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Old 03-11-2012, 02:03 PM   #1
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Hello all,
My name is Steven Rees and my family and I are planning a trip from Tx to to Tennessee and then to north & south carolina. Our goals are to enjoy the Smokey Mountain range, and also visit the Nascar Shops andany other things that grab our interests.
We have never been and we have two weeks to experience these three states and anything else in between.
I will appreciate very much any and all help / advise / tips, y'all can give me. Best travel routes / campgrounds and scenic trails with our mk-33 5 wheeler.
New to long trips and asking for help
Thanks in advance for all your help---ANY HELP

Steven Rees
stevenrees1@yahoo.com-----817-683-9596
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Old 03-11-2012, 02:43 PM   #2
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River Plantation in Pigeon Forge, TN
KOA in Townsend, TN
Fall Creek Falls in Pikeville, TN
Blackforest Family Campground in Brevard, NC
Floating Mills - Centerhill Lake, in Smithville, TN
Willow Grove - Dale Hollow Lake in Celina, TN

These are few we have visited and enjoyed....
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Old 03-11-2012, 10:55 PM   #3
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First and foremost you will need to purchase a Trailer Life RV Parks, Campgrounds & Services book either through Good Sam Club or many RV dealers sell them. Don't hit the road without one.Since you don't have reservations I would suggest taking this book and planning ahead all that you can. Call for reservations when you can see where you may end up by the end of the day. Don't plan on driving late and finding a place when you are dog tired and it's dark. I generally hand the wife this book around 3 PM and tell her to start looking. Get on the cell and make reservations especially on weekends. Camping on weekends during summer months is a real challenge, most places fill up Friday night and some on Thursday night with the locals who run over to grab a spot for the weekend at the really nice parks. We generally try to stay at private owned RV parks in our travels because many state parks remain totally full all summer and many do not have campsites to accomodate large 5th wheels and motorhomes. We like pull thrus for one night stays. Also we find it much better to depart early in the morning and then find a spot early evening or late afternoon. This way we can rest, cook dinner, walk the campground and socialize with some of the campers. Many nice folks in campgrounds!!

You can use this time to plan your next day.



An easy access campground in the Smoky Mts is Riverside RV Park and Ripplin Waters Campground just north of Sevierville/Pigeon Forge.Come off of Interstate 40 and go south. Don't come up through Pigeon Forge. Beware of traffic congestion in the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg areas. Complete gridlock and profane traffic back ups sometimes can ruin your visit!! Another hidden jewel that business does not advertise is the Veterans Blvd. taking you around Pigeon Forge congestion. It basically runs from near Sevierville to Dollywood and can literally save you an hour of traffic congestion. Do a google search of this road. Study ahead of time! Be prepared for the insane traffic congestion in Gatlinburg. Take the by-pass around town to get to the road that leads over the top of the Smoky's to Cheerokee. Great views and cool temps at Clingmans Dome at the top of the Smoky's. Don't take your trailer!!!



Many Nascar teams allow visitors to their shops but since you are traveling and won't have a lot of time I would suggest stopping at the Charlotte speedway and taking the tour. A real treat for you if you like mountains and vistas would be the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC. We generally camp at Marion NC and then drive back on the parkway to sites like Grandfather Mt, Linville Falls and Mt Mitchel......the highest point east of the Miss. river.

Don't take your tailer.



Hope this helps and you will soon find that Tenn and NC offer lots of great camping and beautiful areas to visit. NC offers a little of everything from beautiful beaches like the Outer Banks to beautiful mountain roads like the Blue Ridge Parkway. You are not going to see it all in just two weeks..........have a safe journey
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Old 03-12-2012, 12:56 AM   #4
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We havebeen going toTremont Resort in Townsend, Tn for 20+ years and really enjoyed the location and ease ofgetting to Cades Cove, which is a must,and driving the river road from Townsend to Gatlinburg, very scenic!! The drive on the river road can also get you to Newfound Gap road which will takeyou up and over the mountain. You can get to the hustle and bustle of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge if you like, but if you like peacefulness, Townsend is great.



On the North Carolina side of thePark you can stay at Pride RV Resort, listed in camping books under Waynesville, NC, an easily accessed campground with very nice facilities.This park gives youeasy access toCattaloochee, where the elk were reintroduced into the Smokies, as well as Asheville, NC,where you canvisit Biltmore, another great place to experience. Driving the Blue Ridge on the North Carolina side is also nice and scenic, and enjoy lunch at the Pisgah Inn along the way. Grandfather Mtn and Chimney Rock are also very scenic places to visit in NC.



We have enjoyed this area for many years and continue to revisit annually. Hope you enjoy!
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Old 03-12-2012, 01:05 PM   #5
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I would also suggest make a day trip to Asheville to see The Biltmore. If you purchase the tickets on-line you'll save a few $$$. It's not a cheap visit, but it's quite impressive considering when it was built.

We stayed at the Jellystone in Cosby TN. great owner nice little campground with some activities for the kids. I was impressed because a severe storm rolled in and the owner came and lowered everybody's awning down and secured stuff that could blow.
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Old 03-13-2012, 09:32 PM   #6
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If you are looking at staying "in" pigeon forge, there is a fairly nice campground called Claboughs Campground. It's close to lots of things including the Harley Davidson Shop, go kart tracks, all the shows,and most importantly food. They have 3 swimming pools once of which isa lazy river. Not sure how old your kids are, but there is a creek that runs along the campground. We spent a day running up and down that. It was a lot of fun and we will be going back this year.
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Old 03-13-2012, 10:34 PM   #7
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Steven,
I understand that you want to see andexperienceas much aspossiblein 2 weeks, BUT in this short time you will probably spend more time on the road rather then exploring one or 2 areas.
Last year we have visited for 10 days the Smokies ,we hiked,did side trips,visitedwaterfalls and some shows in the area and still it was kind of "short"-But this is me....
I suggest that you find a C.G in a central location and do side trips ,a good place near the smokies isPigeonForge as some already indicated.
Take a lookhttp://danyshula.blogspot.com/2011/10/pigeon-forge-tn.html
ENJOY
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Old 04-23-2012, 11:18 PM   #8
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Photo of lot 34 Jellystone in Cosby TN
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