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Old 03-31-2013, 08:05 AM   #1
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&Hello all,
My wife and two 16yr twins are going to leave from arlington tx & shoot up to st joe mich for a wedding, then back south to memphis tn and start experiencing tn. we will head to nashville then on to bristol. from there over to north carolina and drift south hitting a few nascar shops (hendricks for sure) and then back to tx
Our goals are to have a "relaxing" family vacation, and enjoy each stop fully before we start driving again.
I am pulling a Elevation 3912 so we will need campsites that have room for us.
Our main focus after visiting memphis/nashville will be the great smokies and plan to spend the majority of our time enjoying the beauty of the mountains. We will come south after leaving bristol tn, stopping at a couple of shops as we slowly head home.
Our origional plan was to head straight to memphis from home, but a family wedding got in the way. So instead of 3 weeks, it is now going to be approx 17 days.
Iam looking fortwo things, first please tell me some "can'tmiss " places to visit.
Second please tell me a website that plans out vacations/ trips for technology challanged people like me.
I need step by step directions with driving time frames included, so we can plan better.
Some of you might remember me asking these same questions last year. Unfortunately I had a artificial knee become infected and had to be replaced, due to the seriousness of the infection, I had to go 7 weeks without a knee at all. I spent the summer with IV's in my arm waiting for the infection to go away. Gratefully, I now appear to be healed so we are going to try is again.
Any and all help will be very much appreciated, and remember, you cannot give me too much information---I will use everything you can give me.
Thank You in advance
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Old 03-31-2013, 09:25 AM   #2
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in Charlotte there is a lot of great NASCAR things to do. By far the best race shop to hit is Michael Waltrip racing. They charge admission but it is well worth it. You get a tour that takes you down where the pit crew practices and into the machine shop where the cars are built. We even got to see the inside of the haulers.of course there is the NASCAR hall of fame. DH got to do a Dale Jarrett driving experience at Charlotte Motor speedway. That was amazing. We drove into the pit area, had a debriefing in the care center. Then drivers got introduced and got to go drive while the families cheered them on. It was a neat experience for all of us, even though he was the only one to drive.your family is a bit old for it but the lazy 5 ranch has a horse drawn wagon ride safari that you get to feed the animals. My DD even got to feed a giraffe.We spent a week in Charlotte and did a lot. not many good places to camp though. A good BBQ place is Sticky Fingers. The teens would love Dave and Busters (arcade and restaurant, not cheap).



on edit: here is a link to an old thread about campgrounds in Charlotte. Charlotte campgrounds threadEdited by: anaro
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Old 03-31-2013, 09:51 AM   #3
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Memphis.....Graceland rv park & campground, www.memphisgracelandrvpark.com, visit graceland, in front of campground. Eat at Marlow's; free limo will pick you up in front of Heartbreak hotel.
visit Mud Island exhibit, down town....214 miles [approx. 3 hrs] to

Nashvile....Nashvile KOA....get tickets for Grand Ole Opry, 1 mile from campground. take the downtown tour, visit the Ryman theater, home of first grand ole Opry.... 289 miles [approx. 4 hrs] to

Bristol...Bristol/Kingsport KOA, visit the Bristol speedway, etc. (96 miles [ approx. 13/4 hrs] to
Asheville, NC....Asheville East KOA...visit the famous Biltmore House, a bit pricey, but worth the trip...a full day.[ I have yet to take the tour, but friends in the area say it is a "must see"].

Asheville NC to Charlotte NC...410 miles [approx. 6 1/2 hrs]
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Old 03-31-2013, 11:12 AM   #4
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Unless you need to or want to see anything in Chicago; don't. Andw/ a camper stay away from Illinois & their "split speed limit;" Illinois makes money w/ zero talerance towards RVers, especaially those out of state. Greater Chicago traffic is crazy any hour of the day. NorthWest Indiana is not any better.
Check out US-51 N out of Memphis, scenic route to Dyersburg, TN stay on marked US-51 in to KY. Follow US-51 Nto I-24 E, to Wendell Ford PKWY E, to Edward Breathitt PKWY N, to US-41Nin Kentucky.
As soon as you cross Ohio river in to INdiana take I-164 N to I-64 W around Evensville, IN; take I-64 WEST back to US-41 N, then thru Terre Haute. In Terre Haute watch out for locals & collage kids both believe they always have RITE-A-WAY no matter what . . . In south Terre Haute on left/ west there is a "Krogers" normally good diesel at fair cost; a pain gettingin & out ofpumps pulling a large trailer. Just on North side of Terre Haute watch for IN 63 N, take IN-63 N, US-41 takesoff aswandering 2-lane. US-41 & IN-63 join up again. US-41 some 230 miles crosses the KanKaKee River and then starts NorthWest Indiana Traffic; real nitemare problems. US-41 N about mile 250 is Dyer & US-30 E. Take US-30 E; 100s of traffic lights & crazies. US-30 E 7 miles to I-65 N, I-65 N to I-94 E. I-94 E to Michigan!
Watch your weddingMichigan directions off I-94; St.Joe/Benton Harborhas someplaces NOTto tow a trailer. When heading south take US-31 to Indy, not worth extra miles taking I-65 S to Indy.
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Old 03-31-2013, 12:18 PM   #5
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regarding koa east in Asheville. we stayed there in 2011. We were in the front section near the pool. The sites were narrow. There were loud trains at all hours. The staff was friendly and helpful.
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Old 03-31-2013, 01:38 PM   #6
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If you go to Camping World's website you can plan your trip there...as long as you know cities and addresses it will do a pretty good job for you. Good luck.

Jim
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Old 03-31-2013, 03:21 PM   #7
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You can also try campgroundreviews.com and type in cities and then read personal reviews on the RV parks in the area. We have used the website for years and found it to be pretty accurate.


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Old 03-31-2013, 10:33 PM   #8
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In addition to those great suggestions to visit and trip-planning, depending on the amount of time you have, I presonally do not like to drive more than three - four hours a day, and sometimes less, get into a cg before dark, to get set up and somewhat settled, then leave next day, or whenever at whatever time, without pressure.
Less stress and makes formore leisurely travel. My .02
Edited by: Ruck
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Old 03-31-2013, 11:34 PM   #9
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Also, there is an Ashevill West KOA.
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Old 04-01-2013, 11:28 AM   #10
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another good website to check out is campgroundgallery.com.it has mostly NC, SC, and VA but he has all states listed and is open for anyone to add or review a campground. this website allows users to upload pictures of the campgrounds.Edited by: anaro
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Old 04-06-2013, 01:19 PM   #11
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Actually, Asheville, NC to Charlotte, NC is about 125 miles, approx 2-hr drive. You can also get trip planning assistance from Good Sam on-line; enter your starting/ending point plus some other information and they will e-mail an itinerary with suggested sights and a list of Good Sam campgrounds along the way. We like to take the Trailer Life RVRoadAtlas and pick out cities about 300 miles apart then look for campgrounds using Google Maps or Woodalls and check the reviews on campgroundreviews.com before making reservations.
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Old 04-02-2015, 05:56 AM   #12
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Once I've decided on a destination, but before I leave, I like to review as many satellite images of the area as I can. I can visualize my driving approach and note any potential problems. I also find satellite images invaluable when deciding on campsites, especially in state and national parks. Usually the maps on the reserve America and recreation.gov sites aren't proportionally correct.
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Old 04-02-2015, 01:02 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sirsea View Post
Actually, Asheville, NC to Charlotte, NC is about 125 miles, approx 2-hr drive. You can also get trip planning assistance from Good Sam on-line; enter your starting/ending point plus some other information and they will e-mail an itinerary with suggested sights and a list of Good Sam campgrounds along the way. We like to take the Trailer Life RVRoadAtlas and pAgreeick out cities about 300 miles apart then look for campgrounds using Google Maps or Woodalls and check the reviews on campgroundreviews.com before making reservations.
Agree 100%! We use the Good Sam site as our initial plotter. It does a great job of pointing out camp sites. Note, you'll find KOA sites under private campgrounds. Then we use books, individual web sites, and other sources to determine where we want to stay. I use Google Maps to tell me what the site layout looks like. Before we depart, I print out Google Street images and map print outs for the "final approach" to each site. I don't use a GPS. On our recent trip around Florida, we used these techniques. I don't like arriving at night, and leaving the next morning. It seems like a waste. I always try to stay at least two nights at each stop, so I have a day in the local area. But on those occasions when it is a "fast turn," we don't unhitch. Just water/elec, level with the tongue jack and lower the stabilizers. Easier to roll out in the morning.
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