Live in NC and want to plan an affordable weekend getaway for 1-year anniversary...help!?

Question

my boyfriend and I have been thinking that we want to go away for the weekend of our 1-year anniversary (which is coming up at the beginning of august)....we want a place that is in decent driving distance of Raleigh, NC...because flying would be WAY too expensive for just a weekend trip...any good ideas of where we could go?

Answer 1

Asheville is only 4 hours away and makes a great weekend getaway.  It's busy in the summer though, so I'd make hotel reservations soon.

But it's a great romantic place...charming downtown where you can walk around, window shopping, eating at romantic bistros, that kind of thing.  And the mountains have beautiful scenery.

And of course there's the beach...many beaches are only a 3 hour drive away.  Wrightsville Beach is a good option because it's right next to Wilmington.  Wilmington has a nice charming downtown too, with shops, cafe's and such.  You can even eat at a restaurant overlooking the river.

Answer 2

Go to Lake Norman or drive to Myrtle Beach, Savannah is always fun

Answer 3

Oh, you have a world of opportunities within driving distance!

Williamsburg, Virginia, with Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens amusement park

Richmond, Virginia, if you'd rather go to Kings Dominion

Washington DC is an easy weekend trip, and that is the most fantastic city.  The various museums are generally only open until 5 pm on Saturday, so if you want to go to a museum, get up and get going.

Baltimore is only about another hour past Washington.  The Inner Harbor is neat.  Don't miss the Aquarium and Fort McHenry.  And then head over a mile or so to Little Italy and have some authentic home-cooked Italian food.  My favorite spot is Amicci's.

Finding a place to stay at the beach in August isn't going to be easy but it can be done.  There's Beaufort NC (have dinner at the Net House) and Morehead City if you head east on Highway 70.  Or go east on I-40 to Wrightsville Beach, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, or Oak Island.  Or head on down to Myrtle Beach, SC.  Or you can head out the 64 bypass and go straight for the Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers Memorial.

The NC mountains are beautiful.  Try Hendersonville.  There are hotels, motels, and some lovely bed & breakfasts.  To make it a really gorgeous drive, when you leave Hendersonville to come home, drive east on Highway 64 instead of I-40.  Oh, Hendersonville is this adorable little town with the cutest shopping area and nicest people you've ever met.  And if you can, head on over to Carl Sandburg's home, Connemara, at Flat Rock.

Asheville, NC is another beautiful town.  There is an antique car museum at the Grove Park Inn.  There are also several museums dedicated to handcrafts (weaving, spinning, pottery) and mountain life.  And then there's the Biltmore House.  Everyone should go see Biltmore once.  If you can, take one of their extra tours.  My husband and I did the "Rooftop" tour and the "Behind the Scenes" tour.  Very cool.

Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, is on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Lynchburg.  

There's lots to see and do in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.  Open a map, close your eyes, and put your finger on a spot, and just - go.  :-)

Answer 4

You could go to Charleston, SC, that would be a cool trip, or maybe the Outer Banks, or another beach along the NC coast, I enjoy Holden Beach, it's very low key and quiet there aren't as many people there as there are in Myrtle Beach but it's still close enough to Myrtle Beach that you will have plenty of things to do. Or you could go to Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg TN there's lots to there and beautiful scenery. You could book a cabin in the NC mountains for the weekend in the Boone or Blowing Rock area, and take a drive a long the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is so beautiful! Virginia beach is nice too. There are really a lot of options. Good Luck!

Answer 5

You should visit the nc mountains!  they are beautiful this time of year.  It is much cooler(temp) than it would be at the beach in in central nc.  There are good restaurants, hiking, etc.  (i live in the nc mountain by the way so i have a permanent vacation)  You can find cabins at an affordable price too.  Good luck!

Answer 6

Well you could always go to Virginia beach.

book a hotel and just enjoy the sun during this weather :)

Answer 7

Go to Expedia.com and book a Carnival cruise that departs from Jacksonville, FL. (You can go to Mexico, Bahamas, etc). Jacksonville is only 6 hours driving distance from Raleigh NC and Carnival cruises from Jacksonville are incredibly cheap.

If you only have two or three days, try renting a cabin in Asheville, NC.

Answer 8

Don't know if you want mountains or beach.  If your heading to the mountains, Boone and Asheville are awesome. I grew up in Boone and moved to Henderson (about 45 min N of you) in 2003. In Boone the Blue Ridge Parkway is a MUST! You and your boyfriend can have a nice romantic drive or stop off at one of the hiking trails.  Grandfather Mountain is cool to,also check out Howard's k**b. There are also really cool art galleries and neat little shops on King Street. Hwy 421 runs right into King st.  My FAVORITE eats in Boone are Maccadoo's on King street . ( I recommend their "Diamond Jim" sandwich) the other is Killwinds ice cream ( it's in Blowing Rock  about 5 min from Boone)  The Boone Baglery is a must ( I recommend the everything bagel with cream cheese! Boone is aprox 4 hours from me so not to bad.  Asheville is about 5 hours from here and there is always something going on. In Asheville there is the Biltmore of course but down town is so cool. There are lots of good eats if you like Sushi go to Wasabi. In downtown there is this neat little coffee shop made out of a double decker buss. You may want to check out some of the art gallires and if your into the nightlife there are dozens of pubs and nightclubs. Parking can be a pain but it's so worth it Asheville is a beautiful town. OH go to " the sky bar" it's a really cool place. The skybar offers some AMAZING views and a relaxed atmosphere.  As for the beaches Nag's Head is nice but I prefer mountains so I'm no help there.  e-mail me if you want more details on Asheville or Boone. I'm a local from Boone like I said so I can tell you about some of the things that are "off the beaten trail" Good luck and Happy trails