Advice wanted in the Carolinas
Sep 1, 2014, 4:39 am
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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Advice wanted in the Carolinas
Nothing could be finer, etc...anyway, my first post in this forum, seems like the right sort of place. I'm planning next year's family roadtrip and after four years heading West, I thought we might try the east coast for a change.
Embarkation point is likely to be IAD and the first place we actually, specifically want to spend time in after that is Charleston. But the 550 miles between those two points is a bit of a stretch to be honest. Need somewhere to rest up overnight.
Looks like a toss-up between Charlotte and Raleigh. So - recognising that this is more a pit stop than a destination in itself - where would you recommend? Or perhaps there is some hidden gem alternative to either of these? And would you advocate actually spending more time there than just an overnight, bearing in mind that a day extra in either place means one fewer in Charleston, Savannah or MCO?
Embarkation point is likely to be IAD and the first place we actually, specifically want to spend time in after that is Charleston. But the 550 miles between those two points is a bit of a stretch to be honest. Need somewhere to rest up overnight.
Looks like a toss-up between Charlotte and Raleigh. So - recognising that this is more a pit stop than a destination in itself - where would you recommend? Or perhaps there is some hidden gem alternative to either of these? And would you advocate actually spending more time there than just an overnight, bearing in mind that a day extra in either place means one fewer in Charleston, Savannah or MCO?
Sep 1, 2014, 5:44 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
Programs: Life, Love and Laughter
Posts: 8,537
Nothing could be finer, etc...anyway, my first post in this forum, seems like the right sort of place. I'm planning next year's family roadtrip and after four years heading West, I thought we might try the east coast for a change.
Embarkation point is likely to be IAD and the first place we actually, specifically want to spend time in after that is Charleston. But the 550 miles between those two points is a bit of a stretch to be honest. Need somewhere to rest up overnight.
Looks like a toss-up between Charlotte and Raleigh. So - recognising that this is more a pit stop than a destination in itself - where would you recommend? Or perhaps there is some hidden gem alternative to either of these? And would you advocate actually spending more time there than just an overnight, bearing in mind that a day extra in either place means one fewer in Charleston, Savannah or MCO?
Embarkation point is likely to be IAD and the first place we actually, specifically want to spend time in after that is Charleston. But the 550 miles between those two points is a bit of a stretch to be honest. Need somewhere to rest up overnight.
Looks like a toss-up between Charlotte and Raleigh. So - recognising that this is more a pit stop than a destination in itself - where would you recommend? Or perhaps there is some hidden gem alternative to either of these? And would you advocate actually spending more time there than just an overnight, bearing in mind that a day extra in either place means one fewer in Charleston, Savannah or MCO?
Sep 2, 2014, 2:04 pm
#3
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I like Raleigh a lot but it too is off I-95. That said, Roanoke Rapids, Fayetteville and Lumberton which are on I-95 are not worth your time in the slightest. Raleigh has some nice restaurants and bars, good nightlife etc. and is worth at least a night. Plenty of nice hotels too
Sep 3, 2014, 12:21 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2008
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In typical FT fasion, what dates are you looking at? How many days traveling? How many people? What do you enjoy seeing?
Initial Thoughts:
Instead of coming down I-95, you could do US-17, the kind of 'Carolinas Coastal Highway.'
There are some beautiful small towns along the way, you go through Norfolk, the Great Dismal Swamp, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Calabash, Georgetown, and eventually get to Charleston. It's like a whole other trip than taking 95. And since there are some decent stretches where its a 4 lane divided highway, you can catch up a little bit of time. While I personally think Charleston is great, if you want something a bit different, you can do the Carolina coast, and wrap up at Savannah (cutting off MCO).
Another alternative is to go through the mountains from IAD, coming down the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (some of the most beautiful roads in the country) to Asheville, then taking I-26 down to Charleston. Again, out of your way, but another alternate option. If you go in fall, keep in mind leaves will be in full color.
If you pick between Charlotte & Raleigh, I'd say go to Charlotte.
Let us know your thoughts and I'm sure we can put together some interesting places no matter where you decide to go.
Initial Thoughts:
Instead of coming down I-95, you could do US-17, the kind of 'Carolinas Coastal Highway.'
There are some beautiful small towns along the way, you go through Norfolk, the Great Dismal Swamp, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Calabash, Georgetown, and eventually get to Charleston. It's like a whole other trip than taking 95. And since there are some decent stretches where its a 4 lane divided highway, you can catch up a little bit of time. While I personally think Charleston is great, if you want something a bit different, you can do the Carolina coast, and wrap up at Savannah (cutting off MCO).
Another alternative is to go through the mountains from IAD, coming down the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (some of the most beautiful roads in the country) to Asheville, then taking I-26 down to Charleston. Again, out of your way, but another alternate option. If you go in fall, keep in mind leaves will be in full color.
If you pick between Charlotte & Raleigh, I'd say go to Charlotte.
Let us know your thoughts and I'm sure we can put together some interesting places no matter where you decide to go.
Last edited by plon; Sep 4, 2014 at 12:46 pm Reason: Goof on my part
Sep 4, 2014, 1:55 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: BQH
Programs: BAEC GGL, Taylor Street Baristas
Posts: 130
In typical FT fasion, what dates are you looking at? How many days traveling? How many people? What do you enjoy seeing?
Initial Thoughts:
There are some beautiful small towns along the way, you go through Norfolk, the Great Dismal Swamp, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Calabash, Georgetown, and eventually get to Charleston. It's like a whole other trip than taking 95. And since there are some decent stretches where its a 4 lane divided highway, you can catch up a little bit of time. While I personally think Charleston is great, if you want something a bit different, you can do the Carolina coast, and wrap up at Savannah (cutting off MCO).
Another alternative is to go through the mountains from IAD, coming down the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (some of the most beautiful roads in the country) to Asheville, then taking I-26 down to Charleston. Again, out of your way, but another alternate option. If you go in fall, keep in mind leaves will be in full color.
Initial Thoughts:
There are some beautiful small towns along the way, you go through Norfolk, the Great Dismal Swamp, Edenton, New Bern, Wilmington, Calabash, Georgetown, and eventually get to Charleston. It's like a whole other trip than taking 95. And since there are some decent stretches where its a 4 lane divided highway, you can catch up a little bit of time. While I personally think Charleston is great, if you want something a bit different, you can do the Carolina coast, and wrap up at Savannah (cutting off MCO).
Another alternative is to go through the mountains from IAD, coming down the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (some of the most beautiful roads in the country) to Asheville, then taking I-26 down to Charleston. Again, out of your way, but another alternate option. If you go in fall, keep in mind leaves will be in full color.
We'll be travelling sometime next July or August which is a fair way away but I like to get these itineraries planned well in advance. Currently looking at maybe three days on the road out of fourteen (IAD>??>Charleston>Savannah>MCO) which is nothing compared to what we've done in the past. This year's odyssey racked up 4k miles of driving in 3 weeks, for example. But we try to make the most of the enforced stopovers because when you've flown across the Atlantic and you have two teenage children and a fortnight to spend, every day counts. And if you have to stop somewhere, then why not spend a bit of time researching if there's anything worth looking at on the way?
Preferences vary...I am big on landscapes, as is son and heir. Daughter demands shopping opportunities and wife is happy going with the flow. I like the sound of the Blue Ridge Parkway...must do some Googling on that.
Thanks again.
Sep 4, 2014, 5:14 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
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Posts: 8,537
Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) is wonderful. I have done it in its entirety 3 times and parts of it more times that I can count (I live a few miles from the BRP). However driving on the BRP is slow, and there are so many beautiful places to stop and look at the views, hike and explore that it really is more of a separate trip in and of itself rather than a way to drive south to CHS, SAV and MCO. I once drove the entire BRP in 3 days, and it felt very rushed.
Are you aware that the southeast US is very hot and muggy in July and August? Temperatures of 30 C. and higher are common with high humidity. I can promise you that it will make you want to move slowly.
Are you aware that the southeast US is very hot and muggy in July and August? Temperatures of 30 C. and higher are common with high humidity. I can promise you that it will make you want to move slowly.
Sep 4, 2014, 5:35 am
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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Yes indeed. It's not ideal - we've coped comparatively easily with 48 degrees in Death Valley and Palm Springs but there's basically zero humidity there, quite different in the South - but we don't really have much choice. We're still tied to the UK school holidays which means July and August are the only viable times.
2016 is marked as Freedom Year. Children off our hands, free to choose any time of the year, freedom to hire a more exciting car...
2016 is marked as Freedom Year. Children off our hands, free to choose any time of the year, freedom to hire a more exciting car...
Sep 4, 2014, 12:24 pm
#8
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This is one route where I would avoid I-95. Nothing to really see or do on the main track. I would second Blue Ridge Parkway. So beautiful any time of the year.
Sep 4, 2014, 2:08 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
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As much as I love the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive; if your time is limited and your main intention is to visit Charleston, Savannah and Orlando; any time you spend on the BRP will take away from your time in those cities. So, it's really a choice of how you want to spend your time.
A couple alternatives for you to consider - instead of driving the entire BRP. just take Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. The northern terminus of Skyline Drive is near IAD and you can do the Skyline Drive in a day, spend a night in Charlottesville, VA and then go south from there. Spending a day on Skyline Drive will give you a taste of what the BRP is like, so you can know if you want to include it on another trip.
You could also consider a stop in Williamsburg, VA. I've never been there, but I've heard it's nice. And it's pretty much on your way to Charleston.
A couple alternatives for you to consider - instead of driving the entire BRP. just take Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park. The northern terminus of Skyline Drive is near IAD and you can do the Skyline Drive in a day, spend a night in Charlottesville, VA and then go south from there. Spending a day on Skyline Drive will give you a taste of what the BRP is like, so you can know if you want to include it on another trip.
You could also consider a stop in Williamsburg, VA. I've never been there, but I've heard it's nice. And it's pretty much on your way to Charleston.
Sep 8, 2014, 12:51 pm
#10
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 11
I’ve made the drive by various routes enough times to know that there is no clear “best” way to go. I’m not sure how helpful it will be (and it may just add lots of confusion and too many options), but here are my thoughts.
The quickest way would be I-95 to I-26 – but that would also be my last choice. Traffic on 95 heading south out of the D.C. area is miserable (and traffic can be very heavy at almost any point on the drive). The drive on 95 is something to be endured, rather than enjoyed. I am a native of North Carolina, and think it is an absolutely beautiful place – with the exception of the I-95 corridor. Flat, boring, with scattered small towns offering little charm, and basically nothing more than chain hotels and fast food. It is just a long, unpleasant drive with little of interest or beauty to distract you. Raleigh is out of the way if you are on 95, and stopping there would only add time for very little payoff. I grew up in Raleigh, and still have family there and love the town – but I wouldn’t suggest going out of the way for a stopover. This would be the choice only if speed was the primary criteria.
My choice would be I-66 to I-81 to I-77 to I-26 (basically IAD to Front Royal, through Harrisonburg and Roanoke down to Charlotte and through Columbia to Charleston). I-81 through the Shenandoah Valley is beautiful, and gives you a nice taste of the mountains before your time on the coast. This way is only about an hour or so longer than taking 95, but offers so much more in terms of scenery and interesting places to see (lots of Civil War history along this route). It is a really pretty drive. 77 runs through downtown Charlotte, so you can stop there without losing time for a detour. I can make it from IAD to my house in Davidson NC (just north of Charlotte) in a little under 6 hours, and it is 3 hours from my house to downtown Charleston.
Now, for a few alternatives if speed isn’t the primary goal.
One possibility is that you won’t want to travel too far on the first day after your flight. In that case, you could take 29 south to Charlottesville and stop there. Charlottesville is a great college town in a beautiful location with plenty of history - definitely a hidden gem. That would also put you in position to drive some of the Skyline Drive for some mountain time and you can easily head over to 81 the next day at various points to complete the drive (or continue on 29 down to Greensboro and on to Charleston via either Charlotte or Raleigh).
Another possibility is to take the 81/77 route, but pick up I-40 in Statesville, NC and make the 90 minute drive up to Asheville and stay there for a night or two. Asheville is a great mountain town – great restaurants, huge craft beer scene, lots of arts and music – all surrounded by mountains. You could drive a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a stop here as well. In my opinion, Ashevile is the best town in NC (after my wonderful little college town of Davidson). I really love Asheville, and I would say it would definitely fit your "hidden gem" category. When you are ready to leave Asheville, I-26 is a straight shot from Asheville to Charleston.
Charleston is fantastic – and you definitely want to make some time for the beach, as well as all the great stuff in town.
One caution that another poster already mentioned – I don’t care how well you think you are prepared, the heat and humidity is a real shock to anyone who isn’t used to it. It is downright tropical and can really take a lot out of you. Of course, it is also hurricane season if you are there in August.
I assume flying to IAD with Charleston as your destination is because of airfares or award availability. You might keep an eye on airfares to get you a bit closer to your destination. While my son was in school, I regularly found cheap fares to CLT from BWI. If you search all the DC area airports, you may find something very reasonable to CLT, RDU, GSO, GSP or other airports closer to Charleston that will save a considerable amount of time in the car.
Plenty of time to plan, if your trip isn’t until next summer. Hope it is a wonderful trip! Happy to offer more suggestions if you have specific questions.
The quickest way would be I-95 to I-26 – but that would also be my last choice. Traffic on 95 heading south out of the D.C. area is miserable (and traffic can be very heavy at almost any point on the drive). The drive on 95 is something to be endured, rather than enjoyed. I am a native of North Carolina, and think it is an absolutely beautiful place – with the exception of the I-95 corridor. Flat, boring, with scattered small towns offering little charm, and basically nothing more than chain hotels and fast food. It is just a long, unpleasant drive with little of interest or beauty to distract you. Raleigh is out of the way if you are on 95, and stopping there would only add time for very little payoff. I grew up in Raleigh, and still have family there and love the town – but I wouldn’t suggest going out of the way for a stopover. This would be the choice only if speed was the primary criteria.
My choice would be I-66 to I-81 to I-77 to I-26 (basically IAD to Front Royal, through Harrisonburg and Roanoke down to Charlotte and through Columbia to Charleston). I-81 through the Shenandoah Valley is beautiful, and gives you a nice taste of the mountains before your time on the coast. This way is only about an hour or so longer than taking 95, but offers so much more in terms of scenery and interesting places to see (lots of Civil War history along this route). It is a really pretty drive. 77 runs through downtown Charlotte, so you can stop there without losing time for a detour. I can make it from IAD to my house in Davidson NC (just north of Charlotte) in a little under 6 hours, and it is 3 hours from my house to downtown Charleston.
Now, for a few alternatives if speed isn’t the primary goal.
One possibility is that you won’t want to travel too far on the first day after your flight. In that case, you could take 29 south to Charlottesville and stop there. Charlottesville is a great college town in a beautiful location with plenty of history - definitely a hidden gem. That would also put you in position to drive some of the Skyline Drive for some mountain time and you can easily head over to 81 the next day at various points to complete the drive (or continue on 29 down to Greensboro and on to Charleston via either Charlotte or Raleigh).
Another possibility is to take the 81/77 route, but pick up I-40 in Statesville, NC and make the 90 minute drive up to Asheville and stay there for a night or two. Asheville is a great mountain town – great restaurants, huge craft beer scene, lots of arts and music – all surrounded by mountains. You could drive a bit of the Blue Ridge Parkway with a stop here as well. In my opinion, Ashevile is the best town in NC (after my wonderful little college town of Davidson). I really love Asheville, and I would say it would definitely fit your "hidden gem" category. When you are ready to leave Asheville, I-26 is a straight shot from Asheville to Charleston.
Charleston is fantastic – and you definitely want to make some time for the beach, as well as all the great stuff in town.
One caution that another poster already mentioned – I don’t care how well you think you are prepared, the heat and humidity is a real shock to anyone who isn’t used to it. It is downright tropical and can really take a lot out of you. Of course, it is also hurricane season if you are there in August.
I assume flying to IAD with Charleston as your destination is because of airfares or award availability. You might keep an eye on airfares to get you a bit closer to your destination. While my son was in school, I regularly found cheap fares to CLT from BWI. If you search all the DC area airports, you may find something very reasonable to CLT, RDU, GSO, GSP or other airports closer to Charleston that will save a considerable amount of time in the car.
Plenty of time to plan, if your trip isn’t until next summer. Hope it is a wonderful trip! Happy to offer more suggestions if you have specific questions.
Sep 11, 2014, 2:50 pm
#11
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Davidson got it right.
I've lived in Charlotte and don't think it's got much for visitors.
If you were to hug the coast (read: if you have lots of time to spare), there are small towns worth visiting for their hisotry and their beauty. But there are no highways to speed you between towns and get you to your ultimate destination in 3 days.
So if you have to travel inland, go through Asheville. It's a gem of a city with great food, great beer, great culture and surrounded by nature's best (the Great Smoky mountains). It's a straight shot to Charleston but have lunch in Greenville, another of my former homes. It has exerienced quite a resurgence since I left in 1985.
What time of year will you travel? Spring and Fall are best. Humidity and heat are lower than summer. A southern spring can be gorgeous: azaleas, dogwoods, wisteria & tulips. The fall is pretty in NC and SC. It gets a little duller the further south you go.
I've lived in Charlotte and don't think it's got much for visitors.
If you were to hug the coast (read: if you have lots of time to spare), there are small towns worth visiting for their hisotry and their beauty. But there are no highways to speed you between towns and get you to your ultimate destination in 3 days.
So if you have to travel inland, go through Asheville. It's a gem of a city with great food, great beer, great culture and surrounded by nature's best (the Great Smoky mountains). It's a straight shot to Charleston but have lunch in Greenville, another of my former homes. It has exerienced quite a resurgence since I left in 1985.
What time of year will you travel? Spring and Fall are best. Humidity and heat are lower than summer. A southern spring can be gorgeous: azaleas, dogwoods, wisteria & tulips. The fall is pretty in NC and SC. It gets a little duller the further south you go.
Sep 11, 2014, 4:43 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,784
For the uninitiated: South of the Border
One starts seeing massively racist signs for the South's white trashier version of Wall Drug right around Fayetteville.
Sep 26, 2018, 10:20 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
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Posts: 29,246
Nothing to see or do? Have you never stopped at South of the Border?
For the uninitiated: South of the Border
One starts seeing massively racist signs for the South's white trashier version of Wall Drug right around Fayetteville.
For the uninitiated: South of the Border
One starts seeing massively racist signs for the South's white trashier version of Wall Drug right around Fayetteville.