A road trip through some of the South

[harllee]

How long do you plan to be in North Carolina? It's a pretty big state east to west.

If you want to do the eastern part, the beach area, the outer banks are great, so beautiful, alot of outdoor stuff to do in the outer banks and there is history too--especially great light houses. Cape Hatteras lighthouse is very historic, it had to be moved a few years ago to prevent it from falling in the ocean. The island of Ocracoke is especially interesting. It can only be reached by ferry. Wonderful, unspoiled beaches, the town still has sand roads and the original settlers speak an unusual English sounding dialect. Other interesting coastal North Carolina towns are Southport, Wilmington, New Bern, Morehead City.

On the other hand, if you are going to the mountains, I suggest traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, visiting the Smokey Mountain National Park, Asheville (a hipster town, be sure to see the Biltmore House), Mount Mitchell (highest mountain east of the Mississippi), Grandfather Mountain. Try to hike some of the Appalachian Trial.

If you are going to travel the middle part of the state, that's a whole different discussion.

 

[Chuckanut]

How long do you plan to be in North Carolina? It's a pretty big state east to west.

We don't have a fixed idea yet, other than to see the Biltmore and where the Wright brothers flew.

The middle of the state? Unsure at the moment.

 

[JoeWras]

We don't have a fixed idea yet, other than to see the Biltmore and where the Wright brothers flew.

The middle of the state? Unsure at the moment.

Since you will be going cross state, there are a bunch of things you can do. Or skip.

Many are small and out of the way. These are little gems.

Among the larger attractions on the route are:
- Old Salem: Old Salem Museums & Gardens
- NC Zoo: https://www.nczoo.org/
- State museums. A few good ones. Easy on/off is the art museum with a very LBYM price ($0): https://ncartmuseum.org/

 

[harllee]

It is a long way from Asheville to the Outer Banks where the Wright Brothers Memorial is. You will need to spend at least one night. If you have any interest in beautiful college campuses, check out UNC in Chapel Hill and Duke in Durham. If you are a college basketball fan UNC has a very nice free basketball museum.

 

[Chuckanut]

Does anybody know what, if any, bike rental companies similar to LimeBike operate in these cities:

Savannah GA
Charleston SC
Memphis TN
Nashville TN
Richmond VA

Thanks.

 

[Bamaman]

There is.a website that covers all of each state's most interesting travel sights and food. It is OnlyInYourState.com. Click the state(s) you are visiting, and you will be very impressed with the information provided.

 

[Franklin]

Does anybody know what, if any, bike rental companies similar to LimeBike operate in these cities:

Savannah GA
Charleston SC
Memphis TN
Nashville TN
Richmond VA

Thanks.

I have a house in Savannah and u can grab a trolly, cab, bike, scooter, or horse drawn carriage easy. Bike trips are also available.(same for Charleston)

 

[Franklin]

https://www.savannahonwheels.com

 

[harllee]

Chuckanut, when are you planning your trip south? Hurricane Florence could wreck havoc with most all of NC, SC and VA from Thursday until... so you need to consider that in planning your trip. Even the mountain areas may not be safe.

 

[Fedup]

I open this thread because I thought South is like Texas, lol. I’m planning to visit Austin next year, that’s why.
Virginia is considered north east from California’s point of view. I do plan to go to DC and Virginia too next year, but it will all be impromptu. Nothing is booked yet. Waiting for Southwest Airlines to go on sale.

 

[Chuckanut]

Chuckanut, when are you planning your trip south? Hurricane Florence could wreck havoc with most all of NC, SC and VA from Thursday until... so you need to consider that in planning your trip. Even the mountain areas may not be safe.

I plan to visit in early October.

 

[NW-Bound]

Despite living on the Western side of the US all my life, I have been up and down the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to Nags Head, Virginia Beach, Savannah, down to Key West, etc... But I have not been further inland.

On my list for a future RV trip visit are the Natchez Parkway, the Great Smoky Mountains, the whiskey trail in Tennessee and Kentucky, etc... Still have places to go. I guess I am not getting rid of the motorhome yet.

 

[Chuckanut]

Well the hurricane has thrown my October plans for a loop. North and South Caroline were on my list as states to visit next month. From what I have read Savannah GA and Charleston SC are in pretty good shape. However, the coast line north of that into Virginia seems questionable.

Any reports from people in the area of N and S Carolina would be appreciated.

I may decide to go West from Charleston if the coastline is rather banged up. Hotel rooms will probably be hard to get if they are full of repair crews. Maybe spend more time in Tennessee, Kentucky and even creep up into western Pennsylvania.

 

[braumeister]

Hurricane season is always risky.
But you would most likely have excellent conditions if you move your trip to next Spring.

 

[harllee]

The North Carolina mountains are OK, no real damage. The Blue Ridge Parkway is opened back up. Asheville, Boone, etc. OK and open for business.

 

[Franklin]

Savannah is up and normal no issues

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks. This is the information I need.

 

[Chuckanut]

Savannah is up and normal no issues

I am wondering how Charleston is doing. From what I see from far way it looks like it did not get clobbered like towns up North did. Is that correct?

 

[Bamaman]

The North Carolina mountains are OK, no real damage. The Blue Ridge Parkway is opened back up. Asheville, Boone, etc. OK and open for business.

I was talking to my sister in Banner-Elk, NC yesterday. They got some good rain out of the hurricane in the NW NC mountains, however it's the lowlands of the Eastern NC and SC that are suffering from flooding. Savannah and Charleston are fine.

Where are all the damage occurred is not where I prefer to travel to on vacations.

 

[Chuckanut]

I hear that I-95 is now open both directions again.

 

[MBSC]

I hear that I-95 is now open both directions again.

Yes, but you should avoid areas east of I-95 from US 501 in Myrtle Beach/Conway/Dillon, SC to US 264 in Wilson and Greenville, NC. US 501 is expected to be back to normal October 7.

North of that, US 64 from Rocky Mount, NC to the northern half of the outer banks is fine.

This article reports the impact to each beach in the Carolinas. While it may say the beach is fine, getting there due to inland flooding is still an issue for the areas listed above.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article218823265.html

 

[Chuckanut]

Yes, but you should avoid areas east of I-95 from US 501 in Myrtle Beach/Conway/Dillon, SC to US 264 in Wilson and Greenville, NC. US 501 is expected to be back to normal October 7.



https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article218823265.html

Thanks.

We have decided to avoid the Carolinas for the most part on this trip except for Charleston, the Western edge near Tennessee and driving up the I95 from Charleston to Virginia.

We will add Kentucky to our list to replace them if we can't keep busy in Tennessee. But Tennessee is looking very interesting at the moment.

 

[Chuckanut]

Any suggestions for a historically accurate Southern plantation site I can tour?

 

[Chuckanut]

I’m not looking for plantations where people get married in lovely gardens, rather those that depict the history.

 

[HFWR]

I’m not looking for plantations where people get married in lovely gardens, rather those that depict the history.

I think we’ve passed the 13th amendment since then...