Ideas for upcoming trip with 4 year old

I will be traveling to Asheville with my husband and 4 year old daughter next week. Will be driving from Charlotte to Asheville. Any must see things along the way? We will be spending 2 days at Biltmore Estate. We will have 2 more days in Asheville. Is Chimney Rock workable with a young child? I hope it doesn%26#39;t rain, but if it does are there any children%26#39;s museums in town? Thanks for your help.

Ideas for upcoming trip with 4 year old

CHimney Rock is certainly doable w/ a young child, but as I have written before, some trails and overlooks are very steep and you would be well advised to hold on to your child as last year a young child slipped beneath the railing.

There are some options for kids:

Health Adventure Museum is indoors

WNC Nature museum with wildlife is outdoors but would be perfect for that age.

Ideas for upcoming trip with 4 year old

Stopping in Franklin would be fun. They have a bunch of gem panning places as Franklin is a Sapphire minig town. That could be fun for everyone. Also, you%26#39;ll pass through Transylvania County which is the Land of Waterfalls. You can use this web-site http://www.ncwaterfalls.com/index2.htm to see if there are any along your route. Some are not far from the road (translates to minimal whining while hiking).

At Biltmore, spring for the river float trip (our 3 year old nephew LOVED it) and during Festival of Flowers they have a children%26#39;s activity at the winery called ';grape stomp';, where kids can, well...stomp grapes. They get to take the grape they produce juice with them.

Chimney Rock park will be nice for a 4 year old. There are several trails around the park so you will have several options depending on how strenous you want the day to be (meaning- how tired does she need to be for nap?).

Finally, in Asheville, I recommend going to the Health Adventures museum- kids can spend hours there and to the Western NC Wildlife Center which is a rescue facility for native animals. We sponsor Lester the Least Weasel- say hi to him for us.

Thanks for all your suggestions! We look forward to exploring Asheville and the surrounding areas next week!

Good recs above. My standard advice when taking kids to Asheville...don%26#39;t miss the old fashioned candy section at Mast General Store!

if you dont have a place to stay brookstone lodge is a good choice , they have the 2 day biltmore house pass and they sell chimney rock tickets. Also Ashevilles Fun Depot is right above them and your 4 year old will love it.

great place to stay is the Brookstone lodge and your child will love the Fun Depot located next to brookstone lodge