bsparks276

Hello,

I will have 8 days of vacation from 21 Oct to 28 Oct which I can utilize. Southeastern region is one part which I never visited so I want to see that place. I am posting this with very open ended question of, where should I go. From Seattle, I can see most reasonable fares are for Atlanta and then Nashville and Charleston. I would rent car and can do a round road trip, and if needed then can check one way car rental too.

Our preferences - I am mostly interested in photographic places (can be mountains, landscapes, wildlife, beautiful towns) where I can use my camera much. If possible I would not like to miss some good fall colors. Traveling with 7 years old, so will not do long hikes. Unless there are few places to visit from same base, it is not necessary to stay at one/two places. We are good in packing/unpacking things and hit the road quickly.

Apart from GSMNP, I can think of Asheville, Nashville and on other side Blue Ridge Parkway.

Please advice.

Thanks.

Gretchen

Charleston, Asheville, SMNP. Easy loop.. Nashville is a 6 hour drive from Asheville (FYI) and Charleston is about a 4 hour drive to Ashevile. Nashville is too far with a youngster and not much in between Asheville and Nashville.
Plenty to do in 8 days with the loop I suggested.

Scooterr

Atlanta, two hours to Chattanooga (Point Park on Lookout Mountain, the aquarium), four hours or so through the mountains to Cherokee (Museum of the Cherokee Indians) and the GSMNP, another hour or so to Asheville, four hours back to Atlanta. Scenery galore, best probability of fall color.

PrairieHikerI

That seems to be the best loop. Near Asheville is Mt. Mitchell which is the highest mt. east of the Mississippi. You can drive to the top for great views of the colorful leaves. Charleston exudes Old South atmosphere with a Gullah culture flare. Its historic homes dating from the early 1800s and late 1700s line brick streets and are surrounded by lush foliage. Take a walk or a drive in a horse-drawn carriage through the Historic District, with its veranda-fronted mansions and slender church towers. Eat Lowcountry cuisine such as Shrimp and Grits, Chicken Bog, Collard greens, and Skillet Cornbread. Walk along the famous Charleston Battery.Wander around the 1804 Charleston City Market. Visit an Old South plantation such as Drayton Hall (1738). Check out the French Quarter which was settled by French Huguenots (between Broad St. and City Market).

bsparks276

Thanks for suggestions.
As suggested I can skip going towards Nashville. My first preference will be, to cover some places in Great Smoky Mountains and focus is to capture some great scenery via camera.
I checked some pictures of Charleston and debating if I should go towards that side. Apart from plantations, I see mostly pictures of some old buildings. Though they are part of great culture, but we are not massive on history or food. Am I missing some real essence here?

Daniel_Williams

Hi

While it is true that Charleston has much that history and food lovers will appreciate, for one such as yourself who likes photography but doesn’t seek out history (old buildings) and unique food, is there a reason to go? I think a decent possibility it would be as the marvelous waterscapes would offer I would think an appealing photographic contrast to the mountainous views of western North Carolina. When I took the National Park Service ferry out to Fort Sumter, dolphins were doing loops in the water. And history aside, the island where one finds Fort Sumter is a beautiful spot with land on either side and views of the downtown peninsula; I can’t help but think that even those less interested in history would be moved by the beauty and uniqueness of the cityscape especially when seen from the water.

Have fun deciding! Daniel

Gretchen

AND will your 7 year old just love looking at the view of mountain valley--they can get caught up on that very quickly.
BUT you have 8 days for this which is a very nice length of time. The mention of Cherokee is good although in October they will not have the play Unto These Hills to tell the story of the Cherokee neation. But there are good exhibits there. It is on the edge of the SMNP and would be a good gateway from Asheville--about 1.5 hours. If you have some fishing equipemtn children can fish for free in the Park (may want to check that --we did it a long time ago).
Although Mt. Mitchell is interesting a more interesting choice near there might be Grandfather Mountain near Boone/Blowing Rock. But this is on up the Parkway a little from Asheville
I will add that I have always thought Charleston is the most "European" of our cities--very walkable with a little peek of things to see in someone's back yard or beautiful door or window. AND the water.

shelemm

It's always a bit hard to predict the perfect time for leaf peeking. I was in the Tenn-NC area the second week of October of 2020 and colors were magnificent though maybe the best was still to come. I went on two trails that were great and would be fine for a 7 year old. My favorite was the twin falls trail in Pisgah National Forest which has a dozen (!) footbridges which make the trail very exciting. The falls are a nice conclusion to this interesting and photogenic trail. The other hike was Laurel Falls Trail, with even better colors, in Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee.

In GSMNP, Cades Cove is a historic settlement that attracts a good number of people and bears as well. If you see cars pulled over to the side of the road, they are probably viewing wildlife. There is a very nice loop drive and plenty of places to stop and poke around the cabins. This is a highlight of the park.

Gretchen

This article about fall colors was in my mailbox today. Scroll through the text and there is a wonderful map to predict color in the coming days.

https://gardenandgun.com/articles/fa...-in-the-south/

bsparks276

Thanks. As per this map, it looks like first week of November should be peak in that area. Hope my 21 Oct to 28 Oct wouldn't be too early and I can move around different elevations to catch better.

Gretchen

Oh, you will definitely have good color. Trees in the higher elevations are already changing.. You really will need reservations somewhere because everyone points toward Oct. 15-30.

shelemm

You will not be too early.

robertharris0109

Nashville is wonderful this time of year, definitely a must!