Charlottesville to Atlanta via Asheville

[Sub-Urbanite]

I'm driving from Charlottesville to Atlanta soon and I'm trying to plan out exactly how to go.

I have one thing set: I'm spending the night in Asheville midway.

Here's my considerations:

• I'm traveling with an almost-6-year-old
• I've never been to the South
• I get one day in Atlanta, my return flight leaves the morning after I arrive.
• I'd like to drive through some part of GSMNP, probably Cades Cove
• I'd also like to visit Fonta Flora Brewing in Morgantown NC but I feel like I have to choose between GSMNP and Fonta Flora and I'm picking bears over beers if I have to choose.
• I can leave Charlottesville as early as I want but I am not a morning person so I'm going to be somewhat miserable if it's too early.

Discuss amongst yourselves...
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[kevinb1994]

Found this while searching for "One Day in Atlanta" ...

https://discoveratlanta.com/explore/itineraries/one-day-in-atlanta/

[hbelkins]

You're going to be pressed for time if you leave Charlottesville, want to detour west to Cades Cove, and then make it to Asheville the same night.

I-64 to I-81 to I-40, exit at TN 66 and go south to Sevierville, then US 441 into the park (using the Gatlinburg bypass if you don't want to get caught in the traffic there), to the access to Cades Cove.

On return, US 321 north out of Gatlinburg (East Parkway, the turn is, IIRC, at Traffic Light #3) to I-40 to Asheville.

From Asheville, I'd highly recommend US 23 into Georgia, then the interstates on in to Atlanta. Easy, scenic drive, which should all be four lanes now (when I drove it years ago, there were still a few two-lane segments of 23 in Georgia that were under construction).

[Mapmikey]

The time split on the suggested itinerary above is roughly:

Day 1 - 9.5 hr
Day 2 - 3.5 hr

However, you can do everything on your list by going Charlottesville-Morganton-Asheville (US 29 to Greensboro then I-40) on Day 1, then Asheville-Cades Cove-Atlanta (use reverse of above to get to Cades Cove, then make your way over to US 411 or I-75 to get to Georgia.

Not including the Cades Cove loop itself, this is roughly:

Day 1 - 6 hr
Day 2 - 7.1 hr

[webny99]

The time split on the suggested itinerary above is roughly:

Day 1 - 9.5 hr
Day 2 - 3.5 hr

However, you can do everything on your list by going Charlottesville-Morganton-Asheville (US 29 to Greensboro then I-40) on Day 1, then Asheville-Cades Cove-Atlanta (use reverse of above to get to Cades Cove, then make your way over to US 411 or I-75 to get to Georgia.

Not including the Cades Cove loop itself, this is roughly:

Day 1 - 6 hr
Day 2 - 7.1 hr

That's exactly what I was thinking - it might make more sense to do the Smokies/Cades Cove after Asheville. Just for fun, here is Google's recommendation - 13 hours of travel time even with a stop at Morganton. Skipping Morganton saves about 20-25 minutes of travel time, but if you do Cades Cove first and then Asheville, you're back to a full 13 hours.

[hbelkins]

If I'm in Asheville, have all day to get to Atlanta, and am going to do Cades Cove, then I'm going to Cherokee and across Newfound Gap Road to get the full flavor of the Smokies. Once you do Cades Cove, continue on TN 73 to US 321 to Maryville, where you can either make your way over to I-75 or continue south on US 411 (not a bad drive, but underposted speed-wise in many locations in Tennessee) to I-75 in Georgia.

[Sub-Urbanite]

OK, throwing another two variables in here:

- I've never been to South Carolina. I was planning on fixing that, even if it just meant driving 26 to 85 on my way to Atlanta. But, there's clinching for clinching's sakes and then there's actually enjoying one's vacation...

- Am I just writing off Atlanta on this trip? I had a notion of taking the kid to World of Coca Cola or to the Georgia Aquarium, but if we're getting into town too late then why bother. (Side thought that I should also heed: It's probably not smart to take an unvaccinated kid to an indoor tourist attraction in the South right now...)

[doorknob60]

(Side thought that I should also heed: It's probably not smart to take an unvaccinated kid to an indoor tourist attraction in the South right now…)

I went to World of Coca-Cola last week and they were requiring masks and it was well enforced. Also, I saw more masks than I expected in places like Walmart and malls around the Atlanta area, at least in the places I stopped (more than in the Boise area; they're not required in either area now and I'm vaccinated, so I'm not bothered either way; just my observations).

[VetteDriver16]

Some words of caution from someone who lives in the area:

I-26 south of I-40 in the Asheville area is under construction and that leads to frequent backups and slowdowns.
US-441 through the GSMNP is often congested.  That could affect your timing.
Atlanta area traffic can frequently cause travelers to underestimate their drive time.   

[doorknob60]

Some words of caution from someone who lives in the area:

I-26 south of I-40 in the Asheville area is under construction and that leads to frequent backups and slowdowns.
US-441 through the GSMNP is often congested.  That could affect your timing.
Atlanta area traffic can frequently cause travelers to underestimate their drive time.

I'll chime in as I was in the area recently.

1. Yeah that's true, I-26 was stop and go in places, and was generally unpleasant to drive on pretty much all the way to the US-74 split even when traffic was flowing.
2. Yeah I ran into road construction through the park when I was there, they were repaving. Added at least 45-60 minutes of just being stopped on the road, not ideal. Not sure if that's still happening. Worth checking before making any plans through there.
3. At least I got lucky there, didn't run into any delays longer than 10 minutes or so on the Atlanta freeways.