Things to see and do in North Carolina/Kentucky/Tennessee/Georgia area

I'm going to be visiting Harrah's Cherokee (North Carolina) next year, which is located in in western NC, very close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Coincidentally, it is very close to Asheville, the town we talked about a lot on radio. I will actually be going to Asheville because there are some interesting things to see in the area.

I've been doing research on the internet, and trying to find the most interesting things to see within approximately a 500 mile radius. I will have a car, and plan to fly back from a different airport from where I arrive.

I have no experience in the area, and have never been there before.

Benjamin will be with us, but as I've said many times before, he can find fun in almost anything, and does not need "kiddie" attractions to enjoy himself. In fact, I would prefer NOT to do kiddie stuff, as it will be boring for the adults.

Here's what I found so far:

Near Harrah's Cherokee:
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Blue Ridge Parkway (Asheville)
- Chimney Rock State Park (a little east of Asheville)

Other places of interest:
- Atlanta (will probably fly in here, never been before)
- Blue Ridge, GA (located between Atlanta and Harrah's, pretty much a no-brainer stop)
- Chattanooga, TN (150 miles from Harrah's)
- Nashville, TN (132 from Chattanooga)
- Mammoth Caves National Park, Kentucky (92 miles from Nashville)
- Memphis, TN (212 from Nashville)

Of course, most of this is west of Harrah's Cherokee.

I tried to look at the other directions (South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia), but I'm not seeing much to see/do as a tourist in these places. Would be interested to see how people live in these places, but doesn't seem worth driving hundreds of miles just for that.

But my mind is open to suggestions.

Again, don't focus on kid stuff, because I don't want that.

Don't need beach-type stuff because the water won't be warm, and we already have that in Los Angeles.

Would prefer more unique things that we won't see in the western US. Anything we could duplicate in California or Nevada won't be too interesting.

Thanks for any suggestions you guys can make.

Also, please do not shitpost or troll in this thread. I will delete any of that stuff from this thread, and will kick anyone out of this thread who keeps doing it (I have a new mod that allows me to do that.)

There is a large quartz dome near Atlanta called Stone Mountain. It has some sort of history with the confederacy and the KKK, and the largest bas-relief in the world carved into it. Recently the BLM movement has been petitioning to have that removed or defaced. I live a short drive away, but have never been, despite lots of suggestions to go check it out. I understand they've built a museum, and for some reason a theme park, right next to it.

The whole thing sounds pretty weird, but interesting.

Dont run any solar cells; North Carolina is very concerned about you depleting the sun.

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Originally Posted by SrslySirius

There is a large quartz dome near Atlanta called Stone Mountain. It has some sort of history with the confederacy and the KKK, and the largest bas-relief in the world carved into it. I live a short drive away, but have never been, despite lots of suggestions to go check it out. I understand they've built a museum, and for some reason a theme park, right next to it.

The whole thing sounds pretty weird, but interesting.

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Good suggestion. Will check this out on the internet.

Oh, and I will have a maximum of 8 days to cover wherever I go, so that's also a consideration.

Biltmore Estate - Largest Private residence in the US. Take a tour. Good wine there too (winery). Just north of Asheville

http://www.biltmore.com/visit/photo-gallery/

Pigeon Forge TN
Gatlinburg TN

lots of touristy things to do there. Rent a cabin for dirt cheap in off season, up on a mountain (its like a 5 minute drive from the strip). Seriously, there are mountaintop cabins with amazing views and hot tubs on balconies for practically nothing. Tons of things to do with Kids in those areas. If you are talking summer time, do not miss this with Benjamin. He will love it. My kids did. Dollywood amusement park has one of the best waterparks in the country. I know you dont want to focus on it, but seriously, spend a day there with him. He will never forget it. Its like an 8 mile long strip of shit to do. Start at Sevierville and go south to Pigeon Forge...miles and miles of stuff. From Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg, you go through a forest for like 15 min.

Sevierville/Pigeon Forge = Dry Counties (No booze sold)
Gatlinburg = you can buy booze

Golf - seriously, some of the best and cheapest courses in the US in TN and KY. NC starts to get a bit pricey for the really nice areas, but the views are amazing.

Keep in mind, when you go to Cherokee, it LOOKS like the roads will be pretty quick to get to/from there, but its scenic and people are slow as hell on winding roads. Estimate that the 55 mph highways will typically be 25 mph to get from place to place. It took me several hours to go from Gatlinburg to there. You can pull over and take in the views all over this road. Lots of waterfalls everywhere and good hiking as well.


KY - not much exciting there. Cumberland tunnel. Lexington to Paris KY has a beautiful road that is apparently the most expensive road in the US. Rock walls. All the foreign sheiks keep their stables there for their race horses. Some of the very rural areas of KY are as ass backwards and fucked up as you would imagine. I actually was in an area with one of my customers where he was telling me that they trade POT like its currency in the town, and people have their farms protected by Copperhead snakes. Seriously, snakes that are tied to stakes in the ground, slithering all over. Meth-land USA. Avoid.

You can tour through the bumblefuck portions of TN to hit up the distilleries.

Nashville is nice (downtown). My favorite town though is 5 min south. Brentwood. Take Franklin rd south and look at all the mega mansions of the country stars on the left. Also, Corkys BBQ for Dry Rub ribs in Brentwood right off the highway on Franklin rd. They just opened an outdoor venue for concerts just south of downtown Nashville right on the river that is great.

What I have learned from years of travelling through some of these areas though is for you to STAY ALERT on the Highways, as truckers seem to drift off and will cross their lanes often. Get away from them and never stay along side a truck down there.

Memphis - casinos in Tunica, and Elvis' Graceland. Hit up the Peabody hotel in Memphis at the two times a day to see the Ducks parade through. Have a cocktail in the lobby. Ben and the adults will enjoy this. BBQ at Rendevouz.

east of Memphis to almost Nashville is boring drive. East of Nashville is hilly/moutainous and scenic. The Campus of Ol Miss is beautiful. The campus of Miss St is a shithole. UT is very nice. Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain) is scenic. Nice rafting in that area.

Consider this: Cherokee to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, seveierville, then down to Chattanooga, then over to lynchburg for distillery, up to Nashville and check out Brentwood/Franklin.

Miss is very, uh, segregated in the rural areas and people may give you the stink eye if off the beaten path. Huntsville AL seems sketchy, but once you get to the east part of downtown, its insanely scenic. Great gold (RTJ trail courses all over the state).

Mammoth Caves and maybe the Corvette Museum in KY are pretty much all I would recommend there.

GA - Buckhead, Atlanta.
Alabama - IF you were heading down to the coast, Id recommend Gulf Shores, but otherwise, meh.


If you are into BBQ, all of those states have their own type of bbq. Different flavors and meats. I like Corkys dry rub ribs, wet ribs from Rendevouz, and the mutton Bbq from places in KY like Moonlight bbq. NC has different ingredients.

Its out in the middle of nowhere

Fall foliage definitely but just missed that. Lots of camping lakes fishing outdoor stuff etc along the way. State Parks are definitely plenty. Southern fried chicken/collard greens/okra/mac and cheese in Atlanta. BBQ in Western N.C and Tennessee hope that helps some have a great trip.

Mammoth Cave is just OK. Probably not worth the drive. It's cool to explore the cave, but some of the areas are small and annoying to go through with a group.

Lost River Cave is less of a "cave tour" and more of a trail walk. But it's free and only about 65 miles North of Nashville. They do some boat rides and other shit, too.

If you're into cars, the National Corvette Museum (a few miles from Lost River Cave) is also an option. I can't speak on how fun it will be. I've lived like 3 miles from it for years and I've ever been. Fuck corvettes imo.

Definitely spend some time in Downtown Nashville.

Drk hit on a lot, but this is in my wheelhouse as the 4 states I've lived in are NC,TN,GA, and NV. I've been to harrahs Cherokee several times as well. One important question is what time of year are you planning to be there? I know you said not summer but big difference between winter,spring, and fall.

Off the top of my head.

Asheville- definitely the Biltmore house. That's a must see.
Asheville has tons of good breweries but I know that's not your thing.

Atlanta- Thomas mentioned stone mountain, it's decent, but best thing to do there is to hike to the top. Great view of the area and it's a pretty easy hike.

Atlanta - aquarium is largest in country and 2nd largest in world. Weekends are insanely crowded though so if interested try to go on a weekday. I know you said not trying to do activities for kids but I'm sure Benjamin would love it.

Atlanta - World of coke - Given your love of soft drinks this is a natural haha. It's also real close to aquarium and you can buy tickets that are good for both. The popular thing for tourists of Atlanta to do is aquarium/world of coke/cnn center all in a day as they are all together. The college football hall of fame is also new and in the are and a fun thing to do.

Atlanta has tons of good restaurants too and can give recommendations if interested. I know Thomas hates on Atlanta but I like it. Ponce City market is also something to check out as are The Beltline, and Piedmont park.

Nashville - really underrated city. I'm not a country music fan at all but the music scene there is incredible. Great food and live music at almost all restaurants. Fun city.

Memphis is pretty dang far from Cherokee, that's like a 8 hour drive with not much to do in between except Nashville.

Chattanooga has a cool downtown area on the river, but otherwise not a lot to offer.

SC - sucks as a state, other than Charleston which is awesome. I know you're not looking to go to the beach, but Charleston is a fun town on the coast, as is Savannah in GA.

NC - blue ridge parkway is a scenic highway that's a fun and pretty drive especially in the fall. Can take it from Asheville all the way up to blowing rock and Boone which are neat small towns in the mountains, with lots of sites along the way. There are also tons of different hikes you can do if you're in to that. And white water rafting/cayaking etc.

Definitely get some NC bbq.

There are tons of outdoor activities to do in that part of the country depending on the time of year. Let me know if you have any questions on anything.

^The aquarium sucks.

As drk said Pigeon Forge is great. It has great attractions and lots of things to keep you occupied. Gattlingburg has some great lodging choices with all the amenities. It is very cheap if you are going off season but if you book early during the season you can still find deals. Cherokee has some great attractions that are very scenic and worth seeing. The one thing I remember when I was a kid was panning for gems at a small business. They had a long wooden sluice running water and you buy a bag of sediment. Using a small wooden box you do some panning and you will find some cool things that kids will keep for a long time. I have taken my kids there and they loved it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP..._Carolina.html

I found KY to be a pretty cool state but only visited Lexington and Louisville with a stop for a few hours in Frankfort (and all along the bourbon trail). We bet the ponies at Churchill (Keeneland was not running), went to a few bourbon distilleries which are super interesting even if you don't drink, and walked to Indiana just for shits and giggles. The food was surprisingly good and people were all very nice. We saw some squirrely stuff like an old econoline van permanently parked along a river with a Century 21 for sale sign and a truck with some road kill in the back, but it was part of the charm. We went to the formerly abandoned Old Taylor Distillery (since then it's been almost fully restored) and did a little illegal recon. Anywhere you have limestone you have caves, so there are tons of cool places to explore if you care to. IDK I liked KY a lot, but to each his own.

I'll second the Kentucky bourbon trail if you are at all interested in stuff like that...did it as part of my buddy's bachelor party and it was interesting and made for some good drinking...might be a little too kid unfriendly...

Also definitely try to hit up Nashville...never been myself, but haven't heard a bad thing about it and that's from both southerners and northerners...

Take your woman & boy to Europe... Show them what the real world and culture actually looks like.


Just give Paris a miss.

If you bring your sister, you are allowed and even encouraged to fuck her in any of those states.

First off all the strip clubs Jermaine Dupri rapped about.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5W73HaVQBg





And to maintain duality check out the creepiest monument in the U.S. while you are in Georgia. Dubbed American Stonehenge with such messages as wiping out 9/10 of the world population and One World Government.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

http://thesecrettruthabout.com/the-georgia-guidestones/

http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnew...a-guidestones/

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Originally Posted by Lord of the Fraud

Take your woman & boy to Europe... Show them what the real world and culture actually looks like.


Just give Paris a miss.

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Yeah why would you ever visit such a shitty city like Paris?

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Originally Posted by ToasterOven

If you bring your sister, you are allowed and even encouraged to fuck her in any of those states.

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Druff, What times of the year are you thinking? Hopefully not before April, because the winter and early spring storms could make driving unpleasant, and potentially dangerous in the Smokeys when the roads get icy.

But if you go in April, the dogwoods are in bloom in Tennessee then. And there is an arts festival in Knoxville during that time you could catch a day of.

http://www.dogwoodarts.com

Will be going in early spring.

Thanks for all of the responses so far.

Srsly you're not going to invite Druff to stay in your guest bedroom? Druff's your boy, you know how he likes to save money. Lol that'd be pretty awkward but it'll make great radio so go for it.

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Originally Posted by FPS_Russia

Srsly you're not going to invite Druff to stay in your guest bedroom? Druff's your boy, you know how he likes to save money. Lol that'd be pretty awkward but it'll make great radio so go for it.

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Druff may be frugal, but he'd pay double to ancestors of Hitler for his own place over rooming with anyone. Just my take.

Hit Savannah just make sure to keep your windows up and doors locked.

Regarding Biltmore Estate. I was dragged into this thing around twenty years ago. Suicide would be a better alternative imo.

Diggydow lives in NC. If he has moved back from China with his Chinese wife he should be living near home I assume.

Also, go wätch Grayson Allen play ball.

Lived in Atlanta my whole life. Biltmore sucks, coke museum sucks, aquarium sucks.

Cyclorama at Grant park and Stone Mountain are a lot cooler if you are like me and really pissed off about losing the war.

Guidestones are some statist bullshit that prick Ted Turner paid to have erected. He isn't even from here so he can really fuck right off with his preachy bullshit.

If it were me, I'd book a reservation at the Optimist restaurant (it's excellent), pull up some Stone Mountain info on my iPad and if looks interesting go there, otherwise leave this overrated soulless city ASAP. If you want to experience some southern cooking, try Mary Macs downtown instead. Otherwise GTFO and never come back. Our mayor is named Kaseem that is al you need know about the Detroit of the south. If that is your thing you will love it here but try to be smart and taxi you and your loved ones elsewhere, quickly.

your going to enjoy yourself and then its wsop time. the trouble is this is a very new part of the country for you with tons to see.your stress starts when you get the rental car and head off to roads you dont know. this makes it hard on you to see the sites and drive also.myself i would see what kind of deal i could get for a streth limo and a class driver for 7 days. i know its not cheap but you might be able to get a deal.this is a trip that sounds great. with the limo you have no stress of looking for roads you just say were you want to go and your wife and ben and yourself can relax and see everything you want in confort stop anywere or time you want. your doors are opened for you your luggage is put in your room and at the end could be the best trip you ever had.
the only thing is were you want to go next and thiers alot of safty that goes with that car. your driver will pull off anytime you want your treated like a king and shes treated like a queen. if it cost 5k extra when you hit a town you can see the sites and not worry about stop lights and streets and roads. that close to the wsop you dont need a week of haveing to constantly think of how do i get thier. when you return home your well relaxed because for 7 days you got to see and intake so much more. no stress is what your paying for.
maybe your good at finding your way around with a atlas.the trip i know you will enjoy.remember you cant put a price on a great time or a trip you will remember.this trip is not easy you got alot of work to put it together the limo takes 75 percent of that away

delaware, I have driven all over the country in unfamiliar areas with no problem, including in the days when I had to utilize AAA paper maps. LOL @ hiring a limo driver.

I looked at the Biltmore estate. Looked interesting from the pictures, but then I saw the price ($50-$60) and said forget it. This is one of the few things Benjamin WOULDN'T enjoy (he would keep asking when we're going to leave), and I don't want to pay that kind of money just to have him wanting to drag me out after 30 minutes.

Any sporting even is also out for pretty much the same reason, though I might attempt to take Ben to his first Dodgers game in April, as he's expressed some interest in doing that (though I'm skeptical he will enjoy being there for all 3 hours).

Nature and sightseeing type stuff is the best to do with Ben, because he enjoys it, and it's something the adults can enjoy as well.

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Originally Posted by Sidewinder

Lived in Atlanta my whole life. Biltmore sucks, coke museum sucks, aquarium sucks.

Cyclorama at Grant park and Stone Mountain are a lot cooler if you are like me and really pissed off about losing the war.

Guidestones are some statist bullshit that prick Ted Turner paid to have erected. He isn't even from here so he can really fuck right off with his preachy bullshit.

If it were me, I'd book a reservation at the Optimist restaurant (it's excellent), pull up some Stone Mountain info on my iPad and if looks interesting go there, otherwise leave this overrated soulless city ASAP. If you want to experience some southern cooking, try Mary Macs downtown instead. Otherwise GTFO and never come back. Our mayor is named Kaseem that is al you need know about the Detroit of the south. If that is your thing you will love it here but try to be smart and taxi you and your loved ones elsewhere, quickly.

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Wow, that is an interesting theory. It makes total sense that he was at least part of it though. Turner has donated 1 Billion to the UN(globalist agenda), has been quoted in magazines saying the world's population should be around 300 million, and is very concerned with environmental issues. All the major talking points of the Guidestones are certainly things Turner has said publicly.

You can drive into the grounds at Biltmore and not pay that much. Just drive around, see the house, buy some wine and leave. In and out in under an hour. Its pretty spectacular seeing the size of that place.

the guided tour is probably 50, and takes 4 hours. Dont do that.

take him to those caves in KY

take him hiking on a trail b/w Cherokee and Gatlinburg. Tons of them. Juuust in case, bring a knife or mace. Bears/Mountain lions.

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Originally Posted by DRK Star

You can drive into the grounds at Biltmore and not pay that much. Just drive around, see the house, buy some wine and leave. In and out in under an hour. Its pretty spectacular seeing the size of that place.

the guided tour is probably 50, and takes 4 hours. Dont do that.

take him to those caves in KY

take him hiking on a trail b/w Cherokee and Gatlinburg. Tons of them. Juuust in case, bring a knife or mace. Bears/Mountain lions.

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Is there a big bear/mountain lion problem over there? The mace might be a good idea. I don't think a knife would be all that effective against a bear.

Might visit the Biltmore estate if you can actually walk the grounds without paying for the expensive tour. That sounds a lot better. Did something similar with a mansion in Portland which belonged to the founders of the city a long time ago.

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Originally Posted by Dan Druff

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Originally Posted by DRK Star

You can drive into the grounds at Biltmore and not pay that much. Just drive around, see the house, buy some wine and leave. In and out in under an hour. Its pretty spectacular seeing the size of that place.

the guided tour is probably 50, and takes 4 hours. Dont do that.

take him to those caves in KY

take him hiking on a trail b/w Cherokee and Gatlinburg. Tons of them. Juuust in case, bring a knife or mace. Bears/Mountain lions.

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Is there a big bear/mountain lion problem over there? The mace might be a good idea. I don't think a knife would be all that effective against a bear.

Might visit the Biltmore estate if you can actually walk the grounds without paying for the expensive tour. That sounds a lot better. Did something similar with a mansion in Portland which belonged to the founders of the city a long time ago.

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bear problem? not really. The bear are mostly black bear that scare easily unless they have cubs or they're cornered. A lot of the national forests in WV/KY/TN are black bear "sanctuaries"

Yeah, I wouldnt say a PROBLEM, but I know I saw one very small bear rummaging through a trashcan.

I just know that they are out there and mace wouldnt hurt to have in an extreme emergency.



In terms of Biltmore, I went to the winery and bought a large, very detailed/descriptive photo book of all of the rooms inside the estate. You could always look at that or other photos to see what is Inside.

The outside is beautiful though.




http://www.romanticasheville.com/gal...more-house.htm

Definitely walk up stone mountain in Atl.
Ruby Falls in Tenn is nice and scenic.
Savannah has a lot of history but is otherwise a shithole.
Eat at the Varsity in downtown Atl.

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Originally Posted by Tellafriend

Definitely walk up stone mountain in Atl.
Ruby Falls in Tenn is nice and scenic.
Savannah has a lot of history but is otherwise a shithole.
Eat at the Varsity in downtown Atl.

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Pretty good advice.

The Biltmore sucks, their wine sucks, etc.

If you fall for it you are a sucker and should re-evaluate your advantage gambler label.

I'd see if you can find a klan rally somewhere. Went 2x as kid. Its worth the trip - both times we deep into the woods. One time we couldn't find the location and the other time the GBI was there to make sure nothing got out of hand. Highly recommend a Klan rally for sure.

There is a big chittlin' supper every Tuesday night in Lavinia TN. You'll have to leave the uptight Jew part of you at the door and eat you some good ole hog guts. It'll be better than not paying taxes.

I've been to a cave called "Ruby falls" in Southern Tenneessee a couple of times. Underground cave and waterfall, tour last a couple hours maybe. i took my then 5 year old daughter with me and she enjoyed it.

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Originally Posted by AhoosierA

I've been to a cave called "Ruby falls" in Southern Tenneessee a couple of times. Underground cave and waterfall, tour last a couple hours maybe. i took my then 5 year old daughter with me and she enjoyed it.

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That's it. Its in a corner of the state that you can view 5 states from. Worth the day when you otherwise have nothing to do.

If you make it to the Georgia coast, be sure to have some white Georgia shrimp; best in the world.

I'm telling you Druff, suicide may be a better alternative than the Biltmore.

If you do insist on seeing this place make sure you and little Benny watch this movie first. Then tell Benny he is going to the place where it was filmed and maybe he'll enjoy it more. Again though, suicide may be a better option for you than sitting through this movie.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110989/?ref_=tttr_tr_tt

Go to the Reelfoot lake in TN. Excellent crappie fishing. Spend a couple of days. Warning: TN really rips people buying gaming licenses and fees and such.