WNC Mountain Road Trip!

Even before I became a WNC (Western North Carolina) transplant, I have been an expert on the Blue Ridge Mountains (BRMs) and their alluring mystical ambiance. I have spent the past 20 years visiting every small town that I could get to in a weekend day trip, sometimes taking the whole weekend to explore!

I was born and raised in Spartanburg County, SC, which is less than 20 minutes from the base of the BRMs. Spartanburg is defined as the Upstate of SC, the Piedmont region of the state.
The PURPOSE of this article is to get you started with planning a road trip to (and through) our beautiful WNC.
I'm very thorough so you won't be led astray!

The first, most important piece of advice I can give you before you plan your trip is to consider lodging. My best suggestion is to scope out the local B&B's (Bed and Breakfasts) FIRST. You can usually score a great deal when you agree to a 2 night stay, and you always get way more bang for your buck (than with a local hotel). And especially in any "tourist" town, you're gonna pay the same and even MORE for a crappy hotel with half the amenities. Go B&B... You won't be sorry!

www.bedandbreakfast.com / www.bnbfinder.com / www.bbonline.com/nc/region1.html / www.bbonline.com/nc/ncbbi/

(contact me if you'd like to know about the B&B's I've stayed at personally! Please comment on this post and I will reply!)

Next essential step to take is to PLAN your route.
I use Google Maps, but whatever mapping program you're comfortable with, use it!

Google Maps has a feature in the upper right of the map that can activate photos and display suggested destinations/attractions when you rest your cursor over areas along the route. If you're unfamiliar with the region in which you're planning to travel, I suggest turning this feature on.

Study the map and make note of the small towns. Click in those areas to do more research on them. Most small towns in the mountains are *gems*, but not every one. They each have their own personality, but some may not have certain attractions you are interested in. You have to research each one and make sure. Or, please contact me; I'll tell you up front - I have researched most all small towns in WNC personally!

Step 3, in my opinion, is plan your route with as many BACKROADS as you can. The interstates and 4 lane divided highways through WNC are great (I-26, I-40, Hwy 74, and Hwy 321), but you're sure to miss at least 2 or 3 *gems* while driving them.

Take main roads, but try to AVOID the interstates. You'll definitely have a much more enjoyable trip taking the secondaries! Once again, I'm not a pro travel planner, but I will be more than happy to discuss a cool road trip route for you personally. Send me an e-mail or give me a direct phone call. I will take the time to help you, no matter what area of WNC you're heading!

4th piece of advice is to make sure to get on the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) at some point during your trip!

NC does an amazing job of maintaining the road and the shoulders always have beautiful green grass as a border. There are several tunnels to drive through, on almost any segment you jump on. But the views all along the Parkway are breathtaking, EVERY mile of it. Keep in mind that if you happen to plan a trip anytime during WINTER months, check the BRP hotline to see which segments may be closed. If there is snow, or if it has snowed recently, some portions of the BRP will be closed off. (http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm)

Other helpful links to refer to during your research are listed below. In my NEXT blog post, I'll get more into specific *gems* that I enjoy visiting!

http://www.ncblueridge.com/ / http://www.biltmore.com/ / http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx / http://www.westernncattractions.com/