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This June Teres and I are taking off from the Florida heat to spend a week in Maggie Valley, NC. We rented a cabin with a stream on the property and a (hopefully) high enough elevation for pleasant temperatures. Anybody know anything about the area?
After 21 years of marriage this will be the very first week we've ever spent away from the house together without kids along. I'm psyched.
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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I haven't vacationed there for over 8 years, but I went there several times when I was a kid. My impression the last time I went is that the mountains have lost visitors to the beach. It's a great place to decompress, because, except for a few hot spots like Grandfather mountain, Blowing Rock, parts of Boone and Asheville, and Cherokee, it's not busy at all. If you're looking for really laid-back, try West Jefferson. Grandfather Mountain is fun, as is Rock City, to a lesser degree. Asheville has become ridiculously upscale, they have very high-end boutiques, restaurants, and several pretty good vegetarian restaurants. There's an amazing Chinese restaurant across from the Asheville mall, truly out-of-this-world good.
I'd visit Grandfather mountain, maybe Blowing Rock, and, depending on what you're looking for, either Asheville, with the upscale whatnots, Boone, with fun and/or kitschy shopping (college town stuff), or West Jefferson, for more laid-back local feel. Cherokee has the Indian Reservation, if that's what you're into, plus there's the Harrah's casino, which I personally wouldn't touch wit ha 10-foot pole. You can, to some degree, make of it what you want. The weather in June is gorgeous, some of the best in the world. Bring sweatshirts and/or jackets for the cool mornings.
Do I really have to mention the Biltmore Estate in Asheville? I don't know if you'd like it or not. It's the largest private residence in the world, it truly is a big house. The vineyards and winery are neat there, if that's what you are into. Biltmore is not cheap, though, I think they're up to about $40 per person for an all-day pass. That's sticker shock for me--it was $15 back in 1990 when I visited at Christmas.
If you like river rafting/canoeing/tubing, there's a ton of it. Tubing down the river is one of my favorite summer things. It might still be a little chilly that time of year for it, pick a sunny day if you'll be doing that.
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