hi i've been to a lot of places close enough to drive, could any body please recommend somewhere else that's close(not too much driving) and fun to visit? thx.

places i've been to:
wilmington
topsail
outer banks
myrtle beach
greensboro/water park
pisgah national forest
asheville/biltmore/blue ridge parkway
charleston
savannah
williamsburg/busch garden
charlotte/carowinds

anything else that's close(for a 2-3 day trip) and fun?

6/19/2008 10:43:40 AM

all of those places minus myrtle beach and greensboro are fun trips

6/19/2008 10:51:52 AM

greensboringggg.

ocracoke island is my favorite.

6/19/2008 11:26:17 AM

hit up washington dc

if you go, definitely check out the bureau of printing and engraving where they print money-- very interesting

6/19/2008 11:31:23 AM

i was going to say DC also.. lost of muesums and stuff.

6/19/2008 11:40:09 AM

if you do decide to go i'd recommend doing research online. you can get into a lot of cool places for free but there are hoops you have to jump through like showing up somewhere to get your ticket at a certain time. also some stuff is open to the public at weird times. if you contact your senator you can get special access to some stuff at the capitol building. really, if you put a little planning behind it you can make it into an awesome trip.

the fact that its only 4 hours from the raleigh area also makes it a super easy weekend or long weekend trip to make.

6/19/2008 11:43:09 AM

sorry i forgot to say i've been to DC too. :p
greensboro itself is boring but i like the emerald pointe water park.

6/19/2008 11:50:35 AM

what do you mean by "outer banks"? if you haven't done it yet, I highly recommend a scenic drive down Hwy 12 from the Wright Brothers memorial in Kitty Hawk to Ocracoke, stopping at all the lighthouses along the way. There's also a lot of free camping out there. Jockey's Ridge - the giant sand dune in Kitty Hawk - is really fun to play around in and you can take hang gliding lessons.

Nashville is awesome too, there's great restaurants and a band in ever bar downtown. You can seriously see like two dozen bands in one night if you wanted.

6/19/2008 12:00:53 PM

oh yeah, nashville is awesome!

6/19/2008 12:03:34 PM

take a separate trip to the mountains outside of just the blue ridge parkway and a city like asheville. rent a cabin and go tubing, see the hebron rock colony, go hiking, etc.

6/19/2008 12:08:40 PM

baltimore, md is really fun
Dollywood
go up to the VA side of the Blue Ridge

6/19/2008 12:29:27 PM

Quote :

"greensboro itself is boring but i like the emerald pointe water park"

$30 a day for those lines and crowds and nasty looking people in swimsuits and barf in the pools and stuff is just not worth it anymore. My mom used to get us all season passes when we were little but it's just become outrageous.

6/19/2008 12:32:00 PM

Hilton Head
Atlanta is decent
Kings Dominion is a pretty cool park and you can stay in Richmond, where there is SOME decent nightlife

6/19/2008 12:41:19 PM

Ocean Isle/Sunset beach are fun to visit if you didn't already go there on a Wilmington/Myrtle Beach trip

6/19/2008 12:58:09 PM

I love Ocracoke - stay at the Thurston Inn (bed & breakfast)

I've heard that Gatlinburg, TN is fun... http://www.gatlinburg.com/
we're thinking about planning a trip there in the fall

6/19/2008 1:35:33 PM

thanks all for the suggestions.

go tubing sounds like fun. what's the best/closest place around for that?

MD is too far.

Dollywood looks fun but is 6hs away. still wanna go though.

Kings Dominion sounds cool too and i've put it in my list.

what's exactly interesting in Gatlinburg, TN? besides the smokey mountains...i plan to go there this fall and see different colors on the mountains.

6/19/2008 2:16:11 PM

Quote :

"MD is too far."

dude, its like 4.5 - 5 hours to get to Baltimore. thats nothing.

6/19/2008 2:18:41 PM

yea, heck i drive 4 hours to raleigh 1-3 times a month depending on my schedule

edit: 10,000

[Edited on June 19, 2008 at 2:27 PM. Reason : ]

6/19/2008 2:24:08 PM

^^^ I'm not sure.
some of the regulars where I bartend recommended it to us for a weekend trip.

We're planning a trip to DC at the end of the month. see that thread for suggestions

6/19/2008 2:36:10 PM

hands down add DC to the list.

6/19/2008 3:02:37 PM

so what's so funny in Baltimore at all???

i'm thinking about going to NYC and niagara in early aug, that way i can stop by baltimore cuz it's on the way to NYC...

6/19/2008 3:03:48 PM

after some research on richmond, i found it quite interesting! it's definitely a go! so what are the must-see/do things in richmond? would a 2 day or 3 day trip be better?

my list:
Kings Dominion
The Museum and White House of the Confederacy
Canal Walk
Capitol Square & VA State Capitol

what else?? thx.

6/19/2008 3:20:05 PM

we're going to Ocracoke this weekend for our anniversary. We usually rent a beach house or camp, but this time we are staying at the Anchorage Inn. anyone ever stayed there?

6/19/2008 3:35:21 PM

DC area ftw- there is so much up there. and the weather is damn nice this time of year.

6/23/2008 6:44:13 AM

Quote :

"so what are the must-see/do things in richmond? "

the sign that says "Now Leaving Richmond"

6/23/2008 6:52:55 AM

If you're into trains, check out the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC. They also have a few exhibits on wagons, cars, and planes. It's mostly rail though, which I found awesome:

http://www.nctrans.org

6/23/2008 8:20:25 AM

weather in DC during the summer sucks

its built on a swamp

6/23/2008 8:56:27 AM