and they’ve been been sold out - fyi
The French Pegion River had some awesome rapids. The scenery along that drive was beautiful.
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