Short Day Trip?

I%26#39;m still a relative newcomer to the area (only lived here 26 months). Have a long weekend coming up and wondering if anyone could recommend some interesting places within 2 to 2.5 hours (2.5 is the max due to some neck-driving issues). Enjoy birding and the outdoors. The weather isn%26#39;t going to be great on Friday/Saturday, and we aren%26#39;t a fan of cold (so the mountains are out). If there is anything you can think of within that range of south Charlotte (south of Ballantyne about 3 minutes from Fort Mill), can you let me know? Historic places, good birding/wildlife spots (no zoo%26#39;s and been the Raptor Center a zillion times).

Thanks for your help!!

Short Day Trip?

Hi krunett - One idea is the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. I did it recently (also from S. Charlotte) and it was about a 2 hour drive. It was a day trip for us, but it was a full day and we could have easily stayed overnight. Everything was nicely decorated for Christmas and we really enjoyed the winery. I%26#39;ve heard the city of Asheville also has a lot to see, so maybe that could be your day 2.

Something else I%26#39;ve wanted to do is drive to Charleston. If the weather keeps up you could stroll on the beach and get in some nice outdoor time! I%26#39;ve heard there is a lot to see there, but I%26#39;ve yet to visit myself (I%26#39;ve only been here 3 months).

Have fun!

Short Day Trip?

If you like Historic towns....Salisbury (about an hour north) is great. Wonderful homes, antiques, other shops and restaurants. Concord is a smaller verion and about half the drive as Salisbury. If vineyards are your thing, 1 1/2 hours is the Yadkin Valley....Raffaldini is a great one, but there are 4 or 5 others nearby also.

I know you said the mountains are out but for a 2-2 and half hour drive that%26#39;s the best place to go for a day trip. If you go east it%26#39;s flat coastal farming community and south is midstate SC. For outdoors, you can%26#39;t beat the mountains. Historic place - Old Salam in Winston-Salem, a restored Moravian colonial town ( mini-Williamsburg). Best wishes.

Well, the things I have listed are more day trips but there is so much around you...it could easily keep you busy for much longer than a weekend. :o) IMO....One of the best places to go is right at your front doorstop....

ANNE SPRINGSGREENWAY: (go hiking, historical cabins, horseback riding)

www.leroysprings.com/GreenwayGeneralInfo.html

The other places I have listed below are in no particular order (but I will say that Lazy 5 Ranch is one of our favorite places to go).

LAZY 5 RANCH:

http://www.lazyfiveranch.com/

HISTORIC GOLD HILL: there%26#39;s a park here along with a quaint little village that is a must!

http://www.historicgoldhill.com/index.htm

HISTORIC BRATTONSVILLE:

www.chmuseums.org/ourmuseums/hb/index.htm

KINGS MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

KINGS MOUNTAIN NATIONAL MILITARY PARK: these two parks are just right down the road from each other

southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/鈥?45.aspx

www.nps.gov/kimo/planyourvisit/index.htm

ANDREW JACKSON STATE PARK:

southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/鈥?797.aspx

REED GOLD MINE

:http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/sections/hs/reed/reed.htm

(if you should ever find yourself out this way you Must stop in and get a bite to eat at ';THE FRESH HOUSE'; http://www.oldschool.com/)

There is much more to see...but another thing I tell folks is to check out the magazine ';OUR STATE'; North Carolina. This is a great source of information.

Hope you enjoy your long weekend!

Thanks All! I went on-line and found Congaree National Park just outside Columbia. Was nice to be outside amoung the trees on their 2.6 mile boardwalk over nature, however just didn%26#39;t see enough wildlife to make the almost 1.45 hour trek worthwhile. Was funny because I went to the McMullen Creek Greenway on Sunday and there were tons of critters out and only 15 minutes from home.

Thanks for all the ideas, I will definitely check some of these out soon. Take care!

How about Lake Norman and the boat that does tours, lunches and dinners? There%26#39;s even a Christmas Lights one...holiday tours throughout the year. queenslanding.com/catawbaqueen.html

You neeeeed to get the Our State Magazine. Terrific publication. I believe it%26#39;s monthly. There also do additional magazine publications, such as Inns, etc.

If you like outdoors and history check out ried gold mine. It is about a half hour out of charlotte. Or Morrow Mountain State Park in Albemarle is very nice and only about an hour away.

Wow, all this info is terrific. I am new to Charlotte as well and I was looking for some road trips for the long weekend. I am not a big race car fan and we live near the speedway and we can hear the cars zoom by us. I have small children, so I think Biltmore is out, any other ideas? Would love to go either to the beach or any other historic place. thanks in advance.

The NC Zoo in Asheboro, Salisbury (great historic town), Latta Plantation in Huntersville, Hendersonville is about 30 minutes closer than Asheville with a great little downtown. I%26#39;d avoid the area around Speedway Blvd this weekend. North Myrtle or Myrtle are the closest beaches, but this is a bad weekend to visit there (Atlantic biker weekend).

ti: Charlotteblue

I think the beach might be kind of difficult at this late date?

If you have little ones some places you may want to check out:

Lazy 5 Ranch (Moorseville, NC)

Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens (Columbia, SC)

Edventure Children%26#39;s Museum (Columbia, SC)

Tweetsie Railroad (Blowing Rock, NC)

Grandfather Mountain (Linville, NC)

-one other place I might mention that%26#39;s a great place for the whole family (on an overnight stay or weekend trip) is Greenville, SC. There%26#39;s a nice/quaint main street with plenty of shops and eats, a zoo, Falls Park on the Reedy/Liberty Bridge, Greenville Drive Baseball, and more.

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