Well, to celebrate this semester coming to a close, us getting to spend more time together (different schools) and our one year anniversary I want to go on a little getaway with my gf. I don't have any great ideas on where to go. I was thinking bush gardens, but it looks like they are closed when i'm wanting to go (leave on May 13). I don't want to stay for more than a couple days, or be too terribly expensive. Any ideas?

5/2/2007 9:46:35 PM

If it was earlier in the year, I'd suggest the Outer Banks. Now? Spend a few days in the mountains. The idea is to spend quality time with each other, right?

5/2/2007 9:49:12 PM

Biltmore maybe, not sure how expensive it is

[Edited on May 2, 2007 at 9:51 PM. Reason : Charleston is nice to tour downtown ]

5/2/2007 9:51:00 PM

Aww, this is a great idea!

You could also try Carowinds (which I know doesn't quite compare to Busch Gardens), DC or Colonial Williamsburg

5/2/2007 9:53:53 PM

bed and breakfast near the coast. she'll eat it up and its not that expensive either.

5/2/2007 9:54:31 PM

Holiday Inn off of Glenwood

5/2/2007 10:13:21 PM

Charleston FTW

5/2/2007 10:13:46 PM

Yeah, I'd say a bed & breakfast in Wilmington or something -- those can be pricey, though

5/2/2007 10:30:08 PM

http://www.visitnc.com/tools_search.asp?s=wts

5/2/2007 10:36:36 PM

i hear Savannah is popular with the ladies

5/2/2007 10:39:13 PM

It might be early in the season but you can still have fun at the Outer Banks. It shouldn't be too crowded yet but everything should be open by now at least near Avon/Hatty. Charleston, Savannah, Wilmington and Asheville (or other mountain areas) are all great ideas too. Southpoint area is really cute as well.

5/2/2007 11:05:22 PM

Quote :

"I was thinking bush gardens"

definitely not! They're doing the 400th Jamestown anniversary this month, and every road in Virginia is gonna be a parking lot.

5/2/2007 11:13:57 PM

the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC would be a great getaway. However it might be out of your price range.


Also Dollywood is a cool place and different from the usual.

[Edited on May 2, 2007 at 11:34 PM. Reason : add]

5/2/2007 11:33:43 PM

I want to go on a getaway

I agree with suggestions for Asheville, Savannah, Charleston.

I would add Gatlinburg, TN but ONLY because it is a gateway town to LOADS of beautiful trails and waterfalls. The town is too commercialized, but I suppose it might be fun for someone who has never been there before.

5/2/2007 11:52:14 PM

Quote :

"Also Dollywood is a cool place and different from the usual."

5/3/2007 12:00:51 AM

make room for her new bf from the college she goes too. Sorry go to the beach. Girls love to tan.

5/3/2007 1:06:16 AM

What's your budget and what kind of stuff does she like? Most people seem to be beach people OR mountain people. The beaches are getting ready to be crowded so I'd personally try to stay away but if you hit up some of the smaller areas, it shouldn't be too bad. If your budget will stand it, the Outer Banks should prove a bit more private and different.

Otherwise, I'd agree with both the mountains and DC (although DC would be more $$ and definitely more crowded). I really wish I could remember the place but there was a great place that I took my ex-wife to in WV that had tons of trails, rapids, and some shopping about 30 min. away. In NC, head down 40 to exit 123 early in the morning. That's HWY 321. It'll take you through Hickory & Lenoir before heading up the mountain. About 45 min. up 321 you'll hit the mountains and you'll find a bunch of places to stay. A bit farther up is the Blue Ridge Parkway. You can hop on it and cruise for a while. You'll find a bunch of overlooks, picnic areas, shops & inns all around that area. It's about 2.5 hours to Hickory and another hour to the Parkway (depends on whether they're working on 321 in the mountains). You can stop in Blowing Rock and pick up some picnic items (or cheat, there's a Subway where I've often stopped) and then pull over and eat off the BRP.

5/3/2007 1:10:46 AM

http://www.blackwalnut.com

best money ever spent

5/3/2007 2:11:35 AM

camp at sunburst

5/3/2007 2:27:29 AM

I'm going on my honeymoon in June to Savannah.

A bit warm but hey.

5/3/2007 2:54:40 AM

i wanna go on a thank god i made it through another semester get the fuck out of raleigh trip but oh wait, the semester isn't over so i don't know if i made it through it or not yet. sigh.

5/3/2007 3:25:26 AM

small town of Staunton, Va. Its beautiful, has great restaurants, and cute shops downtown. Its very close to Monticello.

I recommend staying at the Thornrose House Bed and Breakfast. It will run about $75-95 a night, depending on which room you get.

Great experience, very unique, and not over commercialized.

http://www.staunton.va.us/

http://www.monticello.org/

5/3/2007 6:36:52 AM

wow thanks for all the great ideas so far. I don't have a set budget, i wouldn't mind paying more for a more enjoyable place.

5/3/2007 6:42:42 AM

Bojangles.

5/3/2007 6:55:07 AM

nvm

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 7:21 AM. Reason : i cant be a douche in a thread like this...if i were a chick i'd be liek "awwwwwwwww"]

5/3/2007 7:21:03 AM

Omar, that place looks great....was it expensive, if you dont mind me asking?

5/3/2007 7:56:07 AM

There is a rates page on the site... like 250 a night on the weekends. Obviously more than your average hotel, but pretty competitive for B & Bs.

5/3/2007 8:26:04 AM

My boyfriend and I did something similar to this last fall and stayed at a bed and breakfast in the mountians and although its was a very pretty house and the owner was nice we decided that bed and breakfasts werent for us. Everybody else staying had grown children and wanted to gather in the living room and chat. We felt bad because we wanted to just spend the time together and everybody else was interacting with each other.

Plus its a house... we felt like if we did anything in our room that the people next room over could hear us so that put a damper on the being romantic angle of the trip.

Just my 2 cents on the whole bed and breakfasts.

5/3/2007 8:26:38 AM

I had a completely different experience when I went to a B&B in the Virginia mountains with my wife last year for what it's worth. Very beautiful. A few other couples there who all kept to themselves and we chatted at breakfast before taking off for the day and doing stuff.

5/3/2007 9:25:17 AM

^ I agree. I think it depends on the city, how the inn is run, and what kind of people are staying there at the time. At some places, everyone eats at one big table for breakfast and the owners try to make it more social. At others (which I think are more common, but I could be wrong), most people are there for romantic getaways, so people tend to me more self-involved.

I went to the Blair House in Troy, NC, this time last year. We spent the weekend and went to the zoo, which was great, and there were also places nearby to go horseback riding and picnic and stuff. But again, where you should go all depends on whether you want to go out and do stuff or just relax.

5/3/2007 9:38:21 AM

I went to a relatively cheap B&B in Asheville with my last bf... The room was small but everything was cozy and tidy, and the breakfasts were amazing. There werent any children...most the other couples were older people--60's or older, except for a 30-something couple.
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/north-carolina-asheville-aberdeen-inn.html

that's where we stayed. mmmm, what I wouldnt give for some of those cheesy grits again...

5/3/2007 9:43:16 AM

I stayed at a B&B recently and we had the entire house to ourselves...only 4 rooms total and the other 3 were empty. It was an 18th century plantation house located near Edenton NC and was only $80 a night!! Great innkeepers and lots to do in the area, but of course you have to drive 2.5 hours to get there. After that I'm a pretty big fan of B&B's, but it has to be done right.

5/3/2007 9:45:42 AM

Quote :

"I would add Gatlinburg, "

Also, hotels are cheap there year round since thre are a God-billion of them there

5/3/2007 10:16:33 AM

avoid williamsburg and richmond

the Queen is coming lol

5/3/2007 10:31:03 AM

what days are the queen coming (and would that really affect bush gardens much?) She kinda liked the bush gardens idea, and we thought about leaving saterday evening to drive to drive there, and going to BG on that Sunday. Would the queen being there effect that much?

5/3/2007 10:39:36 AM

Tweetsie Railroad

5/3/2007 10:46:49 AM

we spent 3 days in Asheville a few weeks ago.
We stayed at the Country Inn and had a suite with a jacuzzi in it (paid less than $100/night).
We walked around downtown and shopped and ate at little restuarants and bars.
We spent a day at the Biltmore - tour (get the audio! it's worth it) walking through the house and around the gardens was nice. Did the wine tour. They do trail rides and carriage rides as well.
It was less than $100 for the day but worth it.

There are a lot of really nice bed and breakfasts in Asheville. My parents stayed at one (for $100/night) and it sounded and looked incredible from the pictures. They had a fireplace in the room, gourmet food, and tons of gardens to walk through.

I love bed and breakfasts. We stayed at a nice one in Ocracoke last August.

5/3/2007 10:54:33 AM

Ashland, Virginia

5/3/2007 11:10:39 AM

Seriously, your in a perfect place for all kinds of good quick trips. Just depends on what you like to do.

Asheville
Boone
Outer Banks
Charleston
Savannah
Myrtle Beach
Wilmington

5/3/2007 11:18:47 AM

grove park inn... if you can afford it.

[Edited on May 3, 2007 at 11:47 AM. Reason : ]

5/3/2007 11:46:48 AM

I'll have a better post later, but the train station inn at allisonia, VA is insanely charming.

I ♥ed it there.

540 980 2051 http://www.newriverlodging.com

5/3/2007 1:16:54 PM

I'm interested in this too -- more ideas!

5/4/2007 1:19:08 PM

k-mart

no really though: Ocracoke Island

5/4/2007 9:24:26 PM

My ex and I went to the mountains for something like this (a little getaway for her birthday) and stayed at a great bed and breakfast in Bryson, the Charleston Inn http://www.charlestoninn.com/


It's in a quaint little town and you have to drive through some beautiful country to get there, you're also very close to the Nantahala river so it's a perfect opportunity to do some whitewater rafting, and there are plenty of places around to do some hiking if'n you want. There's also a lazy river nearby for some tubing and all that. Bryson also has an old-time railroad that you can ride, as well as some interesting shops and restaurants...that's my suggestion, we had a great time.


^Also, the Outer banks are recommended. We did that as well and also had a great time...and you have to make sure you drive south and take the ferry to Ocracoke!

[Edited on May 4, 2007 at 10:10 PM. Reason : asdf]

5/4/2007 10:09:36 PM

ToastyMuffin

Quote :

"Tweetsie Railroad"

OMG thank you for the laugh

5/4/2007 11:02:15 PM

^ oh man i loved tweetsie as a kid. is it still open?
asheville, boone, & franklin are all good areas in the mountains. you can go to the waterfalls, and there's a lot of gemstone places near franklin where you can find a stone and they'll polish it and make it into a necklace or ring. girls love jewelery so it would be a nice keepsake from the trip. i have a really awesome ruby necklace
my boyfriend just bought a house so we didn't do anything to celebrate our 1 year (may 1st). hopefully your plans work out better.

5/5/2007 1:36:01 AM

Get a cabin w/hot tub in the mountains for a few days... You can get one with a badass view for a reasonable price for just a few days... I got one that had the hot tub looking off the side of a mountain around this time last year and it was good times

5/5/2007 12:13:11 PM

Concord, NC

5/8/2007 8:56:39 PM

^^Bring cleaning supplies for the hot tub.

5/9/2007 4:32:02 AM

5/9/2007 8:02:54 AM