As this longest winter shows its first signs of giving way to spring, we are once again considering fun places to explore on weekends. Since neither of us is from Knoxville, we still have a lot to learn about great places to visit, within a few hours drive. So I thought I’d turn to the experts to help us plan some new adventures for this year.
Are you a weekend explorer? Where do you go when the first signs of spring have sprung? What’s your favorite place on a warm, sunny weekend in East Tennessee? Whether it’s a short day trip or a full weekend affair, please share with us here!
Asheville! It’s a mere 2-hour drive and yet half a world away. Lots of great restaurants, good hiking nearby and a cute little downtown. If you’re willing to shell out a little money for tickets, the Biltmore is beautiful, and you can spend a whole day there exploring the house, the grounds and the winery.
Chattanooga is great too. Lots of stuff to do around town and good food.
Thanks Beth! It’s been a long time since we last explored Chattanooga and we had a wonderful day there. Thanks for the reminder. Same for Asheville – have to put both on the list to re-visit this year.
An update – to consolidate responses from Buzz, Twitter and FB. Other recommendations:
Rugby, TN (http://bit.ly/bz80E1)
Highlands, NC
Ocoee, TN (white water rafting/hiking)
For camping/hiking: Big South Fork, Elkmont in mid-June, fireflies blink in sync. Have to reserve campsites early – http://www.mysmokymountainvacation.com/firefly-show.html
We are making it our mission to explore all of these this year and will update on our experiences. If you have other ideas, please comment here and share!