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My family and I will be driving from Toronto to Florida soon and will need to stop after 10-12 hour drive. We will either stop and rest in West Virginia or North Carolina. If we stop in NC I think we will need to rest in the Huntersville area. Is this area safe and diverse or should we just keep moving? Any advise on where to stop to lodge on the 77 south if the Huntersville area is not safe & diverse?
Huntersville should be fine. It's a nice suburban area close to Charlotte. There is a lot of diversity in Charlotte and while Huntersville is whiter than Charlotte proper the whole region is pretty diverse so no worries there.
Huntersville is one of the best cities in NC. My suggestion would be to stop an hour sooner at a hotel right off the highway. There is a town called Dobson. They have a brand new hotel right off the highway...also, it has a local vineyard and the gas station there has some of their wine, it's a cute place to grab a bit to eat, and friendly people.
Thank you all for your replies!
@tdm51 I've heard some heartbreaking stories about the South...I want to avoid those places.
Huntersville is an upscale boutique city in the Lake Norman area. You absolutely won't have any issues there with bad people. North Carolina in general is a very friendly place. I think you will be surprised.
You will find nice motor hotels around Exits 25 & 23. (Sam Furr Rd & Gilead Rd respectively) There are plenty of places to eat and shop too.
Huntersville is a nice area, but what day of the week will you be traveling? If during the week and after staying overnight you plan to leave in the morning, you can run into some traffic from Huntersville to Charlotte and that wouldn't be how I would want to start out a 10+ hour drive.
Somewhere like Wytheville VA or Elkin NC could work, Wytheville for example would also mean a few less mountains to drive through at night (if that matters to you at all). Probably just want to check the Tripadvisor reviews for the hotel.
Thank you all for your replies!
@tdm51 I've heard some heartbreaking stories about the South...I want to avoid those places.
I think people who haven't been to the South get worried about the South, but we're not in the 50s & 60s any more. Think things are worse in St Louis and NYC and LA.
Huntersville is one of the best cities in NC. My suggestion would be to stop an hour sooner at a hotel right off the highway. There is a town called Dobson. They have a brand new hotel right off the highway...also, it has a local vineyard and the gas station there has some of their wine, it's a cute place to grab a bit to eat, and friendly people.
Ah, something we can agree on
I second the motion for a stop at the Hampton Inn at Shelton Vineyards in Dobson (exit 93 not long after you cross into NC). It is nice, fairly new and right off the interstate, very convenient.
OP if you try to go as far as Huntersville you'll be getting in to a lot more hustle, bustle and traffic - save that for the next day when you are more refreshed.
I'm a big Hampton fan. I stayed at them all over when I had to travel for work. Great beds, good coffee, nice people.
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