where to stay near the Smoky Mountains. (tips please.) (Page 2): I don't know where Asheville is in relation to your rail route but it is a nice destination. It is very close to the...

Caribou Loc: St. Louis, MO

I don't know where Asheville is in relation to your rail route but it is a nice destination. It is very close to the park. And there is a nice little town called Waynesville nearby. You may find the weather in April in the Smokies to be pretty cool and wet and not very green yet. At higher elevations you may find snow. If you do get to Asheville and you're looking for something to do outside the park you can tour the Biltmore estate. It's the largest private home in the U.S.

Have a good trip!

canarywood1 Loc: Sarasota,Florida

koalaroo wrote:

Thanks heaps! You've given me some very useful info that I'm sure we'll use. Sounds great.
Not the first time we've driven on the "wrong" side of the road. Had a wonderful trip in 2012 and drove for 3 weeks around Nevada, Utah and Arizona. Well - my husband drove, I was too wimpy. You are right about falling into bad habits when there's not much traffic around - Paul did it a few times. Scary Thanks again mate.
ps. sending you a pm. did

Montana Trace has given you an excellent itinerary, i've been everywhere he suggests and then some as my Son and Daughter-law live in the Smokies in Waynesville,NC the only thing i can add would be to see the Blue Ridge Parkway, breathtaking views at many overlooks, and try to see the Biltmore Estate in Asheville,NC here's a link.

http://www.ourstate.com/biltmore-insiders-tour/

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thanks for that, Airbnb is great. We have booked one in Fort Worth for 2 days, and New Orleans for 3 days. When I know for sure where we'll be, I'll have a look. So much nicer than hotels in a lot of cases, and we get to meet people and get a feel of living in the burbs. Jude.

architect wrote:

Check out Airbnb.com for the location(s) you are visiting. Much more interesting than hotels.

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thanks. I'll be looking into it for sure. Much appreciated.

canarywood1 wrote:

Montana Trace has given you an excellent itinerary, i've been everywhere he suggests and then some as my Son and Daughter-law live in the Smokies in Waynesville,NC the only thing i can add would be to see the Blue Ridge Parkway, breathtaking views at many overlooks, and try to see the Biltmore Estate in Asheville,NC here's a link.

http://www.ourstate.com/biltmore-insiders-tour/

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thankyou. SNOW? Would love to see some snow. We don't get it here in sub-tropical southern Queensland. We'll be packing the winter woolies.

Caribou wrote:

I don't know where Asheville is in relation to you... (show quote)

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thankyou so much. Everyone is being very helpful. Amtrak stops at Greenville and Spartanburg, so I'm looking at which would be the best stop. So many nice places to see - so little time.

brow3904 wrote:

Any of the areas suggested would be very nice. I w... (show quote)

architect Loc: Chattanooga

koalaroo wrote:

Thanks for that, Airbnb is great. We have booked one in Fort Worth for 2 days, and New Orleans for 3 days. When I know for sure where we'll be, I'll have a look. So much nicer than hotels in a lot of cases, and we get to meet people and get a feel of living in the burbs. Jude.

I do all of the official Airbnb photography in the Chattanooga area. There are 17+ pages of listings in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee side, and a similar amount on the Cherokee, North Carolina side. You should be able to find an interesting location anywhere in the area.

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thanks, I'll keep that one in mind. Sounds good. Jude.

irrigator wrote:

Carr's Northside Cottages. Great place and very friendly family owned business. Motels,Cabins, Chalet's & Houses. Been staying there for over 30 years.

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

That must be interesting, doing the photography. We are thinking of putting our house on Airb&b for the month we are in the US. Whether we have the energy to get it all spiffy enough is another story.

architect wrote:

I do all of the official Airbnb photography in the Chattanooga area. There are 17+ pages of listings in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee side, and a similar amount on the Cherokee, North Carolina side. You should be able to find an interesting location anywhere in the area.

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Heaps of thanks to everyone for your helpful replies. I've tried to quote reply to all, but I've got confused so if I've missed you, I do thank you.

koalaroo Loc: Gold Coast, Australia

Thanks Steve, I'll look into it. Have booked some Airbnb's but not heard of vrbo. Jude.

sb wrote:

Not necessarily the best time to go, but Maggie Valley is nice. Consider checking http://www.vrbo.com if you are not used to them. "Vacation Rental By Owner" - we have used them many times all over and have found really great places to stay, including Maggie Valley, where we stayed in a beautiful 3-bedroom log home looking out over the area.

country Loc: back woods

koalaroo wrote:

Thanks Steve, Gatlinburg does look really nice, but on the wrong side of the Smokies for us I think. Our flights to America are booked, and we'll be leaving New Orleans on the 25th April so timewise, we are limited. Thanks for your reply. Jude.

bryson city would be on the right side of the mountains, and is a nice little town near the smokies...

Dan821 Loc: Traveling........

koalaroo wrote:

Thankyou. SNOW? Would love to see some snow. We don't get it here in sub-tropical southern Queensland. We'll be packing the winter woolies.

Oh you won't need the Winter woolies in April! Spring will be there in the mountains by then and you will have excellent weather!
I would pack a medium to light jacket for the nighttime hours which can get rather cold.

MontanaTrace

koalaroo wrote:

Thankyou. SNOW? Would love to see some snow. We don't get it here in sub-tropical southern Queensland. We'll be packing the winter woolies.

Probably won't be much if any snow when you are visiting. If you're dead set on it, try Sugar Mountain and Ski Beech. They are ski areas that will probably be closed but you can still access the white stuff. Both are not far from Banner Elk but it's really not worth the extra driving. You might catch some snow on the highest parts of the Blue Ridge Highway. Beautiful ride, year round.

Want snow? Next time, come up where I live, Montana. I'll teach you the fine art of snow blowing a driveway. Great fun. Glacier Park and Yellowstone are incredible.

I didn't get a PM. Try my e-mail: milnerwm@cyberport.net.

While living down under, I skied in Thredbo. Nice.

Dustylungs

I agree that Asheville (1+ hr from Spartanburg, 3.5 hrs. from Atlanta by car) is a good place to focus on with the Biltmore House, a multitude of artists, craftspeople and galleries, over a dozen breweries, a huge "foodie" scene and more (good) live music than you can find in Atlanta, a city 25x the size. Most of the other places mentioned are within a short drive. The Great Smokey Mtns begin just south of Asheville & the Blue Ridge continues north into Virginia. The tallest mountain on the east coast is Mt. Mitchell, just to the northwest of Asheville, accessible by the Blue Ridge Parkway which winds along the ridges of the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mtns. Not a large city, but many amenities of one, walkable to most things and easy to get to beautiful countryside in just minutes. There is public transportation, but the US falls pitifully short on that account compared to most other countries (we just love our cars, don't ya' know). Best of luck in tailoring your trip...enjoy!