Trip to Carolinas etc.

[aggies09]

Hello all. Jen and I are planning a vacation with our crew to the Carolinas and points of interest along the way. I would appreciate any comments or thoughts on your favorite venues, restaurants, sites to see, etc. in the Carolinas. We will probably start over toward Asheville, N.C. and make our way around to Charleston S.C.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. - Dusty you ought to be full of .....................uh..................info on this one.

[hobobimmer]

There is a really nice overnight spot in Huntsville, TN (20 miles West of Exit 141 on I-75, on Hwy 63). It has 50 Amps, a beautiful view, tour guides and everything you need for a comfortable stay! You really should consider it. It is not that far off your route. You can stay a night or several nights. The hosts are happy to accomodate your needs. They will even serve you a hot meal or two.

If you go through Winston-Salem, Old Salem is pretty cool to walk around. I went to boarding school at Salem Academy, which is in Old Salem. Looks pretty much like it did in 1772. Pretty cool.

Deb, Eric, Jay Faires

[michaeldterry]

Hello all. Jen and I are planning a vacation with our crew to the Carolinas and points of interest along the way. I would appreciate any comments or thoughts on your favorite venues, restaurants, sites to see, etc. in the Carolinas. We will probably start over toward Asheville, N.C. and make our way around to Charleston S.C.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. - Dusty you ought to be full of .....................uh..................info on this one.

Tony - as far as "what to see" in the Carolinas, everywhere you look, there is something beautiful and/or extraordinary. In the general Ashville area, I would recommend that you schedule a stop at the Tom Johnson Camping Cemter Campground in Marion, NC sometime during your trip. Tom Johnson Camping World Campground (http://www.tomjohnsoncamping.com/camping/tjc_camp_ground/default.aspx)

We were fortunate enough to visit there for a Tom Johnson sponsored Prevost Owners Rally (unrelated to POG) in the spring of last year and were duly impressed with both the RV park facilities and the Tom Johnson operation. If you need anything looked at or repaired, the onsite Tom Johnson service facility is top notch.

Beyond that, I would suggest seeing Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in South Carolina and the outer banks area in North Carolina. But, as I mentioned earlier, whatever you do/wherever you go, you can't go wrong in the Carolinas.

One firm recommendation: Do take the time while in the Asheville area to tour the Biltmore Estate. It's magnificent and unforgettable! The Biltmore Estate (http://www.biltmore.com/)

Coming across from Texas, depending on which route you take, you might want to stop at our favorite RV Resort, Bella Terra, in Foley (Gulf Shores), AL. It is a fabulous RV Resort with wonderful amenities and a world class staff. Bella Terra RV Resort (http://www.bellaterrarvresort.com/) And while that close to Mobile, AL, see the USS Alabama Battleship and the USS Drum Submarine Museum USS Alabama Battleship (http://www.ussalabama.com/) Besides the USS Alabama and the USS Drum, 22 planes from the past seven decades are featured in the Park, including a super secret spy plane than could fly more than 5 times the speed of sound. (3,000 miles per hour).

If you come through, or close to Atlanta, you should visit Stone Mountain Park. Stone Mountain (http://www.stonemountainpark.com/) Located on 3,200 acres of natural beauty, Stone Mountain Park features a wide variety of fun family activities and things to do in the Atlanta, Georgia area. The mountain is 825 feet tall and covers 583 acres. The top of the mountain is 1,683 feet above sea level.
The entire carved surface of the Memorial Carving measures three acres, larger than a football field. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain.

Stone Mountain Park includes a very nice huge campground with 210 RV sites with full hook-ups (and an additional 191 partial hook-up sites - water & electric only), so it's a great layover destination on your trip!

There's always Chattanooga, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge, TN if you're taking the northern route from Texas into the Carolinas.

Suffice it to say, there's more to do than you'll have time to see in one trip!

Oh yeah - if you come through the Atlanta area, give a shout to Vita & me, Tom (truk4u), and/or Towson Engsberg! Maybe we could have an impromptu POG "meeting" for a meal somewhere!

Enjoy! :D

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Tony, here's a link to an article about a missing H bomb, not exactly in the Carolinas but close enough, Savannah, GA coastal area. I remember that incident, but many seem to have forgotten????

Reportedly if it were to go off, it would totally destroy everything in a 250 mi area :eek:, so please keep an eye out for it.:rolleyes:

http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0803-08.htm


Don't worry about it though, why would it go off now, the article said, "Without neutrons, weapons grade plutonium won't blow. However, there could be a fission or criticality event if the plutonium was somehow put in an incorrect configuration. There could be a major inferno if the high explosives went off and the lithium deuteride reacted as expected. Or there could just be an explosion that scattered uranium and plutonium all over hell.", so just have a nice trip.


:)JIM

[tdelorme]

Jim, I know it's been a long cold winter but Spring is just around the corner. Get Barb to double up on the Prozac and you'll be fine.

[Will Garner]

Tony,

There are many things to see and do in NC. I don't want to sound like a travelogue but there are always the NASCAR race shops around Charlotte; there is the speedway itself; in Winston-Salem there is "Old Salem" which is a restoration of the original Quaker Village. In Greensboro there is the Revolutionary War battleground of Guilford Courthouse; in Raleigh there are numerous museums (history, arts, mammals, etc); in Wilmington there is the "Showboat" otherwise known as the Battleship North Carolina, as well as an Atlantic Caost Line Railroad museum on the Wilmington Waterfront; to the north along the coast is the Beaufort Waterfront, gravesite of Blackbeard's pirate ship "The Revenge" (I think that was its name); further north is Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills (Wright Brothers First Flight, Jockey's Ridge for windsailing; inland we have a recovered training ship for the first submarine built during the Civil War; in Spencer there is a Transportation Museum housed on the grounds of what was the Southern Railroad's major repairs facility; next door in Salisbury there is a Civil War prison grounds; north of Winston-Salem is Mt Airy - home of Andy Griffith and The Andy Griffith Show's inspiration; we also have several great institutions of higher learning - Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, Duke in Durham, UNC Chapel Hill in (where else) Chapel Hill, NC State University in Raleigh, and East Carolina University in Greenville. Whew time to take a breath.

In Bryson City we have the Great Smokie Mountains Railroad, beautiful mountain scenery with a stop over at a white water rafting facility for lunch. In Chatham County, just south of Raleigh, at Merry Oaks we have the New Hope Valley Railroad Museum with live steam excursions on weekends.

The only campground I have stayed at on the NC coast is Holiday RV on NC 58 in Emerald Isle. Tight getting in but generous, although unpaved, spaces with all hook ups and friendly staff. It also has its own ocean frontage. Pretty neat place for a couple days stay. Sawdust knows of other places to stay so I'll leave the rest up to him.

We don't have any hook ups and nothing but curb space but we do live in the Pinehurst area if you are a golfer it does not get any better than right here. I might be able to arange for a dry camping spot if you want to come this way.

Best wishes for an enjoyable time in NC, after all as the old train song says, "Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning." Oh and despite what those to the south of us may believe, there is only one Carolina and it is North Carolina!

[rfoster]

Just a tid bit more if you don't have plate full yet. There is Boone, for playing in the white stuff. Ski slopes galore. Blowing Rock, Banner Elk all mountainous areas. Casino owned by the Cherokees in Cherokee NC

Every year in June for us is Myrtle Beach SC for a week and Charleston SC or a weekend.

2nd the motion for Tom Johnsons Camping Center in Marion and the Biltmore Home in Asheville. My wife enjoys the Furniture Marts in Hickory.- Not for me.

Also I-40 at the NC/Tn line is still closed from Rock slides. If traveling from west to east via 40 across Tn, it will be necessary to connect to I-81 North to I-26 going East. One of the most scenic drives in the Eastern US. Crosses Sams Gap at about 4000 feet elevation at the Carolina Line.

[sawdust_128]

Hello all. Jen and I are planning a vacation with our crew to the Carolinas and points of interest along the way. I would appreciate any comments or thoughts on your favorite venues, restaurants, sites to see, etc. in the Carolinas. We will probably start over toward Asheville, N.C. and make our way around to Charleston S.C.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts, and I look forward to hearing from you.

P.S. - Dusty you ought to be full of .....................uh..................info on this one.


I'm in the keys for week and not online much at all right now. But just call me. I have plenty of ------ er ---- info for you. How about a "when?" on this walk-a-bout. Timing is everything.

[aggies09]

Great stuff guys! I am getting more excited with each post. Except for Jimmy giving me an X-files moment.

My timeline is late July early August. I love the idea of Old Salem, and all of the other ideas. I am going to have to do some serious prioritizing. A stop by Huntsville and it's neighbor, Bull Creek, is a must on my list, but if I remember correctly you guys are heading north during that time.

Thanks for the info. If any of you have additional thoughts don't hesitate to add.

..............I'll have to learn to whistle the Andy Griffith tune...................

[hobobimmer]

You are correct. We will be heading north when you come through here. That just means you'll have to come back! Don't worry, Bull Creek is not going anywhere. It will be the same whenever you happen to make it back.

Deb

[rmboies]

[QUOTE=aggies09;61333]
My timeline is late July early August. I love the idea of Old Salem, and all of the other ideas. I am going to have to do some serious prioritizing. A stop by Huntsville and it's neighbor, Bull Creek, is a must on my list, but if I remember correctly you guys are heading north during that time.
QUOTE]

Hi Tony and Jen,
We live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the "upstate" of South Carolina north of Greenville. You are more then welcome to park here and head to Biltmore in Asheville, visit Greenville or the hundreds of parks we have here if you like to hike. Caesar's Head, Table Rock, Chimney Rock, and Golf, of course, abounds! Quite a few local crafts places, i.e. pottery, artwork, antiques, and the like. We held a mini POG rally here a few years ago and had a blast! Ray and Kathy aksi visited with us on their trip east and we thoroughly enjoyed having them here. Lots of parking and even a dump site :-)

If you choose to stay in the Asheville area the only park close to there is Bear Creek RV park, http://www.ashevillebearcreek.com/ Tight quarters but very convenient to Biltmore and downtown Asheville or even to head to the Cherokee Casinos. Tom Johnsons place by all reports is wonderful as well, it is further east then Asheville. Lake Toxaway has an Outdoor Resorts park right on the Lake. Lake Lanier southeast of Asheville has a nice park too.

South Carolina is filled with history....many battlegrounds throughout the state if you like that sort of thing. Charleston is an absolute must see. Fort Sumter, the Ghost Tour, Battery Park, endless beaches, eating at Magnolias, you can walk all over downtown Charleston. The downtown market place is a must, you can watch the beautiful sweetgrass baskets being made. Another out of the way great local breakfast place is next to the public beach in Mt. Pleasant, just over the Cooper River Bridge. It's called the Seabiscuit.....wonderful, casual and crowded by the locals so go early or late! Charleston is also the largest seaport on the eastcoast so plenty to take in related to that. The Cooper River Bridge is a fabulous site at night. We will be headed to my nieces graduation from the College of Charleston and staying at Oak Plantation RV resort. http://www.oakplantationcampground.com/ We understand it is a nice park and convenient. I would pass on Paula Deans restaurant in Savannah, always crowded, lines go on forever, and more of a novelty then anything else, IMO.

One word of caution. You have chosen the hottest months we have here in SC so be prepared. Hot, humid, and possible afternoon thunderstorms. Just had to make you aware!

Please give us a call or send an email. Would love to meet you, can even meet in Asheville and perhaps coax Roger and Micki to head there for dinner as well. You are welcome to stay here, offer stands, and look forward to hopefully meeting you and Jen.
Debi and Bob

[michaeldterry]

[QUOTE=aggies09;61333]
Hi Tony and Jen,
We live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the "upstate" of South Carolina north of Greenville.

Debi & Bob - I lived in the "upstate" of South Carolina for several years (in the thriving metropolis of Greer - a Greenville "suburb") and can vouch for the beauty of the foothills and the plethora of things to do/see in the area!

[sawdust_128]

July - August = HOT! HOT! HOT! and HUMID! HUMID! HUMID!

Stay west and at higher altitudes and jump east to the coast at sea level. Try to avoid all in between to stay out of the heat and high humidity.

You could spend the whole time in the Smoky Mountains and touring the Blue Ridge. If you ran out of things to do, go north into the Shenendoah. During July and August, this is where I prefer to be because it is cooler. You might have to move base a couple of times to make it convenient to see the highlights.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/things2do.htm


If you come down to the flat lands, go to Manteo/Kitty Hawk and on to Hatteras (I use Camp Hatteras ocean side if possible). Ferry to Ocracoke, and south to Harker's Island, Emerald Island and onto Wilmington. From there, you are just over the state line to SC and onto Myrtle Beach. South on 17 to Charleston and even on to Savanah.
http://www.outerbanks.org/location_maps/interactive/index.asp


Either or, if I'm around these parts, C and I will be happy to guide you around. I was suppposed to be gone now to the west coast and had to cancel because Med Dr's told me to be here in early July. I am currently planning to go north in mid July to Canada and follow fall coloration/harvest south along the eastern mountains. Check your PM.



Link to older post on same subject:

http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/showthread.php?t=4203

[Will Garner]

Tony, takes a lot of breath to whistle the theme from The Andy Griffith Show. Any chance you could get it programmed on your musical horns? I'm sure you would be welcomed big time at Mt. Airy. By the way, if you get up that way there is also Pilot Mountain to visit. Quite an impressive rock outcropping rising vertically some 200-300 feet. You can get on the top and see a long way around the State into Virginia. I forgot to mention you also have the opportunity to visit the Smokey Mountain Parkway while in the Asheville area. If you go into Virginia, Bedford is home to the National D-Day Memorial. I went just after it opened and it was quite an impressive display. They had just started on the museum. I've got to get back there again soon.

[jack14r]

Tony,If you are in the center of NC,I have hook ups and a free place to park.