MrEmjoy

It's 9:00 PM Kentucky time. Ugh. I've been up since 5 AM, Chi-time!

We set off from Chicago at 8:30 made really good time, considering we've got a 16 month and only stopped a few times for no longer than 30 minutes. We are stopped for the night in Frankfort KY. (The state capital, apparently)

Tomorrow we'll head off towards North Carolina, hopefully we can make it in good time.

To be safe we've allotted 10 hours for each day. Without stops it would be about 6 hours.

We're stopping in the Smokey Mountains for a week then heading back to Chicago. We may take a day or two to get back again, we're not sure which way to head back, any suggestions?

chartreuse

If you get a chance, while in NC, check out Ashville. Cracking live music scene. Also, Carrowinds amusement park straddles the state line with SC and is fun.

MrEmjoy

We've purchased a two day ticket to the Biltmore estate. Should be fun!

Englishtart

Hope you have a great trip! Pity you are not coming further down, I could have made you some of those Shrimp you gave me the recipe for, Thank you sweety, they went down very well Even had one of our visitors say they were the best they ever tasted!

ChocolateBabz

You must be related to my hubby - we did Houston to Orlando last Saturday and Orlando - Houston this Friday past. 16 hours door to door - only drive through food and toilet breaks allowed. I would complain that dude and I had to get up at 5.30am but on the Saturday we picked hubby up from the airport after a 10+ hour flight back from Brazil and got straight on the road so I think he got the rough end of the pineapple LOL!

chartreuse

Not us. We're doing 650 miles today, but I've already google mapped every interesting gun store en route...

ChocolateBabz

Hubby did have a wistful look in his eye every time a Harley shop or Outdoor World whipped by

Englishtart

I think it's definitely a 'man thing' my hubby loves to do road trips, but he doesn't like to stop very often, unless it's for gas. I used to be able to put up with it years ago, but these days I prefer to take things slower and make more stops, I try to find things along the way that hubby will enjoy, historical stuff etc. I don't care if the trip takes longer because I enjoy the travel just as much

MrEmjoy

I could drive all day.

We made good time today, it took us about 7 hours with stops to do what should have been a six hour trip, w/o stops.

I need to Google, Bear mace now, and apparently, there's more rattle snake around this year than ever before.

AmerLisa

Sounds like....fun.....

Nickw_2308

I just did 1200 miles over 2 days from Houston to Phoenix, never again. Not much to see and mostly one straight road.

Bluegrass Lass

You're in my neck of the woods then! We're just outside L'ville about 45min north of Frankfort. Too bad you don't have more time. Right outside Lexington is the KY Horse Park...I think there is a museum there, and they should be getting ready for the World Equestrian Games which are next month.

If you're going to be anywhere near Gatlinburg, I would suggest Cherokee, NC right on other side of the Smokies. It was a quaint little place (not much there), but I think they put on a play about the Trail of Tears during this time of the year. I've heard it's pretty good.

Enjoy your trip!

MrEmjoy

We came back on Sunday.

Cherokee was sad. We were staying near there. Cherokee was Tepees and "Indian traders" galore, they are so far removed from their roots its unbelievable. The trail of tears I've read about but the play sounded OK, but touristy.

The worst thing about Tepees being in Cherokee is the fact the Cherokee who lives in the area lived in mud huts and weren't nomadic.

On the way back we stayed in Georgetown KY, then drove the Madison IN the next day. We were going to drive back to Chicago but didn't feel up to driving as I was recovering from being sick and the wife was just about to get sick, we drove to Columbus IN, didn't like the look of it so carried on to Edinburgh to a Hampton Inn, which is our usual stopping choice.

Its funny but we thought about everything you mentioned but didn't!

penguinsix

Shucks, too late.

I was going to recommend Columbus, Indiana. It's a small town of about 40,000 people, but it is known as one of the architectural gems of the WORLD!

Why? A very wealthy local individual/company donated millions to a trust fund that would pay for the worlds' top architects to design public buildings. Schools, churches, fire stations etc were designed by such individuals as Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Robert Venturi, Cesar Pelli, Richard Meier. For example, Venturi, who designed the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London is also known as the designer of "Fire Station #4" in the town of Columbus :-)

Many architects and design students will fly in to get a taste of this amazing sight in the middle of the corn.

Just a bit south of Indy for those living in that area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus,_Indiana

Bluegrass Lass

Cool. I've lived 40min or so South of Columbus pretty much my whole life and didn't know that. May have to take a weekend off and go up to see some of those buildings.