Heading to Asheville, NC and need some tips, please!

[tlh21]

Hi all,

In a few weeks, around the 7th of August, my boyfriend and I will be heading to Asheville, NC from College Station, TX and would like to know any useful info. or interesting tips/ideas for our driving route to and from there.

Thanks for your help!

[Dominic Longo]

Welcome to the RT Forum!

How long do you have to get to North Carolina? It's going to take a minimum of two days to get from Texas to North Carolina. My suggestions are based on a 2 day "speed run"

You have 3 interstate options here that won't be much different as far as time goes. Interstate 10 will take you along the gulf coast. You'll get I-65 near Mobile, AL and then up to Montgomery to get 1-85. You would want to take that to Atlanta, GA to get the I-985 route to US-23 where you will take that north to I-40 East to Asheville, Mobile may be a good stopping point.

The second is using I-20, which you would pick up in Shreveport, LA after traveling local roads. This is a route I have done myself. It's a lot of pine trees in Alabama and Mississippi along I-20. The Mississippi River crossing here has an unbelievable view, though. In Birmingham, AL I-20 hooks up with I-59 N. You would take I-59 to I-24 E in Tennessee and take the I-75 merge north bound. An exit for US 64 would then take you to I-40 and into Asheville. Birmingham may be a good stopping point.

The third is using I-40 for the entire trip. You would take your local Texas roads to Texarkana and getting I-30 N to Little Rock, Arkansas. From there you would take I-40 the rest of the way to Asheville. I did the stretch from Little Rock to Nashville. Arkansas is bigger than it looks. Memphis would be a good stopping point.

Any of these routes is no more than 40 miles longer than the next and you shoudl be able to complete them all in 2 days if you have to go fast.

[tlh21]

Thanks so much!! This is really helpful

[tlh21]

The trip there will have to be quick, b/c we are picking someone up in Asheville, so the 2 day "speed run" routes were very helpful, thank you.

On our way back however, we have more time to do some sightseeing. Do you have any other recommendations on what we could see or the best (tourist-like) routes to take on our way back?

[glc]

My mapping program says this is the fastest route:

US-190/US-79/TX-43/I-20/I-459/I-59/I-24/I-75/I-40.

The halfway point for an overnight would be between Jackson and Meridian MS.

The route through Atlanta is real close to the same time, but you have a bigger chance for traffic delays.