Halfway to Charleston ...

March 16, 2011 7:49 AM

What's a cool place to visit/stay that is roughly halfway between Louisville, KY and Charleston, SC?

In a few weeks we're driving from Louisville to Charleston, S.C., with an extra day on either side of the trip. So we'd like to split the long drive in half and stay one day/night somewhere in-between.

Are there any cool towns/attractions that are roughly at the halfway point between those two towns, without going significantly out of the way? We're big into restaurants and shopping and site-seeing, not so much into museums or history stuff.

posted by jbickers to travel & transportation (9 answers total)

Asheville, NC - It's home to the Biltmore which is a crazy site to see and the downtown of the city is chock-a-block with lots of unusual stores (clothes, tattoos, knick knacks, art). I even happened by a real life drum circle.
posted by mmascolino at 7:56 AM on March 16, 2011

Well better suggestions will come along, but in terms of shopping and restaurants Charlotte has 4 major malls and hundreds of great restaurants. I don't know about the site seeing but that site I linked might have something you fancy. The city has plenty of hotels for your overnight stay, just pick one near things you want to do in the city.

You can take US74 or I-85 right into Charlotte and when you leave, take I-77 to I-26.
posted by token-ring at 8:15 AM on March 16, 2011

Seconding Asheville. It's amidst gorgeous country, its got the Biltmore and the sad remains of Black Mountain College (where Bucky Fuller built the first geodesic dome!) and patchouli-drenched eclecticism out the wazoo.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:22 AM on March 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

We drove from Lexington to Asheville to Savannah this past summer. Asheville is about half way. We went to Biltmore and really enjoyed it, but be warned it is not cheap. Tickets were $60 each for an adult.
posted by tman99 at 8:36 AM on March 16, 2011

I live in Knoxville. It's okay.
Downtown is pretty fun for a little bit.
Dogwood Arts Festival events will be here in April... so if you like art/music/local crafts, this may be of interest. If you dislike art and crowds, I would avoid staying in Knoxville.

Haven't been to Asheville yet, but everyone seems to love it. There are more options for lodging in Asheville. B&Bs, downtown hotels, condos, cabins (just outside of Asheville).

Gatlinburg wouldn't be too out of the way. Not sure if you've ever been there, but if you haven't you should really consider it. If you're just staying one night, I would recommend staying in a hotel (cabins usually have two night min.) along the parkway. When leaving, you could take then take 411 or you can just hop back on I-40.
posted by KogeLiz at 9:42 AM on March 16, 2011

If you do decide to stay in Knoxville or Gatlingburg and have any questions about the either, feel free to message me.
posted by KogeLiz at 9:48 AM on March 16, 2011

*Gatlinburg.
posted by KogeLiz at 9:48 AM on March 16, 2011

Go visit the Minister's House! It's the world largest treehouse... something like six stories tall. And it's in Crossville, TN, much much halfway between the two. Here's another good picture.
posted by jay.eye.elle.elle. at 10:09 AM on March 16, 2011

Just got back from the trip, and we opted to half-way it in Asheville. Excellent suggestion!

For the benefit of future travelers, let me highlight two places in Asheville that are well worth stopping by: We stayed at an awesome B&B called Cumberland Falls - lovely place, lovely owners. One of the best things about it is that it is a one-block walk from Nine Mile, an absolutely incredible Caribbean restaurant with a big emphasis on local food and microbrew, a great wine list and some of the best hummus I've ever tasted.

If you're anywhere near this part of the country anytime soon, Nine Mile is worth a detour.
posted by jbickers at 1:50 PM on March 28, 2011 [1 favorite]