When I said easier, I meant compared to the first leg.
Madison to Asheville is 800 miles & 13 1/2 hrs (per mapquest).
Asheville to Myrtle Beach is 300 miles & 5 3/4 hrs (It says to get to MB, go thru Columbia, SC, not Charlotte, fyi. Not that that’s important right now, or Mapquest is the final authority. ) Unfortunately Cheesette doesn’t drive yet, so we’ll see what happens. I’m not sure I can drive 800 miles in a day.
Thanks for the suggestions. Looks like we can’t go too wrong with any of these.
Asheville-ites, have you been to Old Europe? Little coffee shop next to Wall Street. The owners came over the pond and their pastries, made in-house, are nearly to die for. Every time that I’m lucky enough to be in town, I swing past and get a double mochaccino and a piece of tiramisu. droooooool Absolutely THE best.
Ooooh, love Old Europe. And Salsa’s is awesome, too. Hector I-forget-his-last-name owns both Salsa’s and Zambra. Asheville is a great place for vegetarians, The Big Cheese. You shouldn’t have any problem finding tons of great places to eat.
Never to Be Queen, I’m sadly not employed as a historian at the moment (damn state budget crisis), but as a temp worker. Stupid, no-good Master’s degree… (you’ll have to forgive me for being just a leeeetle bit bitter).
If you decide to do both Asheville and Myrtle Beach, you have the route right: I-26 from Asheville NC to Columbia SC, then the obvious beeline from Cola. to Myrtle Beach.
While living in Bristol VA/TN, my wife and I spent a few anniversary weekends at cottages on the TN side of the Smokies - near (but not in) Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. We enjoyed it. There’s hiking, shopping, and restaurants close enough to get to if hot-tubbing and related pursuits become too monotonous, but far enough away so you can enjoy the feeling of pleasant isolation.
I grew up in West Asheville (Enka/Candler, precisely). I popped the question to the now-Mrs. Tygr at Craggy Gardens.
We got married at Pisgah View Ranch, in the shadow of Mt. Pisgah, on a pristrine spring day four years ago. The ranch has a pond, and the pond has an island, on which our ceremony took place (while being serenaded by the local wildlife).
We had our reception dinner in the dining room of the main house. Dinner was served “family style” and was some of the best home-cookin’ I’ve gotten outside the home.
We could have spent our wedding night in one of the cabins, but decided to forego the extra expense.
All-in-all, it was very reasonable, even giving a deposit for the indoor location, in case of bad weather.
[sub]No, these are not our pictures. I found them at a total stranger’s website. Thanks, whoever you are![/sub]
Since you’re thinking about going through Columbia, why not stop there for a night? There’s a great little B&B called the Chestnut Cottage that is very romantic. Columbia has some really nice restaurants, and pretty good nightlife both in Five Points and the Vista.
Personally, I’d give Myrtle Beach a miss and go straight on from Columbia to Charleston. If you think Gatlinburg is cheesy, you ain’t seen nothin’ 'till you’ve seen Myrtle Beach.
That would give you more time to visit beautiful Charleston, and possibly Hilton Head. Besides, the ride to Myrtle Beach is horrible. It’s all back roads through some pretty depressed areas.
My parents live in Myrtle Beach, would be nice to see them if I’m in the vicinity. I know how tacky it is, but I do love those go-carts… I didn’t know about the ugly roads though. I know MBeach is in need of another highway or three. The tourist stuff is coming in, seem to be quite a lot chalets, condos, etc in G’burg. I hate decisions, wish Cheesette was here to make the decisions-men aren’t good at making wedding plans.
What is it with salt water taffy and fudge shops? Are they barometers for tackiness or what?
And you’re right, of course. DT Gatlinburg has taffy and fudge shops at every corner. It also has a wax Elvis museum, a Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum, and air brush t-shirt shops. And if you’re looking for suede fringe boots, you’ve come to the right place.
And, in the name of all that is holy, avoid Cherokee at all costs. It makes Gatlinburg look downright sophisticated. It is a sad little town that is largely inhabited by Cherokee Indians. In order to eke out a living, they’ve sold out their proud heritage and reduced it to a flea market. Here you can purchase every tacky “american indian” souvenir imaginable: dream catchers, mocassins, you name it. Very undignified.
Yes, a highway from Columbia to MB would cut the trip in half. I don’t know why they haven’t built it yet. I didn’t realize your parents were there - at least the trip from MB to Charleston is pretty, and fairly short.
When you get to Charleston, take one of the mule drawn carriage tours of the historic district. It’s obviously a very touristy thing to do, but it really orients you to the area and you learn alot about the architecture and history. There are some great walking “Ghost Tours” that leave right from the fountain at the waterfront park. You can make reservations online or some will allow you to just show up and pay on the spot.
Charleston, SC is so romantic and those ghost tours are so spooky. I would love to go there on a honeymoon. They would have to drag me out of Asheville, though. By the way, Asheville and nearby towns like Hendersonville and Brevard are really in the Blue Ridge Mountains section of the Appalachian Mountain Range, not so much the Smokey Mountains. It is not a long drive though to the actual “Smokies.”
Becky- I have not been to Old Europe. I’ll have to check it out!
burundi- A Master’s degree in History and no job? Been there, done that, got the emotional scars… Actually it is amazing, as excellent as this area is for recreation and out-doors fun, the job situation is horrible. As you know…
