So Im thinking about taking the girl somewhere for the weekend and need some ideas on cool spots that we can explore. No issues with flying (but obviously reasonable distance...dont want to spend the entire weekend on the plane) or driving (same idea...not too far).

Post the places you want to go for a weekend or experiences from where you have been to help me decide!

6/28/2011 8:41:29 AM

Do you have anything in particular in mind? Somewhere you can relax and do nothing, or see something cultural, or be a super tourist, or what?

We went to Gatlinburg a couple months ago for a weekend. They have a bunch of cabins for rent so you can have a whole house to yourself with a hot tub and look out over the mountains. It's a really touristy town, but we had a lot of fun getting immersed in that with cheesy stuff like Dixie Stampede.

Asheville is pretty awesome and has all different kinds of stuff to do. And good food. Charleston and Savannah are both neat as well.

6/28/2011 9:20:38 AM

Charleston is always a fan favorite. I'd recommend the Vendue Inn. Includes breakfast, afternoon appetizers + wine, milk + cookies in the evening. Good location and has a rooftop bar that everyone goes to.

6/28/2011 9:25:47 AM

nothing really particular in mind...id like to stay away from the nc mountains or coast...we have explored that pretty well already. I want it to be relaxing but have some things to do.

Like the Charleston idea...maybe even Hilton Head?

6/28/2011 9:39:14 AM

Hilton Head is cool, but isn't it even further away than Charleston?

6/28/2011 9:55:51 AM

hilton head is further, but only an hour or less i believe.

i'd do the charleston idea... you can score major points by doing a bed and breakfast and surprising her. i did this last summer and we stayed at the "Carriage House Inn". Similar to what someone posted above, they do a nice breakfast delivered to your room each morning, have afternoon and evening snacks, etc....it is supposedly "haunted" as well...which added a neat twist..
walking around downtown charleston is a lot of fun... there is tons of stuff to do and good eatin'.
it is approximately 4-4.5 hours from raleigh

my wife and I have done day trips to outer banks before, so it is definitely doable in a weekend. we drove there, went to bodie island lighthouse, cape hatteras, rodanthe, all that stuff. with more time you could take the ferry to ocracoke.

We have also done boone in a day trip before. Ride on the blue ridge parkway, go to grandfather mountain, blowing rock, alta pass apple orchard, etc... eat at the daniel boone inn.

and i just noticed you said stay away from mountains or coast....haha, my bad

[Edited on June 28, 2011 at 10:11 AM. Reason : yeah]

6/28/2011 10:08:58 AM

Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown is a neat area if you like history.

6/28/2011 10:28:44 AM

^Plus you can take the ferry. Its a quick jaunt across the river but still fun. Lots to see and lot of shopping.

6/28/2011 10:42:53 AM

and if you like thrills you could pair Busch Gardens Williamsburg along with old Williamsburg in a very managable weekend.

6/28/2011 10:42:55 AM

We took a day trip to rhode island once. We drove through a place called Middletown. It looked like a neat place for weekend trip. We might go up there for our mini-moon in october.

6/28/2011 6:26:39 PM

Asheboro Zoo is a fun day trip, especially if it's been awhile since you've visited. Tryon Palace is worth checking out and an easy day trip. Kayaking down the Neuse can be fun, especially with all the rain we've been having.

For a full weekend, Williamsburg is a great choice. Going kayaking out west is an easy weekend trip.

6/28/2011 6:37:51 PM

walk some epic long trails in the mountains

im taking my girl to hebron rock colony and then on to grandfather mountain for the daniel boone scout trail and cragway trails ~6hrs of climbing/hiking

6/29/2011 6:49:33 PM

all these ideas sound like a blast. Decided to take her to Charleston for the weekend, but Im already planning a trip to Williamsburg for October.

Any tips/recommendations for Charleston?

6/30/2011 9:43:00 AM

my wife and i found the ashley inn several years ago when we still dating (we were there for a wedding and got their $99/night rate since it was off-season)...we've been back twice and stayed there each time because it's so cool...great location, beautiful house/rooms, complimentary evening wine/tea/cheese

http://www.charleston-sc-inns.com/ashley/index.htm

website sucks, but it's rated 4.5/5 with 45 reviews on tripadvisor...it's been a little while since we've been, so i don't know what the prices are...being that it's vacation season, expect it to be expensive and likely full if you're looking at it sometime soon

also, have dinner at 82 queen in the courtyard, late enough that all of the lights are on...love that place (you'll need reservations)

we did one of the walking tours of charleston that started at 10pm...we were the only couple signed up for that time with our guide, so it was very cool (don't remember if it was a "ghost" tour or not, because we heard about the historical events and those included some hangings, suicides, murders, etc)

[Edited on June 30, 2011 at 10:03 AM. Reason : also, go to fig]

6/30/2011 10:01:04 AM

nighttime tour sounds pretty interesting...do you remember the name of the company ?

7/1/2011 9:40:04 PM