North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia this summer

[jgenie]

We’re in the beginning stages of planning a road trip to the Carolinas and possibly Georgia if we can fit it in. Planning on a late June trip. Any tips on what to see and do and not miss? Any tips on houses to rent? TIA

[mmsmom]

Keep in mind that NC is about 8.5 hours across so there is a lot to cover with just NC. The Biltmore in Asheville is a major attraction which is the the western part of the state. Also in the mountain region there is hiking, rafting, lakes, tubing on rivers, whitewater rafting, kayaking. Charlotte is the largest city and the Whitewater Center is a major attraction there. Then there is the triangle area with Raleigh, the capitol, Chapel Hill, Durham (Duke University). The outer banks are great to visit and there are also beaches further to the south which are not as far of a drive. House in the beach areas are weekly rentals in the summer and book up way in advance. There are some hotels which will allow shorter stays. Hatteras Island and Okracoke Island (have to take a ferry) are beautiful.

SC has beaches and some nice lakes and state parks but I don’t feel there’s as much to do outside of the coast.

GA has beaches too, also great state parks and lakes. Lots to do in Atlanta as well.

[SnuggleBuggles]

So do you just want coastal or are you doing cities? Confused by the house rental question if not the beach. And if the beach, there’ll be a weekly minimum for almost any coastal rental so how long is your anticipated trip? We


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains

[NCGrandma]

A minor terminology point: the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is usually referred to as the Triangle (or Research Triangle) area. The Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point area is what is more commonly called the Triad (or Piedmont Triad).

Are you looking mostly for outdoor activities? Or a mix? Do you want to spend most of the time in one area (hence a house rental) and venture out for an occasional day trip, or stay in several different places?

Interests? Ages of kids?

Not only is NC very wide, different parts of the state are quite distinct. More info about what you enjoy doing will let us make more helpful suggestions.


Sent from my iPad using Baby Bargains

[jgenie]

We have no idea what we want to do. We’ve been stuck at home for two years and want to explore next summer. I don’t think we want to spend a whole week at the beach. We’ve never been to any of the three states and not sure we would be going again. We like outdoor activities but will be traveling with family who aren’t as keen on outdoor activities so we need a mix. 16 yo - 12 yo

[Melaine]

My thoughts:
For NC, skip Charlotte area. It is IMO one of the least attractive areas of the state (no offense to those who live there. My sister just moved out and couldn't wait to get away. We do enjoy the shopping and great wolf lodge, ;-) ). Outer banks FOR SURE. My parents just visited Duck and sent the most gorgeous photos. We also love Holden Beach but there isn't a lot to do. It's just a super quiet, quaint area. We enjoyed Sassafras Mountain and Twin Falls waterfalls. Very easy hike (more like a stroll) totally gorgeous scenery! We recently visited Asheville area and loved it. I'm totally drawing a blank on where we stayed outside of Asheville, but would definitely return. I will think of it....We enjoyed the NC Arboretum and we did a nice waterfall hike close by.

For SC, Charleston is beautiful and historic. It is kind of a congested mess as far as tourism goes, but we still love it. Isle of Palms is especially beautiful. Don't miss the Angel Oak. I like Greenville for small-town shopping but haven't been in years. Not sure it's where I would focus much time. Edisto or Hilton Head are my beaches to recommend. Steer clear of Myrtle it has become extremely polluted and touristy. SC natives say it's straight up dangerous. I haven't spent much time there since I accidentally visited during bike week of 2001.

Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia is fabulous.

If you go the "back roads" at all, the drive between Augusta and Savannah GA is one of my favorites. Last time we drove I kept track of all the little country churches and we passed almost 40! It's just a really pretty country drive. For GA, Savannah is my favorite area. The architecture is amazing! We went during Thanksgiving weekend and it wasn't honestly that crowded but my parents went this summer and said it was really congested. DH and I loved Collin's Quarters restaurant. I haven't been to Helen GA in years but want to go back. Atlanta is fun, especially for kids. Underground Atlanta is really fun, GA Aquarium is AMAZING, Coke museum pretty fun, Centennial park ok if you are in the area and weather is good. It can be blazing hot in summer.

[mmsmom]

A minor terminology point: the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area is usually referred to as the Triangle (or Research Triangle) area. The Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point area is what is more commonly called the Triad (or Piedmont Triad).

Are you looking mostly for outdoor activities? Or a mix? Do you want to spend most of the time in one area (hence a house rental) and venture out for an occasional day trip, or stay in several different places?

Interests? Ages of kids?

Not only is NC very wide, different parts of the state are quite distinct. More info about what you enjoy doing will let us make more helpful suggestions.


Sent from my iPad using Baby Bargains

Ha! I fixed my post. Don’t know how I made that mistake… born in NC and lived here for 30+ of my 50+ years!

[carolinamama]

You may want to narrow down your interests and timeline a bit more as you start planning. Do you want to stay and explore from one home base or are you looking to road trip every few days? These states are very diverse and offer many activities that hopefully everyone can enjoy. The easiest may be to decide mountains or coast unless you want lots of driving. There are towns and cities you can explore in the middle of both. Everything here is based on my opinion so YMMV of course.

Want a large city and the attractions it offers? Atlanta is your place. It has an amazing aquarium, museums, pro sports, good restaurants and city parks. The NC mountains are accessible easily from Atlanta. You could also head east to Savannah, Charleston or Hilton Head. Savannah and Charleston are both quintessential Southern port towns with fun shops, restaurants and architecture. Beaches are close enough for daytrips or stay at the beach and day trip to town. Hilton Head is a great place for a beach vacation if you end up wanting that. Lots of golfing, plenty of restaurants and sand. Houses in these areas will likely have minimum stay requirements, which is usually 1 week in the summer. They book early.

As for the mountains, you may want to look into Asheville. I love staying near there, even up towards the Brevard area. It has the Biltmore, which is always fun and impressive, tons of hiking and waterfalls nearby, and the town has good dining options. There's a mountain biking park nearby my boys like. If your kids are like mine, they much prefer summer hiking when there is an opportunity to swim in mountain streams. We didn't have any trouble getting houses for 3-4 nights last year but I'm not sure how it is now. Last year we even did a daytrip over to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in TN and hiked to the Midnight Hole. The water was frigid but so much fun. Also options for white water rafting close enough and probably river tubing. Can you tell we love this area? It's seriously so pretty and the outdoors can be balanced with other attractions. We also like the Boone/Blowing Rock/Banner Elk area for a mountain trip but I think Asheville has more for a group.

Triangle Area - There is certainly stuff to do here, but I can't imagine making it a main stop unless you are trying to tour the colleges - Duke is beautiful, UNC and Chapel Hill are neat and NC State's campus is more modern.

Charlotte - I agree with Melaine - I'd skip it but that's just me.

Greenville, SC - I love this little town. I've gone for girls' weekends and we end up there a few times a year for sports. The downtown is very walkable and the restaurants are eclectic and fun. It has a great vibe if you are looking for somewhere to hang out for a day or two in that area (South of Charlotte).

NC Beaches - they are beautiful. We don't have much commercialized development so most accommodations will be houses rented by the week. The Outer Banks are further north and somewhat isolated but offer the beach, light houses, and other low-key beach activities. Wilmington is a mini-Savannah (historical town on a river with a port) located on the Southern tip of NC and only a 2 hour drive from Raleigh. There are beaches nearby, Kure, Carolina, Wrightsville and even Topsail. You will probably find the same one-week rental requirement at most NC beaches. There are hotels and resorts at some though. Last summer, I decided last minute to take my kids to a beach for a few days but had trouble finding a place I wanted. I ended up in Myrtle Beach, pretty far north so our hotel was quieter. It's not somewhere I'd go repeatedly, and I'd be very selective about where I stayed, but it was fun if you are up for the highly commercialized beach atmosphere. The beaches are rougher and drop off quicker in the Outer Banks and calmer with less drop off in SC.

Hope this helps you get started!

[jgenie]

Thanks so much for all the ideas! It’s looking like it’s going to be a road trip from Florida to NY. I’m not sure how much time the other family has but I’m guessing we’ll only be stopping for a day or maybe two in each place.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'd skip the OBX if that's all the time you have. It's too far out of the way for just 1-2 nights.
Consider Shenandoah National park. Skyline Drive has amazing vistas and some easy hikes (and some hard ones). We either stay in Charlottesville or Harrisonburg, VA. Lots of cool cave systems to explore. We did Grottoes Caverns last summer and it was so cool.