Anyone on hear know of some places to take the kids in Asheville in October? I've looked on the Chamber of Commerce site and read all those. Anyone know of some "offbeat" non-touristy places that might be interesting? We are going camping in Asheville for an event and meeting folks at the KOA East Campgrounds. Going mid-October. Short trip as the kids are in school. Gone Fri., Sat. and come home on Sunday afternoon. We'd love to do something w/ them on Saturday near Asheville. Has anyone been to the Caverns at Linville? If so, did you like it? Any recommendations to go to OR to stay away from? There is a wildlife reserve out there as well. Looking for ideas to do w/ kids. Want to stay away from amusement parks. Want something different, something they or us haven't really seen or done before. I would LOVE to go whitewater rafting but the minimum weight limit is 60 lbs. So our two youngest wouldn't be able to go on that. Are there any rafting places that accept lower weights? Lots of questions, I know. But want to nail down trip details soon. Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have on where to go in Asheville. We are all really looking forward to this trip. We will learn so much but want it also to have some fun thrown in there for everyone. Take care, stephanie--mom to 7
I've been to Linville Caverns...I am very claustrophobic, and had a panic attack. If anyone in your family has those problems, I'd stay away! (this was just last summer by the way, not when I was a kid) If you all enjoy being underground, and having the tour guides turn off EVERY SINGLE LIGHT so you can see what it used to be like for the miners, then more power to you! All I could think of was, OMG, If this thing collapses right now, I would not be able to see to get out of here! (I know, it sounds dumb)
Well I'll state the obvious, Biltmore Estate. It's pricey though. Hmmm, outdoor stuff? Well it's not in Asheville but in October Tweetsie Railroad turns into a "haunted" train.
Doesn'tsound dumb at all. I too suffer from panic attacks but different reasons. However, I do have some in my family that are a bit claustrophobic so that might be a bad idea. Thanks for the heads up. Nice to hear what others have to say. Thanks. stephanie--mom to 7
You don't sound dumb...I am the same way. We travel to MI to see my family and we have to go through tunnels and it freaks me out every time. I have to close my eyes and hang my head then when we get out my husband will let me know. Luckily the tunnels aren't too long so no panic attacks. I always think what if it collapses right now... I also don't like aquariums where you have to walk through the glass tunnels...just don't trust them enough.
Jeepgirl - you know, the aquariums have never bothered me, but they might now!! I do believe it's getting worse the older I get. Anyway, Tweetsie is also great, we took our kids there just last month, but the OP said she didn't want to do amusement parks, so I didn't mention it. Honestly, when we go out to the mountains (quite frequently since we have a cabin out there), we love hopping on the Blue Ridge Parkway and seeing where it leads us! There are a ton of great parks out there, just pack a lunch, some balls/frisbees, fishing poles and see where you end up! I wish I could remember the name of the one with the lake that's great, Price Park maybe? Biltmore is great too, but very expensive for your family, and I don't think that's what you had in mind. If you want to do water rafting, you might want to google Jefferson, although it might be a drive from Asheville, but they do a lot of that out there on the river. I've never done it, since one of my kids is scared of water and one is too young, but would like to when they're older. I've heard a lot of good things about that area though, think they do a lot of it out that way.
http://www.tweetsie.com/special_events/ 26 bucks a person, advance tickets only. We're going to go this year for the first time. I've heard good things about it. I don't think it will too scary for kids since they mention 2 and under free.
Went to Tweetsie last year and great park for kids of ALL ages! Loved it. Older kids were allowed to go off together on some of the "scarier" rides while the little ones could do age appropriate for them. Worked out well. We went when they had the Thomas The Tank Weekend as my youngest is obsessed w/ Thomas--LOL. It was worth the money and very fun. Highly recommend going. Since they went last year, that's kind of why I don't want to do another amusement thing this year. Keep the ideas coming. There's just so much to do. We can't do Biltmore as tickets for our family would be a couple hundred dollars. --and that's w/ a vendor discount from work! I hear it is a must see though so hoping one day we can go. Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming. Have to decide soon where we're going. Stephanie--mom to 7
you could always check out the Cherokee Reservation, a lot to see there and educational, also Ghosttown in the Sky is pretty cool but not sure how close both of those are to where you are staying.
Ghost Town I've never been to. It's in Maggie Valley though and that's 30 to 40 mins from Asheville. Maybe do a search in the Asheville area for the Corn Maze deal around there. Here's a Ghost Trolley in Asheville, http://www.exploreasheville.com/wha...spx?guid=71e9e3c8-a4bf-4736-94d7-612fc22a00f6 Here's a "fun center" with a little bit of it all: lasertag, climbing wall, etc. http://www.ashevillesfundepot.com/
Well, we've been out to Asheville several times...We are actually going to go to Asheville this weekend...We absolutely love the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad - It's a bit pricey, but it is a 4+ hour train ride leaving from Bryson City...It's a beautiful trip and well worth it...Especially if you're going in October, but I would recommend buying your tickets in advance because that is their busy time of year because of the leaves changing... If you have time, you can certainly check out the Cherokee Reservation area and the many shops in town...If you need anything else, let me know...
