Vacations Ideas.... Lake or Beach (Charlotte, Asheville: how much, shop, swimming)

[aimeel58]

I am looking for some ideas. My family usually goes to the beach but maybe this year we should try something different. Any ideas for a lake within 4 hours drive from Charlotte? Or is the beach really the best place for a summer vacation. Any ideas would be helpful!

[CouponJack]

depends...1st thing I'd ask is how old are your kids?

Do you like to just chill out...? Do you like to see history? How much time to you have..?

[coastalgirl]

You could always do Lake Lure. It's less than 2 hours away and you would have water activities as well as the mountains right there. There are plenty of things to do in the area - swimming, slides, boating, picnicking, hiking (Chimney Rock is right up the road), gem mining, fishing, horseback riding, waterfalls, kayaking, etc. Asheville is about 40 minutes away as well, so you'd have the Biltmore, shopping, dining, art, and so on. We love that area!

[aimeel58]

Originally Posted by CouponJack

depends...1st thing I'd ask is how old are your kids?

Do you like to just chill out...? Do you like to see history? How much time to you have..?

Kids are 6 months to 10 years old. We are planning a week vacation. Usually we hang out at the beach. Thought this year we would try something different.