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A friend of mine, who lives in the northeast, asked me for a recommendation for a place to spend a few days with his wife, kids, and 80 year old parents. Since it's only basically an extended weekend trip, that pretty much eliminated anything on the west coast or rocky mountain areas. Also, he wanted to go somewhere that is very different from NYC, so that eliminated places like Chicago, and other big cities in the midwest/southeast.
Two places that came to mind right away were Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. I've been to both and they both have some touristy things to do that aren't too cheesy and have good history and solid restaurants (particularly Charleston with the restaurants).
He asked me if NC had any places to recommend. I mentioned possibly Asheville, but I haven't been yet, so I am not familiar with it enough to recommend things to do and couldn't say for sure if it would be a good place to bring the family.
I've been to Charlotte and thought it was cool, but even though it is very different from NYC, it still is too much of a typical big city for me to think that it would fit what my friend was looking for. And I've passed through some of the research triangle cities, but not enough to get a feel for them. I've heard good things however, but couldn't say if they'd fit what he was looking for either.
It made me think, is there a place in NC that could be comparable to Charleston or Savannah that would be good for a few days to do touristy things?
The Old Salem part of Winston-Salem is nice for history. A trip to Asheboro for the NC Zoo would be good for kids, and there are golf cart riding tours for the parents. It is near the Seagrove pottery studios.
Then, Greensboro has several attractions: a Science Center, Guilford Courthouse Battlefield and the Civil Rights Museum. Perhaps they could also find a swimming lake if the weather is still nice.
Last edited by goldenage1; 09-25-2023 at 09:31 AM..
It depends largely on their desire walk. I believe that Wilmington, N.C., Charleston, S.C., or Savanah are excellent choices. Asheville might be an option with the Biltmore House, Grove Park Inn, etc. It is a good time to visit as the weather is good and the tourists are mostly gone. Good luck.
It depends largely on their desire walk. I believe that Wilmington, N.C., Charleston, S.C., or Savanah are excellent choices. Asheville might be an option with the Biltmore House, Grove Park Inn, etc. It is a good time to visit as the weather is good and the tourists are mostly gone. Good luck.
If they are driving, I assume he wants NC, because SC and GA are too far.
What time of year? I wouldn't go to Asheville in January personally. Colder, can be grey, and the trees are dead.
Now if we are talking peak fall? Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville: Drive through Boone, Blowing Rock, and the parkway to Asheville. Beautiful! Spring and summer are also fantastic in the mountains and definitely different scenery than New York.
Along the beach, Charleston and Savannah are tough to beat for the beauty of the downtowns, history, food, and also going to the beach. I would put Wilmington in a rung below those two personally, but can also be worth a visit. The downtown is not as interesting and the shopping isn't as good, but it is still a good visit. It seems more like a regional city to me though than one to come all the way from NY to see.
They could do a driving trip through the Outer Banks as well... depends on if they like driving trips / being in the car. Each individual town in the Outer Banks is pretty small / can be seen quickly unless they are "beach people" and want to set up camp at an Airbnb and relax for a few days at the beach.
To answer generally some of the questions you posed for specificity:
1. They are planning on flying to the destination. Thus they would likely have to rent a car if they are going to drive around, or go to a destination that is walkable/has some sort of transit options.
2. In total they'll be going with 7 people: him, his wife, 3 kids, and 2 parents.
3. My friend is interested in sports and eating at nice restaurants. His dad likes history. The kids like typical kid activities. His wife is into seeing different things and having unique experiences, she used to travel in the middle east by herself a lot long before they got married.
Any other clarifying questions let me know as off the top of my head that's all I could think of to add more context.
What time of year? I wouldn't go to Asheville in January personally. Colder, can be grey, and the trees are dead.
Now if we are talking peak fall? Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville: Drive through Boone, Blowing Rock, and the parkway to Asheville. Beautiful! Spring and summer are also fantastic in the mountains and definitely different scenery than New York.
Along the beach, Charleston and Savannah are tough to beat for the beauty of the downtowns, history, food, and also going to the beach. I would put Wilmington in a rung below those two personally, but can also be worth a visit. The downtown is not as interesting and the shopping isn't as good, but it is still a good visit. It seems more like a regional city to me though than one to come all the way from NY to see.
They could do a driving trip through the Outer Banks as well... depends on if they like driving trips / being in the car. Each individual town in the Outer Banks is pretty small / can be seen quickly unless they are "beach people" and want to set up camp at an Airbnb and relax for a few days at the beach.
They're looking at late fall/early winter.
Most likely sometime in November.
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