Here%26#39;s what was great about it (me and my kids 10 %26amp; 13):
(We took about 11 days to do this trip -- it could have been longer of course but I don%26#39;t know if it could have been a lot shorter.....)
1. Fly in to Dulles
2. Drive to Sperryville, VA (about 80 miles, marks pretty much the entrance to the Skyline Drive). Stay at the WONDERFUL House on Water Street (a whole 1820%26#39;s house just for you!), go hiking. Especially Old Rag Mountain (and extremely cool and challenging hiking experience, but my kids did it so so can you!). You can contact Shenandoah Mountain Guides (at shenandoahmountainguides.com) if you need assistance/information. Sandwiches etc. for the trail can be had at The Abbey in Sperryville.
3. Hike the Appalachian Trail! Yes! Fun! Sleep on the trail! Way cool!
4. See the Luray Caverns in Luray VA (right outside of Sperryville). These are wonderful. Someone many years ago even turned some stalactites into an organ! So you hear wonderful music and see the great mysteries of the underground!
4. Drive south on the Skyline Drive but DO NOT go to Waynesboro, VA for the night even though it looks like that might be a good idea. Very strip-mally. Go instead to Staunton, VA. Very charming historic downtown. Stay at the Frederick House (historic B%26amp;B -- not stuffy and yummy breakfast). See some Shakespeare (they have a company in town that they are very proud of). Have some great organic ice cream at Banana Splits in the center of the historic old town. Go to the great toy store down by the train station. Many great restaurants, great historic town, friendly people.
5. Get back on the Skyline Drive which now turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway (stop for a very well done exhibit at milepost 5.8 for the Mountain Farm trail which has a cluster of 19th century farm buildings well explained) and drive to the Peaks of Otter Lodge (one of the few places to stay on the Parkway). Warning: it is VERY BASIC -- we%26#39;re talking concrete blocks for walls, no TVs, no telephone. But it is in a very beautiful area on a lake with a lovely path around it and it is nice to hike right outside the lodge straight up to the Peaks of Otter (top of the mountain -- 1 hour up, 30 minutes down). Very cool. Watch for bear. People at the hotel are very nice. Especially if you just hiked past some bear. They even open the bar up for you after it is closed. In the morning hike the 2 mile loop from the hotel to the rural Johnson Farm and see how the mountain people lived at the beginning of last century. Beautifully maintained and nicely explained on the signs.
6. Drive to Floyd, VA. Center of the bluegrass music scene. DEAD on Monday - Wednesday. Best on Friday night and Sunday afternoon when all the players come to the Floyd general store and do their thing. Hotel Floyd is the place to stay. Very eco friendly. We had a huge 2-bedroom suite for $140. Decent restaurants in town. Very friendly people. There%26#39;s a laundromat too which is good because it%26#39;s probably time to do the laundry!
7. Drive to Blowing Rock or to Boone, NC. Blowing Rock very quaint. Great lunch at the Sixpence Pub in Blowing Rock. I can%26#39;t really recommend the ice cream place there although others have. Doesn%26#39;t compare to the place in Stuanton (see above). I would have tried to find a place to stay in Blowing Rock but the kids wanted to press on. Get back on the Skyline Drive and visit the Blue Ridge Music Center. It was closed when we were there but I bet it%26#39;s very cool.
8. Go to Asheville, NC! Don%26#39;t miss it! What a great great town. A great independent book store with tons of author appearances, great restaurants (including The Chocolate Lounge where you can DRINK your warm chocolate concoction!), an indoor rock climbing place (everyone in Asheville seems to be into hiking and climbing etc.), a great vegetarian restaurant called the Laughing Seed. Street musicians. Wonderful. And best of all: The Sweet Biscuit Inn, a supremely wonderful and kid-friendly B%26amp;B. I can%26#39;t wait to go back. I can%26#39;t say enough about how great the Sweet Biscuit is. Go there!
9. Get on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drive some more!! See vultures! Deer! Beavers! More deer! A fox! Bear if you are lucky! Get out and hike!
10. Drive to Mt Pisgah if you must but I%26#39;m not sure why. Kind of yucky rooms and ordinary (although much-lauded) food. It has great views from nice rocking chairs on the decks of the rooms but otherwise pretty yuck sorry to say. You can hear the guy in the next room snoring. Concrete walls. Small towels. Motel-y place.
11. Drive to the Great Smokeys! This is a small national park compared to all the driving you%26#39;ve already done. You can probably drive all the way through it in 1-1/2 hours if so inclined (which you should not be, of course). Great vistas. Nowhere to stay unless you brought your tent. Get out and hike!
12. On the other side of the Smokeys -- what is this??? Avoid Gatlinburg! Oh my god! Help! One huge Disneyland without the rides or the characters or the parades. Just the crappy stores. And the mobs of people. What is this place?? OK, a lot of people like it so I%26#39;ll be quiet. Leave there.....
13. Head north on the 81 back toward Dulles. This will take a couple of days.
14. Stop in Damascus, VA for a GREAT bike ride 17 miles down a winding mountain/old railroad line. Next to a river (the Virginia Creeper Trail -- google that for info). Beavers. Great beauty. Very cool. (Contact Adventure Damascus Bicycles for the rentals and transport to the top of the trail.) Damascus is a very cool town. Lots of support services for Appalachian Trail hikers. Stop 2/3 of the way down the bike trail for lunch at the Trailside Cafe. Fun.
15. Continue the drive north. Stop in Roanoke,VA. Stay at the historic old Roanoke Hotel (now a Hilton). An amazingly beautiful lobby and beautiful rooms cheaper than a Marriott. Take the over-the-railroad walkway from the hotel to the historic downtown. Excellent Thai restaurant. Great music scene. Nice shops.
16. On to Dulles!
This was a great trip and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to see a different and extremely beautiful part of the country. Total mileage about 1,600 but we took some detours not in the above. Let me know if you have questions. I%26#39;m happy to help.
Great Trip down the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway Spring
Wonderful trip report! Thanks for taking the time to post it, your experience will help many travelers. Makes me want to leave for the mountains today, glad you enjoyed your time in Virginia.
Happy trails.
Great Trip down the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway Spring
Thanks! Happy to help. I can%26#39;t wait to go back.
I enjoyed your report and am so glad to find others who appreciate Floyd and Damascus. Y%26#39;all come back!
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