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Thread: Looking for some travel tips, SC/TN/KY/WV

  1. #31
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    We did a trip to Nashville, Kentucky, and Asheville. My favorite was the Bourbon trail in Kentucky. The drive into Woodford Reserve has to be one of the most memorable and beautiful I have seen. The horse farms are awesome.

  2. #32
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    Two stops we enjoyed immensely: Ruby Falls cave at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga and taking the New River Gorge bridge walk on the catwalk 25' below the bridge deck.
    New River 060.jpg
    NOW you tell me...

  3. #33
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    I'm pondering whether or not to stay overnight at Gatlinburg and wander about a bit. We are staying two nights at Asheville. Spend a few hours at that little cabin mentioned earlier. Head down to Chattanooga for a couple nights. Gatlinburg seems a bit touristy, but kinda cool too. What do ya'll think?

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post
    I'm pondering whether or not to stay overnight at Gatlinburg and wander about a bit. We are staying two nights at Asheville. Spend a few hours at that little cabin mentioned earlier. Head down to Chattanooga for a couple nights. Gatlinburg seems a bit touristy, but kinda cool too. What do ya'll think?
    You can drive through a lot of the Great Smoky mountains near Gatlinburg and get away from the tourist attractions. I don't know what it's like this time of year, probably not bad, but the whole area can be horrible at times, especially Pigeon Forge. Look at the maps, you can bypass a lot. I'd rather drive the Cades Cove loop than through Pigeon Forge. The Foothills Parkway is also nice with lots of scenic pulloffs.

  5. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    You can drive through a lot of the Great Smoky mountains near Gatlinburg and get away from the tourist attractions. I don't know what it's like this time of year, probably not bad, but the whole area can be horrible at times, especially Pigeon Forge. Look at the maps, you can bypass a lot. I'd rather drive the Cades Cove loop than through Pigeon Forge. The Foothills Parkway is also nice with lots of scenic pulloffs.
    I did Cades Cove back in November on Tuesday morning and it was stop and go crowded for 11miles. Although its a beautiful drive it’s not worth it. I recommend the drive through the smokies.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rich Konopka View Post
    I did Cades Cove back in November on Tuesday morning and it was stop and go crowded for 11miles. Although its a beautiful drive it’s not worth it. I recommend the drive through the smokies.
    Bummer Maybe it’s hit and miss. For me more times than not there was little traffic. Maybe just lucky, or maybe it’s gotten worse recently. However of it does look crowded I tend to cut across the Sparks lane shortcut and go somewhere else.

    I’ve seen more black bears and bear cubs in and around Cades Cove than anywhere i’ve been. (I don’t drive around the loop then leave but spend most of the time on the trails or cross country through the woods, or just sitting quietly and watching.) I watched a red wolf stalking a deer once. Great place for nature photography. I first saw those three young bears when they were tiny cubs - got some interesting video then of them playing.

    PA184089.jpg P5222014.jpg P5222016cs.jpg

    For those who like the outdoors the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area is one of my favorite spots. 82,000 acres of land undeveloped except for gravel roads and a few small bridges over creeks. I’ve seen zillions of deer, wild boar, turkey, bobcat, many hawks and such. Hiking, biking, whitewater, camping by permit. Catoosa is managed for hunting but wide open to the public except for the few scheduled big game hunts. Lots of trails, easy access for cars or 4-wheelers. I usually access it from the Wartburg end.

    The Big South Fork and Daniel Boone Nat Forest to the north are other great areas to explore. Or the Virgin Falls St Nat Area - an rasy 5 mile hike thanks you too a big waterfall that comes out of a cave at the top and goes back into the ground at the bottom; you pass several other waterfalls along the trail. I haven’t been there in years but it’s on my list to go this spring.
    Last edited by John K Jordan; 01-31-2023 at 5:32 PM. Reason: added photos

  7. #37
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    Thanks again for the input fellas.

    My thoughts around Gatlinburg, was to be close to the smokies, then we could just take a drive or quick hike late morning/early afternoon, and then wander around the downtown area that evening/night. Hit the road the following day towards Chattanooga. So, for as far as a fun town to overnight, would you pick Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge?

    I've realized that two weeks is not nearly enough time to see and visit all the places I want to see, so this trip has turned into a kind of recon mission. If I find "that spot", then I'll make a second trip and drag a realtor around with me.
    Last edited by Michael Drew; 01-31-2023 at 10:50 PM.

  8. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post
    ...for as far as a fun town to overnight, would you pick Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge?
    ...

    Maybe it depends on your preference for fun. Me, I'd far rather walk around Gatlinburg.

    Also, if you like things such as a variety of crafts, maybe you could squeeze in a visit at Arrowmont school: https://www.arrowmont.org/visit/

    From Gatlinburg you are extremely close to the Smoky Mtns Sugerland Visitors Center and from there several nice drives, say up the mountain to Newfound Gap (good view if the weather is nice) or out along the Little River Gorge. The visitor's center has maps and ideas for things to see, hikes, etc. The Appalachian Trail crosses near the parking lot at Newfound Gap at the top of the mountain. You can at least walk a few feet out so you can say you've been on the trail (if you haven't already!)

    Off topic: the Little River Gorge road is where I saw a group (extended family?) of wild boar at 2am one summer night, running across the road. Boar run in a long line, all the adults in the front and the little ones behind - I've seen this twice in TN, once in the daytime.

    Totally off off topic: the parking lot at Newfound Gap is where I set up my telescopes and shot a photo of Halley's Comet in 1986. I aligned the negatives of two shots to show how much the comet moved in 24 hours. Made the front page of the Oak Ridge newspaper.

    comet_haley_1986.jpg

    JKJ

  9. #39
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    Trip recap;

    I flew into Charleston SC, and after an hour of being sent in multiple directions to find my rental car, was able to navigate to our hotel. We stayed downtown at the Hyatt House. It’s a nice hotel, and in a good location on King Street. Learned real quick that parking in Charlestown is a PITA, and expensive. The hotel has a great roof top bar, and after 18 hours of travel, an Old Fashion while watched the sun set hit the spot. We wandered about the city on foot mostly, walked the Battery area, up/down a few streets admiring the old mansions. One block was filled with millennials taking selfies in front of colorful houses. I don’t get the attraction, but whatever…. Millennials….. I stopped trying to figure that generation out years ago. The city market was interesting. I almost bought a hand made grass basket, but the one I wanted was about $500, so we kept walking. Amazing craftsmanship though. Took a drive north to Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms. Pretty area. If I only had a few million sitting around to spend on a beach house….. We also took a tour through the Boone Hall plantation. I have mixed thoughts about that ‘tour’.

    After Charlestown, we travelled to Ashville NC, stopping at the DuPont State Forest and hiked a bit. Found the falls where the Last of the Mohicans was filmed. Very pretty country. Asheville is a quirky city. It reminded me of Portland OR – 15 years ago. Quirky, but we liked it. But I also like breweries, good food, arts and entertainment, and this city has plenty of those. We did spend half a day at the Biltmore estate and took the tour through the house the following day. Amazing, simply amazing. The craftmanship is simply on a level you don’t see anymore. I bet this place is something special around the Christmas holidays. I’d like to go back.

    After Ashville, we plugged Gatlinburg into the GPS, and it decided to find every back country, one lane road it could. I think I have a good idea what a holler is now. Gatlinburg is cool. Yah, it’s very touristy, but most of the ‘tourists’ live within a day’s drive, so are they really ‘tourists’? Most of the folks we ended up talking to were just visiting with their family for a long weekend. We stayed at the Margaritaville resort, and this hotel was probably the nicest one we stayed at our entire trip. The rooms were huge, well thought out, comfortable – and not stupid expensive.

    From Gatlinburg, we took route 441 over the Smokies to Cherokee, then west to Chattanooga. Despite the trees still showing more grey then green, the drive across the gap was quite enjoyable. I can imagine it’s pretty country when the greenery returns, and even prettier in the fall when the leaves change color. We took a little detour to Lynchburg TN and toured the Jack Daniels distillery. Lynchburg sure was a nice area.

    In Chattanooga, we stayed downtown at the Read House hotel. It has been restored and quite the place. 20’s vibe to it. Very comfortable, great staff, etc. I love these old hotels. We visited the aquarium, walked across the river on the Walnut St Bridge, toured Ruby Falls and just walked around the downtown part of the city. Ruby Falls was pretty cool, even though not very adventurous. Hard to describe a 100’ waterfall inside a cavern. Worth doing, once.

    Next was a trip to Nashville. We stopped in Franklin and just wandered around the historic downtown for a few hours. Seen a 400K Lambo parked on the street, with an Audi R8 behind it. That’s probably a pretty good indicator what the average income is of Franklin residents. Sure is a cool town though. I could see myself living here, if I could afford it that is……

    Nashville…..I dunno what to say about that city. We walked from our hotel on the west end of Broadway down to the east side, through the Saturday evening madness and back. It must have been a spring break weekend. The vast majority of folks were drunk college age girls wearing furry cowboy hats, Chinese cowboy boots with tassels and Daisy Duke shorts or sequined dresses. Way too friggin loud for me. Too crowded. Too commercial. That box now has an X in it, and I have no desire to ever return.

    We drove up to Bowling Green and toured the Vette Factory. Dammit. Now I want a new Z06.

    The next several days/nights we stayed in Bourbon country. Toured 6 distilleries, hunted for unique bourbons and took a few drives through horse country. Really liked the Prospect suburb of Louisville. Looks expensive though. We had dinner at Barn 8. It is literally an old horse barn in the middle of a horse farm turned into a restaurant. The owner built a very elaborate walking trail through a drainage area of the farm. The walkway is a very solid wood constructed path with handrails and benches. There are projectors and speakers located at various points along the walk that generate a nice light show on the foliage. Serious investment that I'm surprised they don't charge a fee for.

    My take always from this trip….. First thing is that people in this part of the country are genially nice, friendly, helpful. Rarely did we ever feel uncomfortable or angry because someone was being a jerk. Secondly, I have been living in the least populated state in the US for so long now, that all four of these states just felt crowded to me. Even rural areas. You don’t need to drive far to find a stop light or get stuck in traffic. Not sure if I could get used to this. I also wish we would have spent more time around Knoxville and Lexington. I think I need to make another trip and focus more on the East side of both states before I give up on either TN or KY. I’ll probably plan another trip when it’s hot and humid, to figure out if it’s just too much for me.

    Thanks for all the tips and help. Wish I would have had more time to see and experience all the suggestions. Two weeks was not enough time.

  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post

    Next was a trip to Nashville. We stopped in Franklin and just wandered around the historic downtown for a few hours. Seen a 400K Lambo parked on the street, with an Audi R8 behind it. That’s probably a pretty good indicator what the average income is of Franklin residents. Sure is a cool town though. I could see myself living here, if I could afford it that is……
    My particular solution to this is to move here 35 years ago There are quite a few of us late 80s/early 90s transplants who could never afford to move here today. Glad we got in while we could! The tough part is that it is very, very hard for our children to buy a house here.

    By the way, the Lambos & other exotics are owned by newbies -- the actual "old money" folks had parked their pickup in the free parking lot behind the restaurants.

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Drew View Post

    Nashville…..I dunno what to say about that city. We walked from our hotel on the west end of Broadway down to the east side, through the Saturday evening madness and back. It must have been a spring break weekend. The vast majority of folks were drunk college age girls wearing furry cowboy hats, Chinese cowboy boots with tassels and Daisy Duke shorts or sequined dresses. Way too friggin loud for me. Too crowded. Too commercial. That box now has an X in it, and I have no desire to ever return.
    Those drunken girls (known locally as "WOO girls - as they continually shout 'WOO' as they travel in packs on the party busses and bicycle tavern contraptions) are, unfortunately, not a spring break thing. They are bridesmaid parties, which are here nearly all 52 weekends of the year. Not sure who started the tradition, but it's like having year-round cicadas: everyone complains about the noise, but there's not much you can do about it. Most of us locals just avoid the downtown area entirely, except for hockey games & music concerts.

    It is a great place to live, overall, but like anywhere else, it comes with plusses and minuses.

  11. #41
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    May 2004
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    Atlanta
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    Bourbon and whiskey!! Whats not to like about that. It sounds like you had a great trip.

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