North Carolina/Virginia vacation

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Random Musings
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North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by Random Musings »

All,

Taking a vacation to N.C and Virginia in the summer. Essentially, the weekends are going to be around Charlotte (Lake Norman) first weekend and D.C coming back to Western PA.

However, that leave the weekdays pretty much open for other sightseeing. We have been to most of the standard vacation spots in those states and have no plans to go to Charleston S.C, Ashville/Smokies or N.C. coastal area (or beaches in general) since been there and done that recently. Thought of Conagree National Park, but they have had flooding issues (and ranger led boat rides are booked this season), so that's out.

However, Northern Georgia is potentially another area (not Atlanta) since the ride isn't too bad from Charlotte area.

Any of you enlightened travelers/locals have any good ideas?

Regards,

RM
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The Wizard
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by The Wizard »

It's going to be WARM around there then, so I'd head either to the up-country Appalachians or to the beach. I've done both in years gone by...
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theduke
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by theduke »

The NC zoo is just north of Charlotte in Ashboro, NC.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (vacation).
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strafe
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by strafe »

- Greenville, SC is a nice city to visit. Nice downtown. BMW museum & factory tours (X3 & X5 manufactured there) in Greer, SC just outside Greenville.
- Old Salem, NC - basically a less impressive & less historic Williamsburg
- museums in & around Raleigh-Durham (NC natural sciences, NC art, Durham life & science, Nasher art museum at Duke, Bennet Place)
- lots of state parks in NC (Morrow Mt SP not too far from Charlotte)
- NASCAR museum in Charlotte -- if you're into that sort of thing
sunnyday
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by sunnyday »

How about Charlottesville VA? You can check out UVA, go wine tasting at vineyards, check out Monticello, hike the Appalachian trail/Jefferson national forest, stay at a nice B&B, check out shenandoah national park and drive skyline drive. There are some really cool small towns around there if you want to get off the beaten path.
LifeIsGood
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by LifeIsGood »

If you're considering N. GA, Blue Ridge is a nice town. Lake Blue Ridge is minutes away and the town is one of the few that has some decent restaurants.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by donaldfair71 »

Some interesting things within an hour of DC (that a lot of people don't really discuss when talking the DMV):

Harpers Ferry WV. This is a town that has been restored back to its origins and, in the downtown area, does not allow cars. A lot of history, and just an interesting place to visit overall.

The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va. I have been to all of the DC museums (many multiple times), and living in NoVa, have been to a lot of the ones located in the suburban areas. This one trumps them all except for the Holocaust Museum. You don't really need an interest in history to like this museum. It has so many interesting exhibits, media, etc. that it is just a wonderful experience. They did it right.

Another place that, while not within an hour of DC, but could be on your way, is Old Town Winchester. I grew up in western Pa., and there just isn't anything up there like the many Old Towns you find in the south, particularly Virginia. I have been to many of these Old Towns, and Winchester is the best. Though it is actually further north than most of the DMV geographically, it, more than most, still has a southern old time charm in its downtown. While it has its fair share of sprawl, it is much, much less than places closer to the city.
carolinaman
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by carolinaman »

I am not sure what your interests are, but the Charlotte area has a lot of attractions. The US Whitewater Center, which includes a man made whitewater rafting facility which is used by US Olympic Team, is 20 minutes from downtown Charlotte. It has hiking trails and lots of other outdoor stuff. It is popular among scouts and other youth groups.
http://usnwc.org/about/

Also, there is plenty of entertainment. The NC Music Factory is a very popular spot and there are plenty of museums, theaters and other entertainment in or near downtown Charlotte.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions- ... olina.html
protagonist
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by protagonist »

Go to Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser, NC and go kayaking or rafting. It's exquisite there. If you are a whitewater boater you can rent a boat,...if not you can either take lessons or just go on a guided raft trip. You can choose your level. It's a mecca for whitewater boaters. Also you are close to the Blue Ridge Parkway....gorgeous scenery and lots of options along the way.

The southern portion of the outer banks is wonderful. Especially Ocracoke (spelling?) if you want to get away from it all. But it's far from Charlotte and a boring drive- you would need more than a few days to enjoy it.
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tadamsmar
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by tadamsmar »

You could spend a week at sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway during a week between Charlotte and DC. Mt Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Boone, Peaks of Otter, Monticello, just to name a few. Nice bed and breakfasts to be found along the way.

Snowbird Lodge in NC is one of my favorite places, but perhaps you have seen that part of the Smokies already. And they don't accept kids, you did not say if you will have kids along.
theta
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by theta »

Here are some options that might (or might not) be of interest to you:

U.S. Open (golf) in Pinehurst (check dates)
Jimmy Buffett concerts (again check dates)
Civil War Battlefield tours (bunches of battlefields in Virginia - Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Appomattox)
Williamsburg/Yorktown
FloydFest (4 day music festival on Blue Ridge Parkway)
4nursebee
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by 4nursebee »

DC is really great with too much to do. Accomodations more expensive though.
I'd say consider using Airbnb and/or couchsurfing to find cheaper digs and advice from the hosts (I host).
No mention of kids?
I vote for a trip along the outer banks of NC through Chesapeak bay tunnel. Outerbanks has Ocean, tourists traps, aquarium, Orange Blossom Bakery, first flight stuff. If you have kids or just want to see large industry, a trip through rural Aurora NC will show the impressive scale of phosphate mining-they move roads and railroads. Aurora also has a kuntry muscadine winery in small town nearby- it will be unlike any winery ever seen (We've been there with horse and cat in tasting room and seen ants crawling in and out of the outside plastic barrels fermenting strawberry wine). Eastern NC also has great pork BBQ with collards.
Outer banks/Aurora can easily integrate a ride on a ferry. Take bread to feed the birds.

Raleigh has the largest Asian Grocery I have ever seen.
East of Raleigh is a country doctor museum.
Raleigh has two chocolate shops worth a few minutes and lots of dollars.
If you see a hot sign on, do stop to watch and eat at Krispy Kreme

Charlotte- a dream of mine is a family trip to a Nascar driving school.

Fayetteville- largest indoor parachute training wind tunnel
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Cottons
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by Cottons »

4nursebee wrote:
Fayetteville- largest indoor parachute training wind tunnel
AKA FayetteNAM. This town is crawling with bored military personnel, bars, tattoo shops, and barbers.

As someone else mentioned, NC is going to be hot during that time. Best to stay upstate if you can. The Triangle has many attractions and contains Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.

Side note: If you need furniture NC is the place to get it. Most places I've found have quality construction and are relatively inexpensive.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by Random Musings »

All,

Thanks for the responses so far. I will respond in detail later, but am aware of the heat, we do this jaunt down to Lake Norman every year for boating/jet skiing/ tubing/jumping off the dock so that keeps us cool for 2 or 3 days. That is more or less our annual beach trip (plus, we belong to a pool) - the remainder of vacations are more sightseeing.

Charlotte has been pretty well exhausted in terms of sightseeing. Zoo, NASCAR museum (saw school buses race at the track one time) and so on. Went to a nice raptor park where they rehabiliate them - can't remember the name.

WIth respect to the mountains - it is pluasable that we will hit Shenadoah NP again for a solid day (and a half) of hiking, last year, we had our first weekend jaunt without the kids there, but there are a lot of nice short trails that they can do as well. May hit one of the Civil War Battlefields for a day - perhaps Theta or others can respond to which one they most highly recommend.

Other quick notes - went to Charlottesville last year - also the Smokies on a separate trip - OBX only have interest to see further south and away from touristy areas - but that may be more of a logistics problem. The Floydfest would be right up my alley, but my wife and kids listen only to top 40 :( .

Whitewater ideas are great - however, kids are still a little too young and probably a few years away until I am more comfortable with their swimming techniques.

Some ideas I am going to chew on as well - National Museum of the Marine Corp, Raleigh Durham area.

RM
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kttpn
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by kttpn »

Raleigh has several nice museums- Art, Science, NC History, Marbles (for children). You can tour State Capital buildings and grounds.
Durham has the Museum of Life and Science (for children), Duke Chapel and Gardens, Eno River State Park (Old Grist Mill) and summer festival. lemur center, American Dance Festival usually through mid July. The Durham Bulls are loads of fun for all on a summer night. The Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC) was #4 in the country last year in ticket sales and may have something interesting playing. You can look for food truck rodeos (lots of them down this way) with street festivals. (Durham visitors bureau has a great website)
Chapel Hill has UNC Campus which is fun to walk around as well as Franklin Street (downtown). There are two cat (mainly tiger) rescue facilities nearby.
Sylvan Heights Bird Park in Scotland Neck gets great reviews.
If you want to go to the NC Zoo in Asheboro, check out the NC Potters in Seagrove. There are lots around the area along with a museum.

Happy traveling! 8-)
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by theta »

Personally, I'm not a Civil War expert, but I note that the Fodor's Top Ten Civil War Battlefields list looks pretty good.
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3961.html
carolinaman
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by carolinaman »

theta wrote:Personally, I'm not a Civil War expert, but I note that the Fodor's Top Ten Civil War Battlefields list looks pretty good.
http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3961.html
If you like battlefield sites, 2 prominent Revolutionary war sites are near Charlotte. Battle of Kings Mountain and Cowpens, about 20 miles farther south on I-85. These 2 battles were the turning point for the patroits in the Southern campaign. Both are national parks. I like Cowpens because it was the first time in the South that the Americans defeated British regulars in a decisive victory. The British antagonist in the movie "The Patroit" is based upon the British general defeated at Cowpens, BanisterTarleton. I find the history of Cowpens as fascinating as the movie. If you like history, these 2 sites are well worth a day and probably no more than 1 to 1.5 hours from Lake Norman.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by 22twain »

Now I see you've mentioned kids. You might check out the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, just off I-85 north (east) of Salisbury. It's in the former Southern Railway shop complex, and is mainly railroad-oriented. A number of old locomotives (steam, diesel and electric) are on display in the roundhouse, and a vintage diesel pulls an excursion train on a loop around the complex a few times a day.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by tadamsmar »

There are a good many family attractions in the Boone area:

http://www.exploreboonearea.com/TravelI ... fault.aspx

I think they are all open during the week, but check the schedules.

Blowing Rock has a nice playground and ice cream parlor, plus a good many craft shops.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by sunnyday »

I still like my Charlotte ideas, but I guess you did some of that last year :)

My second recommendation would be:
Museum of Life and Science in Durham-- much better than the NC Zoo (IMO). It's awesome for kids any age and adults -- I'd go on a weekday though if possible to avoid big crowds (same goes for the zoo).

While in Durham, you could check out the Duke Gardens and stroll around Duke's campus. Durham Bulls baseball games are fun and good restaurants are close by. Could catch some live outdoor music in Durham/Chapel Hill, Raleigh and check out some of the college's and their sports museums.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by SGM »

Bedford, VA is the location of the beautiful D-day memorial. Special activities the June 6th weekend and 70th anniversary of the invasion. Bedford is the town that lost the most citizens that fateful day. It is surrounded by the Blue Ridge mountains.
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Re: North Carolina/Virginia vacation

Post by Random Musings »

Thanks to all for the info. Looking into Boone area and Raleigh/Durham now - areas I have not been to (well briefly in Raleigh). Scratching Northern Georgia now since it would ramp up the hours spent on the road.

I just realized yesterday :oops: that I have never been to Fredricksburg, which we always have wanted to visit, but somehow have never fit into our schedule. They have that timeless ticket (or one day pass) where you can visit many different sites.

RM
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Northern Shenandoah Valley

Post by zeep »

Consider some time in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Staunton, Va. is a lovely place. It is a mixture of quaint Southern Railway town and artsy college town. There are some great attractions there, including the renowned American Shakespeare Center at an outdoor Elizabethan theatre. http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com Also the Frontier Culture Museum.

Luray Va is a great jumping off point for Shenandoah National Park, and Luray Caverns is a nice change of pace that is also popular with kids. I can share some food and lodging ideas by PM if you plan to visit the area.
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Re: Northern Shenandoah Valley

Post by Random Musings »

zeep wrote:Consider some time in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Staunton, Va. is a lovely place. It is a mixture of quaint Southern Railway town and artsy college town. There are some great attractions there, including the renowned American Shakespeare Center at an outdoor Elizabethan theatre. http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com Also the Frontier Culture Museum.

Luray Va is a great jumping off point for Shenandoah National Park, and Luray Caverns is a nice change of pace that is also popular with kids. I can share some food and lodging ideas by PM if you plan to visit the area.
Went to Luray Caverns last year. We stayed at the Once Upon a Mountain B&B because we were able to stay only one night there on a weekend (they usually require two but it worked out for us). Piney Hill B&B, although available, would not take a one night stay. Frontier Culture museum is on the list this year as we will be attacking Shenandoah NP from the southern entrance. With respect to the American Shakespeare Center - one of our children is too young to be a customer - only for one of the Christmas shows can young ones attend.

Thanks.

RM
I figure the odds be fifty-fifty I just might have something to say. FZ
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