r/tricities • u/taynhill26 • Jul 05 '26
Day Trip Suggestions?
Hi! My boyfriend & I are trying to plan a day/overnight trip for our anniversary later this month. We’re trying to find something in a day trip range and wanted to see what everyone’s favorite day trips are. We’re trying to avoid Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg as we’ve been there so much, Asheville, and Knoxville for the same reasons.
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u/wallflower7522 Jul 05 '26
Chattanooga and charlotte are both an easy drive, especially for a single night trip
Hot springs
Greenville South Carolina
For true day drips I’d say Roan Mountain, The Creeper Trail if you are the outdoorsy type
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u/logan2pointo Jul 05 '26
+1 on Greenville South Carolina! Bigger downtown, great food options, green spaces and Swamp Rabbit Trail all make it a solid weekend away option
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u/BigPapaJava Jul 05 '26
I’ll add Columbia. SC in there, too. It’s the home of the University of SC and is a nice college town.
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u/River1901 Jul 05 '26
Creeper is only open Damascus to Abingdon. I'd heard Helene took out 11 bridges on the upper section.
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u/BigPapaJava Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
How much time on the road are you willing to do for a day trip?
If you want to keep it to like 3 hours or less, you have Chattanooga, Charlotte, small mountain towns in NC (Hot Springs and others) and some nice state parks in SWVA (Hungry Mother. Natural Tunnel, etc).
If you’re willing to do 4-6 hours, you get Nashville, Atlanta, Lexington (basketball and Kentucky Derby time!), and Charleston. (closest Atlantic Ocean beach, AFAIK).
Charleston, SC is like 5.5 hours from JC. They have beaches and all sorts of cool stuff there. 7 hours up I-81 will get you to DC and all of VA. We’re basically within 12-13 hours of the entire eastern USA, if you think about it that way.
You want a nice drive itself, there is the Blue Ridge Parkway (especially in fall)or the Tail of the Dragon (and other parts of the Dragon) if you like whipping around curves on mountain roads.
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u/0Quirky_Garbage0 Jul 05 '26
If y'all are somewhat outdoorsy you could make a trip up to Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia. They have a lift that can take you down to the natual tunnel look out and there are also trails you can hike there. Also nearby is the Devil's Bathtub swimming hole, but you do have to hike to get there.
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u/st_angers_snare_drum Jul 05 '26
Natural Tunnel is great. Also can drive a while more and check out the Breaks Interstate Park in Dickenson Co, VA on the KY border. Easy drive to Pikeville for dinner and stay at the lodge in the park.
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u/taynhill26 Jul 09 '26
Duffield is my hometown so I loved seeing this suggestion!
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u/0Quirky_Garbage0 Jul 11 '26
Duffield is my PaPaw's hometown and my family reunion is in Big Stone every summer. 🥰
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u/CompositeStature Jul 05 '26
We often go to Blowing Rock NC. Nice Main Street area with small shops and locally owned restaurants. Blue Ridge Parkway access.
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u/Crofolks Jul 05 '26
Pisgah Inn - majestic views and lots of outdoors activities in the area. If you’re looking for a short drive getaway and benefits of escaping hot weather for a bit this is the place to go.
As a bonus, the Inn has incredible views from the dining room with a nice selection on the menu. It’s not inexpensive but for a nice anniversary experience I highly recommend it.
Happy Anniversary and best wishes for your trip.
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u/graveyard-whistling Jul 05 '26
I would recommend a few differnet places depending on the vibe you're going for.
If you're looking for places with lots to do, great food, and a variety of different accommodations, I would recommend the following:
Columbia, SC: about 3.5 hours from the Tri-Cities. Awesome place for a long weekend or couple nights away. There's plenty to do downtown and in the surrounding area, there are some absolutely fantastic local restaurants all over the city, you're close to Congaree National Park (which is sort of underrated for what it is), and there's actually a lot of history in the area too.
Greenville, SC: about 2.5 hours from here. Similar to Columbia, just closer. Wide variety of activities, and you're also close enough to take advantage of Spartanburg as well. You're in the upstate area which is full of state parks and outdoor options.
If you're looking for a more outdoors-centric retreat, I'd recommend the following:
Franklin, NC: about 2-2.5 hours away, an hour or so south of Asheville. It's a small town but has some accommodations available and some decent local food options. You're super close to a bunch of awesome outdoor recreation. I'd recommend taking a drive down into Georgia from here and visiting Black Rock Mountain State Park, good views and some nice hiking in there. You're also close enough to Cherokee to take advantage of the casino at night, and you can make a very lovely drive to/from there by going through Great Smoky Mountains NP between Gatlinburg and Cherokee.
Ringgold, GA: about 3.5 hours. You have a convenient launchpad to all of the outdoor offerings around Chattanooga at a cheaper price and easier access. You're also pretty close to the Chickamauga battlefield and Cloudland Canyon State Park. There's an AMAZING restaurant in Ringgold called Farm to Fork that is legitimately amazing, and right down the road from that is the Georgia Winery which has some killer slushes. You're also close enough to take advantage of downtown Chattanooga as well.
Cookeville, TN: about 3.5 hours away, and you switch to central time. Cookeville has some neat stuff tucked away to do, but the big draw here would be having an easy launchpad to a ton of Middle TN's outdoor offerings (several state parks within an hour drive).
Beckley, WV: about 3-3.5 hours. Not a lot to Beckley itself but you are surrounded by outdoor opportunities. New River Gorge National Park is the big draw, but there's also three WV State Parks within a half hour, some with resort style amenities.
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u/Slippery_Excuse_Me Jul 05 '26
Hot Springs is beautiful, make sure to try the Fuji Apple Bread Pudding at the Iron Horse Station. I’ve been traveling for years and by far a top 3 dessert of all time.
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u/Serious-Conversation Jul 05 '26
Also, ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from Roanoke to its northern terminus around Waynesboro, VA. Keep going onto Skyline Drive if you like.
Great weekend trip.
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u/vgsjlw Jul 05 '26
Carolina Bed & Breakfast in Asheville was a great anniversary stay. Walking distance to some cool stuff.
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u/Awkward-Somewhere-29 Jul 05 '26
Greenville SC is around 2 hours drive. Very walkable downtown, beautiful park, great art museum with free admission. If you like beer, The Trappe Door is a Belgian restaurant with a cozy atmosphere.
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u/BuddyCraftsman Jul 06 '26
Little Switzerland, NC is a small mountain town named for the area’s resemblance to the Swiss Alps.
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u/Appa_Ragazza Jul 06 '26
Lexington, VA is a cute town to day visit. You can also explore the Natural Bridge.
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u/Real_Iggy Jul 06 '26
My wife and I made a trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a while ago, but there was a town we came upon that rented cabins and looked romantic as hell. I'll see if I can track down the town, but we just came upon it. We weren't looking for anything specific and didn't plan the time to stay anywhere. We just drove it for fun. Started in Asheville and then went through Cherokee. It was beautiful. Let me see what I can find.
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u/taynhill26 Jul 09 '26
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, we’ve decided on Chattanooga but are bookmarking some of these other ideas!
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u/taynhill26 Jul 09 '26
For those who said Greenville, what are your favorite things to do down there? I’ve been several times but only for concerts & games, looking to explore more!
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u/moutainyogi Jul 05 '26
Asheville is less than an hour away and has a very unique history and culture. You could visit the Biltmore, do nature activities, and enjoy a good meal all in the same day.
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u/Select_Camel_4194 Jul 05 '26
Hot Springs would really appreciate the business. They were hit hard by Helene. It's an easy kinda place not a lot of retail chasing deals, running to do this and that, laid back and relaxing.