We were just in Wilmington this past fall on a road trip through Virginia and NC. Definitely do Asheville and there are some nice little towns near there. The Highlands area is nice too. We are fond of the smaller towns rather than big cities. We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway on our latest trip. NC has some beautiful mountain towns. Asheville has all kinds of art stores, etc. I would look on their website for music festivals. It's an artsy little place and music is popular there so I would think they have festivals. I think you could work Charleston in for a couple of days, but in my opinion, I would want to have more time there. I'll have to look back over my pictures for names of towns we visited.

I would ask your sister how many hours per day she is ok driving (for us, its never more than 4.... either before lunch or after!) and how many days she wants to drive at all. Every other day? Every third day?

Are you driving or flying to your first stop?

Charleston has Spoleto in May/June. I personally would not go there in August, I lived in the deep South for over 20 years and I think the Charleston summer humidity is stifling.

IMO, Charlotte is not worth a stop unless there is already a specific destination in mind. Museum, restaurant, etc. Some parts are very nice but most of it is pretty generic.

https://spoletousa.org/

Sis is great with driving-- in fact she did a recent trip to Charlotte right before Christmas (they are Tarheel fans). They did the down and back legs in one night each. I will talk with her but my guess is she'll want to do the "down trip" in one day then hang and relax for a few days before another leg.

I will also throw out the option of taking Amtrak and then renting a car. That takes a lot of burden off her ... and we can rent something fun!

Mtn she is proposing this as a "no flight" trip-- she travels a lot for work and wants to avoid the hassle/issues with delays and cancellations. Her experiences in the last few months haven't been great. We're hoping to plan another trip (with flights) to the southwest in August/Sept. We took a number of trips to a resort in Phoenix 30 yr ago and she thinks it would be great to return ... I am pulling for Santa Fe or both ;).

DLM it would be fun to meet up for lunch and/or a drink!

Tina what did you think of Wilmington? Whether we go there or another coastal town depends on where my Aunt will be. I'd like to take the Blue Ridge Parkway for one leg of our trip from PA but I suspect she'll want to do a straight shot in/out. We'll see. Our work schedules will have an impact too-- though we can both work remotely.

Yes, Dee.. thank you for reminding me of Spoleto!

Charlotte is a stop because she's a UNC fan and there are a few stores she wants us to visit. I don't imagine staying there long .. and it is between Asheville and Wilmington (if that is one of our stops).

I am pretty sure she'll take a hard pass on museums -- though there will definitely be times that we split up and do our own things.

Are you sure she didn't go to Chapel Hill/Raleigh instead of Charlotte? Chapel Hill is where the Tarheels are located.

Hmm.. yeah, I should have remembered the tarheels are in CH.

But they were definitely in Charlotte .. I confirmed they saw UNC vs MI at the Jumpman Invitational.

Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway could keep you occupied for several days! Great scenery, hiking, artsy shops, food, breweries…we went in June 2021 (I think?) and I’ve wanted to go back ever since.

I loved Charleston too but I prefer the funkiness of Asheville, not to mention the appeal of the BRP.

From PA you might be better off heading to the west/Blue Ridge from 84 (?I think that is the route). When we travel from NC to RI/MA we avoid 95 at all costs!!! We head west, from central NC through some beautiful scenery to get to that major route headed east. 95 is just sitting in traffic!

Hey if you come to Sleepy Poet antique mall in Charlotte I am right there. Also not far from the breweries. :)

Jmck .. understood and I would love to take the blue ridge parkway -- I remember when I went as a child (but betting lil sis doesnt?). She likes to travel/drive at night so the I95 nightmare won't be so bad. She has traveled between PA and NC (outbanks, RD and Charlotte) many times ... since she will be the only driver, I will let her tell me what she wants to do.

I am still going to campaign for Amtrak to "get us there" but while I find it relaxing, I could see that it might drive her batty. ;)

All these folks in NC I'd love to meet ... and how to explain to sis? LOL

Just show her this thread!

Last fall we did a mini road trip (from SE Pa) though Virginia ( Harpers Ferry WV - Luray Caverns, Natural Bridge ) on our way to Mt Airy NC . It was for Mayberry Days. We then visited friends in Morgantwon WV on the way back. It was a wonderful trip. I'll just mention that I didn't really have any expectations of those places and they were really worth seeing. Harper's Ferry was really quite something and after reading The Good Lord Bird, I wished I had read it before our visit. I was kind of clueless.

I thought the stops in Virgina were really enjoyable and memorable. We 've been to Asheville which is great as is Charleston. I agree that adding Charleston to your mix is too much for the time you are planning. The Biltmore is a must see for sure.

Just mentioning those as potential stops along the way although you are definitely heading more south than we did on our 2021 trip.

And if you are a Tarheel fan...definitely Chapel Hill! It is a cute area with a sadly struggling downtown but lots of other nearby towns with tons to do. Tarheels may have been playing a tournament in Charlotte, but the are definitely Chapel Hill. There is a nice basketball museum for the true fan.

My grandmother lived in a tiny town in the NE part of NC.. almost to VA. I have been through that state so many times and all around it due to various day trips and visiting other family. I also often visited a friend that went to Duke several times. Hands down in my opinion is Asheville.

I know this is not on your list, but Savannah is one of my favorite places in the US. It has such charm and a vibe that exceeded my expectations by a million.

I have never been to Wilmington, that sounds lovely!

You guys are going to have a blast!

I would choose mountains or coast, but not both. "Between Asheville and Wilmington " is a long dang way! If you choose coast, Charleston would be an option.

I went to college in WInston-Salem and lived in NC for 10 years after that. It is a VERY long state east to west with Wilmington on the east coast and Ashville in the western part of the state (more than five hours). I would suggest you try to visit your aunt when she is in Winston-Salem where there is lots to do (Old Salem, Reynolda Gardens on the Wake Forest Campus, and often concerts and the like. From there, you can go to Ashville which is not a difficult drive. If there is time, Blowing Rock is nice, but that is almost due west of W-S and then you could go south to Asheviile. If you are definitely going to Charlotte, that is not a bad drive from Asheville but for me, it is just a big city, although I am sure there is lots to do. I would go to the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle instead. Duke Gardens are wonderful. If you are a gardener, Plant Delights Nursery is in Raleigh. Tony Avent is renowned for his expertise and their nursery and botanic gardens are open the beginning of March and end of April. Plant Delights Otherwise you now have to schedule a visit. If you check out the link, read Tony's recommended times necessary for a visit based on type of gardeners. Very funny.

if you decide on Wilmington, you could just continue along the coast down to Charleston, stopping wherever it suits you along the way. I am not exactly sure where in PA you are, but if you have 8 days, remember that from where I lived in the Bryn Mawr area, it took 7-8 hours depending on my route to get to W-S. It was as long or longer to WIlmington. So, if you figure two driving days down and home (one down, one home), you are down to 6 days for your fun places.

And yes, the Tarheels of UNC are in Chapel Hill. In Charlotte it is the UNC Charlotte 49ers.

However you decide to do it, I am sure you will have a delightful time. I loved North Carolina when I lived there. My son has property down there as well now He and his family love getting away there.

ETA: In W-S the Reynolds home in the gardens I mentioned earlier is lovely and has an amazingly excellent collection of American art. Well, shouldn't be amazing since they had the money to acquire it all way back.

Thank you all for your suggestions and warnings. We have a lot to figure out but I am sure wherever we go that we;ll have a great time.

Here's a suggestion. It hits the three cities you mentioned, and a few others where you will find charm, sites, food, and shopping. And it breaks it up and doesn't repeat any cities.

NIGHT 1

First stop, 4hrs in, Charlottesville. Lunch and Monticello? Or overnight? Cute little downtown, UVA campus. Love this hotel too. https://www.graduatehotels.com/charlottesville/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HArm-5zSTGNtl_Yeptqno8UojCiD6hF2LMQ1fktoE846sr6Y2_fW-EaAmIPEALw_wcB

NIGHTS 2,3,4

Next up, ~5hr., Asheville. Needs no elaboration, Biltmore, downtown, BRP. etc.

Then 3.5 hrs to Charlotte for shopping and lunch, soldier on to ...

NIGHTS 5,6,7

Wilmington, another 2 hrs, to see family

NIGHT 8

Return via Durham (2hrs) stay one night. https://www.21cmuseumhotels.com/durham/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HAWi2Gpxm0zQyhUZfgzgg4aaEbAwfsUKz37phiDT1g_oPz2uNVHRzkaAslOEALw_wcB#rooms?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=text_ad&utm_campaign=durham-brand

Onto Richmond for lunch, 2hrs

Back home to PA, another 3.5 hrs.

OK, Yes, I am on Sri Lankan time, where it is 3.15pm

Wow, Mtn, that is cool. Asheville to charlotte is maybe 2.5 hours, but it is definitely more to Wilmington, maybe 4 hours down Hwy 74. It’s been awhile since I’ve been that way. She would probably want to do CH vs. Durham, but that would also work. There is a nice historic hotel downtown CH, THe Franklin. Gosh, we haven’t been to CH since before the pandemic, and DH is an alumnus. Top of the Stairs was always a good place to go for dinner and brews.

Good suggestions Mtn, I think when we went to Asheveille we did linger in Charlottesville for an overnite and a day and then some. Definitely a good place to visit.

Gscience, it is all Google maps. Asheville to Wilmington is 2 PLUS 3.5, see above

Gscience, the Franklin Hotel is no more...sadly. It was bought out and while it still exists as a hotel, the vibe is not the same. No more white tablecloths on the patio seating. And the restaurant you refer to is Top of the Hill...still there. They also have a distillery now.

Wow, that is so much more than I was expecting-- thank you, Mtn! ❤️ And when I saw your email very early this am, I thought the same-- you are on Sri Lankan time!

Your route is pretty much what I was thinking but the hotels/stops etc are much appreciated. I love the look of each of the hotels ... the exact vibe I am looking for!

We'll have to chat with my aunt-- I wouldn't mind going to winston-salem at all but I also know sis will want to hit a beach-- Wilmington is on the plan only because that's where their second house is. I know my cousins would love to show us around W-S and they are pretty well connected as DC2's DH owns a distillery. Actually the whole family is pretty connected there. Still, only slight adjustments in the plan if we switch to W-S.

I am most excited about Asheville -- I really wanted to get there in the fall but it didn't pan out. I think we could drop Charlotte but it does seem like a good pitstop.

I'll be honest-- I am not loving the idea of a car trip but she is very into the "roadtrip" aspect of it. This may change with time lol. We haven't had a lot of time to discuss because, well... there's a lot going on right now that has our combined focus. Even the little discussion we've had has been choppy because of other priorities. LOL I feel like I am being vague (and i am) but we just havent had a focused discussion yet. This all helps quite a bit. Thank you all ... and especially Mtn!

Now I really want to go to Asheville again. Is Boston on your way?

yes, look! slight adjustment

LOL! We could meet up in the Azores and then carry on to NC!

Oh, bummer about the Franklin!

Funky, remind me to send you the names of a couple of Asheville restaurants to recommend to you. We were there last summer. One in particular was recommended by a local, not downtown but in Biltmore Village in an old house. It was our favorite. You will need reservations almost everywhere, although we were lucky with this one and just walked in and only waited about 10 minutes (it was mid-week).

Sorry no help on your east coast trip, but it sounds like a lot of fun. I did want to mention that it might not be hard to talk your sister into Santa Fe instead of Phoenix in August if you just look at the temperature during that month. I think Santa Fe is in the 80's and Phoenix in the 100s.

Lyfia.. yes, I know it sounds crazy, right? When we went years ago, we always went to Phoenix in the summer. We did a LOT of sitting by the pool/under shade... they had young boys with spray bottles of cool water to take the edge off. We did walk to restaurants in the evening... but we were also in our 20s/30s then.

What she doesn't want is a lot of running around, seeing sites, hiking etc. Vacation for her is completely chill, lounging, etc. After hearing me talk about Santa Fe and a couple of National Parks I'd like to see, i think she's scared I will drag her all over and give her no time for books and margaritas (I am all about books and margaritas too!)

I am sure we'll have multiple conversations between now and the potential next trip .. a lot can happen between now and then!

ETA: Outside, I will totally take you up on the offer of your list of fav restaurants!

Curate in Asheville is lovely and won a James Beard award last year. If you like Indian food, Chai Pani is excellent as well. It also won a James Beard award last year. It's pretty quirky, small, and doesn't take reservations so plan on waiting in line outside for a while.

Our very favorite restaurant was Corner Kitchen in Biltmore Village, which is not far from the entrance to the Biltmore estate. It’s in an old Victorian house and there is on-street parking.

Downtown has lots of offerings. Our trip was pretty much a quickly planned thing, so we couldn’t get into Curate but did get a reservation at Rhubarb which was a few doors down and had a decent rating. It was good but not outstanding. There are several casual dining options and brew pubs as well as fine dining. One chain restaurant we rather like is Tupelo Honey. It’s southern fare (think chicken and waffles), good for late breakfast/brunch or lunch, and there are also good salad options.

Sister and I eat similarly -- lots of light fare/salads.. but a splurge meal or two. It really doesn't seem like we'll have a hard time finding great places to eat-- casual or upscale-- and your recommendations will help to narrow it down.

Funny story.. I planned a trip to Phila with SO during restaurant week. I thought it would be a great way to try restaurants we hadn't been to ... I made reservations for dinner each night and lunch/dinner for a few days. By day 2 we were all fooded out LOL. I had to cancel the rest of our reservations except the last night.

I'll check these out in the morning! Thank you!

I’m with you on getting fooded out. When we are traveling over several days, we often just do light appetizers at dinner.

This is one reason I like Airbnbs. I love to go to a local market, get some fruit, bread and cheese, and enjoy dinner "at home."

These restaurants all look amazing -- thank you! I am especially interested in Curate!

I won't discount AirBnBs .. it might be nice to have a home base outside of town but also liking the idea of being right downtown. Since I don't drive and really need paved walkways, I would be better able to break off on my own if downtown. Of course there are airbnbs downtown. We'll see once we nail down dates.

Downtown Asheville we usually stay at the Double Tree Hilton. It is close to the arena where we’ve gone for concerts. It used to be a Hyatt Place. It also has a rooftop bar.

Lots of award winning restaurants - food coma is real

https://tableasheville.com/

https://marketplace-restaurant.com/

https://www.chestnutasheville.com/ (same owner as Corner Kitchen which I love)

https://www.rhubarbasheville.com/

https://posanarestaurant.com/

https://sunnypointcafe.com/ for breakfast - eat on the patio

https://www.12bones.com/ for bbq (an Obama favorite)

https://www.buxtonhall.com/ bbq - I get tired of bbq quickly but it's a thing here

Thank you for the continued recommendations!

DLM, Thank you for taking the time to link all those restaurants-- they all look great! I will get tired of BBQ quickly too lol ... but will surely have at least once-- sis will love it! She's more of a meat eater than I am.

GS we'll very likely stay at a Hilton property-- I was looking at The Foundry. Do you think the Double Tree Hilton is a better location? Love a roof top bar-- there seem to be a lot of them in Asheville!

Sorry Funky, I just saw your question. We stayed in Southport, NC which is very near Wilmington. It's a cute little town. We really didn't do much in Wilmington, other than visit the beach area and a restaurant or two. We drove through the neighborhoods looking at the beautiful old homes. I have been to Wilmington many times in my childhood, as my god-parents used to live in that area. We have visited the battleship, although I doubt that is something you and your sis want to do! LOL!! There is a nice historic area and a riverwalk. I know you said your sister wouldn't be interested in museums, but there are some nice old mansion/plantations now set up as museums that you can tour. Not the typical museum.

For the Asheville area, I believe you said something about antiques, visit the Antique Tobacco Barn. It's a bit overwhelming as it is LARGE, but lots to see in there. Someone mentioned the Sleepy Poet antique store in Charlotte, I believe we went there year before last when we stopped overnight near Gastonia, NC.

As for BnBs, we like to stay in one if we are staying in one spot. We are very much "road-trippers" and love driving from point A to point XYZ and stopping at spots in between. Those trips do not work well for BnBs once you figure in the fees. There are some very nice hotels in Asheville, and in many of the larger cities in NC. When you do visit Charleston, there are both nice hotels (some very nice ones!) and some great BnBs. We like to stay on one of the surrounding islands and usually rent a place on the beach.

Yeah, sis doesn't want a trip with lots of activity -- not that she is against museums lol but she's doing ALL the driving and she's much more of a chill and shop kind of relaxer. She used to love spas but has become very allergic and doesn't like to take a chance on new products. I think SMALL antique shops are more likely her jam but eh, I am sure it will depend on the vibe of the day.

Thank you, Tina ... and all who have shared ideas (in case I missed calling you out personally)!

Funky, I wanted to point out that downtown Asheville is very walkable in the sense that there are a lot of things to do within a condensed area. But I wouldn't say that it is particularly accessible. It is hilly, the streets are a maze that adds lots of curbs and the sidewalks can get very crowded. I don't know if that would impact where you would choose to stay.

Thanks for this Dee .. I can't always predict what will be a challenge for me but curbs/uneven walkways are definitely challenges. My sis and her daughter are amazing help ... they just casually and quietly note when there's a step up or uneven spot... but I don't always want to be tied to being with her (and I don't want to fall or feel unsafe when alone).