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Hello,
We are two families with toddlers (3 to 4 year olds). I don't want to go to Gatlinburg TN. Too crowded, besides been there many times.
Any other places within 3 to 5 hour drive for fall colors? Should be family/kid friendly. Would prefer to rent cabin but also open to hotels. Just a weekend trip 2 nights tops.
Just anywhere in the mountains. Plenty of cabins all over. Gatlinburg -- I'm with ya, yeech!
You could go somewhere like Blowing Rock or Asheville, but they will be crowded too. Not Gatlinburg level insanity, but definitely bustling with leaf peepers. Anywhere from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Tennessee line should be great.
What do you want in the way of family/kid-friendly? Hotels will book up, better get on it.
Every time I made plans to see fall colors in the mountains it rained the whole weekend. I thought the colors were just as nice around the triangle anyway. I liked driving out past Jordan Lake towards Pittsboro on 64, or driving up highway 50 from Raleigh towards Creedmore. There's plenty hillsides around to showcase the colors.
West Virginia would be my choice. It's about three hours to Bluefield, WV
and about four hours to the New River gorge area. The New River Gorge is
beautiful and you can get some fantastic shots of the bridge and fall colors.
Hiking the Endless Wall Trail is fairly easy and the scenery is breathtaking. It
can be dangerous and I'm not sure it would be a good choice for toddlers.
Concho Overlook is incredible and you're looking down at the river in a horseshoe
curve at Thurmond, WV. Thurmond is worth the trip as well if you're that close.
It's basically a ghost town but the train depot and town are really cool. It was the town
back in the day and one of the wealthiest as well from what I've read. Here is a photo
I took of the depot in Thurmond, WV...
If anyone likes trains then I'd suggest the Pokey (Norfolk Southern's Pocahontas route).
There is nothing like the sound of several locomotives working hard to get up those mountains...
If you follow the Pokey route it will really make you appreciate what you have or how bad you
THOUGHT you had it. The demise of the coal industry has hit this area hard. I've included a link
to the Frograil tour of the Pokey. Even if you're not a railfan it makes for some good reading.
Location: River's Edge Inn, Todd NC, and Lorgues France
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gcretro
Hello,
We are two families with toddlers (3 to 4 year olds). I don't want to go to Gatlinburg TN. Too crowded, besides been there many times.
Any other places within 3 to 5 hour drive for fall colors? Should be family/kid friendly. Would prefer to rent cabin but also open to hotels. Just a weekend trip 2 nights tops.
thanks
Wherever you go, you need to make reservations Now.
We have a small b&b in Todd and October has been booked for months.
I go as a day trip, but I'm sure you could find a rental near Pilot Mountain or Hanging Rock state parks north of Winston-Salem. There's a major road construction project going on in WS, so check out mapping/traffic ahead of time.
I went to South Mountain state park, south of Morganton, once and really enjoyed it.
A walk in Duke Forest is great if you don't have the time to head to the mountains.
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