Eastern U S A

[Garador]

Towards the end of March Mrs G and I are travelling to spend Easter with our daughter in North Carolina.

After a 4 night stay in Washington we will be travelling towards Charlotte, and was wondering if any of you might offer some tips on where to visit/what to see en route.

Suggestions will be greatly appreciated. TIA

[Hymie]

A few years ago I organised my own fly-drive holiday in and out of Washington DC – travelling as far south as Savannah.

I can’t say that there is anywhere that I’d really recommend.

You could take a slight detour and take in Shenandoah National Park (a pleasant enough drive), then Interstate 81 to Roanoke (for the Blue Ridge Mountains). Other than that, check out Trip Advisor for recommendations at towns/cities close by.

[Garador]

Thank you Hymie, all contributions gratefully accepted.

[stuey]

Although a little further south, "sea-sidey" Myrtle Beach, "grandiose" Charleston, and "statuesque" Brookgreen Gardens all in SC are worth visiting.

[jno]

Jamestown, the site of the first (successful) English in America

http://www.historyisfun.org/

Colonial Williamsburg

http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/

This area's all very historic; it's about the story of the British Empire as well as of America. You can visit old plantation mansions.

If you can get further south to Savannah and Charleston they're also well worth a visit - lovely old colonial towns. (With vast grey modern suburbs, of course.)

[jno]

English *settlement*. Years before the Pilgrim Fathers went to Massachusetts.

[stuey]

I should add that Brookgreen Gardens is just down the highway from Myrtle Beach on the way to Charleston. And yes; they'll be in full bloom in March/April.

[Hymie]

If you are heading south as far as Savannah/Myrtle Beach, then my McNally Rand road atlas recommends driving the N.C. outer banks along Highway 12, accessed via ferry at the southern end.

[Clanad]

A number of years ago, a rather good movie (my estimation) was filmed near Ashton, North Carolina. This is unique in that the movie version of James Fenimore Cooper's novel The Last of the Mohicans was set in upstate New York.

The film included Daniel Day-Lewis as a lead. It was released internationally, I believe.

Many of the stunning scenes are recognizable as are many of the scene locations.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are, of course, startling beautiful in their own right…

Welcome to the U.S., by the way...

[jno]

it was indeed widely released, Clanad, and very successful as I recall. Real locations are sometimes harder to film in than more accessible ones that are however less authentic.

I once came across On Golden Pond being filmed, but it was on a beach rather than the actual pond that was playing the title role.

[stuey]

If you do happen to go to Myrtle Beach, you should take in the ambiance of the Bowery. It's a bar where Alabama got its start. When I frequented it, the management didn't pay the bands. Instead, the staff passed around an antique *** pot for the patrons to place tips in it for the bands!

[stuey]

OK, pea pot:) Actually, I guess it was more of a chamber pot.

[Garador]

Thank you everybody, very grateful.

[zebo]

If you're fans of Dirty Dancing, Lake Lure is in that area and worth a visit although I'm not sure what's still there. Savannah and Charleston are amazing. West(ish) of Washington is Harper's Ferry which is very worth the detour if American history is of interest to you, John Brown's body and all that.