Advisor

A little over a month ago, I took delivery of my first GT3. She is/was brand spanking new with only 15 delivery miles. I'm coming out of a '15 Carrera S (purchased just last year) that I thought was pretty awesome until I test drove a GT3. I'm still pretty stoked about it. She was purchased from the West Coast & shipped over to me. I'm trying my hardest to get through a proper break in so that I can properly give her the full beans. Anywho, the wife & I recently decided to plan a road trip from PA down through Virginia & into TN/NC for the Tail of the Dragon & surrounding roads. We are planning on doing the trip sometime next month. When I did Performance Center Delivery of my M3 a few years ago, I didn't make it although I was fairly close. I've always wanted to check TOTD off of my bucket list & now is as good a time as ever.

The plan is to trailer the GT3 down & back. We plan on taking 81 out of PA & once we get deep in Virginia hitting up a nice winery or 2. The next day we will finish the trip down to TN/NC fairly close to the Dragon & the surrounding area. Plan to find a couple nice BBQ joints, maybe near Knoxville. Here's where I need help from you guys.

Since I've never done any of this before:
1) Any really nice wineries south of Roanoke/Blacksburg area along 81 that you would recommend??
2) What are some must have BBQ joints in TN, perhaps near Knoxville or just south east of there? I'm already thinking of 1 or 2...Sweet P's, Calhoun's on the River.
3) I've already read plenty of posts about TOTD is too heavily populated at times, so once I check it off of my list, where should I head next in the area?? I only have on the list so far Route 129 & I know there are tons more.
4) The Wife is currently looking for Hotels to stay at along the way. Any suggestions there? Both in VA along 81 in conjunction with the winery stop as well as once we get near the dragon..?

Confession time. I've never trailered anything in my life. I don't have the room to buy one so I was just going to rent one. What options do I have other than U-Haul? Any direction or threads to point me to would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

evilfij

I would not trailer it as that defeats the point and there is almost no way you could get a GT3 on a uhaul trailer anyway.

Lexington, VA is nice on the 81 corridor as a place to stop.

Ric In RVA

Look up the back of the dragon and any number of fine Virginia back roads.

https://www.motorcycleroads.org/2016...gon-va-hwy-16/

Advisor

Thanks. Any place in particular in Lexington? Not sure the wife will go for a 10 hour drive in just the LWB's, hence the reason to get the new RAM on the highway and see how it feels with trailer in tow.

Advisor

Just looked it up. Looks awesome. I will have to add this to the list. Thanks a bunch.

Bruce R

Be careful of cops in Virginia, they are ruthless.
On a positive note, the Cherohala Skyway, to Tellico Plains, is where you want to head after the TOTD. It's 3x as fast, much less populated, is well enginreered and runs for miles and miles. Hit it early in the summer you'll thank me.
Nantahala Outdoor Center has some good accommodation options. And of course Asheville, your wife will love the city, food & beer are great here.

Guest89

I will echo the above.

No reason whatsoever to trailer the car, but you will have to take it easy in Virginia given traffic enforcement, especially on I-81.

Evilfij and I both went to school in Lexington, VA (Washington & Lee); the Hampton Inn there is probably the nicest place to stay (or at least it was when I was in school from 2007-2011). You could eat at The Red Hen, the restaurant from which Sarah Huckabee Sanders was expelled!

As far as roads around the dragon, the Cherohala Skyway is nearby and noteworthy. You could also take 129 south into Georgia, where there are other excellent roads nearby. Highlands and Cashiers in North Carolina are both very nice, refined towns that aren’t too far way either.

On the return route you could take the long way through Ohio and hit the Hocking Hills; that’s the (in)famous area where Car and Driver conducted many of its sports car comparison tests in the past (and they still go occasionally).

The dragon itself is full of traffic and police enforcement - you’ll have more fun on every other road I mentioned (I grew up in North Georgia and rarely drive the dragon, much prefer other roads).

evilfij

Hi guest89.

I’d stay here in Lexington.

https://roberteleehotel.com/

last few times I was there I stayed here

https://www.sheridanliveryinn.com/

It’s nice, but it was a bit dated when I was there last. No current info though. As guest89 says, red hen is good. I like the southern Inn but it is more traditional. Macadus is a neat bar when it is not flooded with students. . The Palm is more my speed if you are into that kind of place.

It’s a really cool town, have not been back in a while, but nice to spend an afternoon or day, good places to eat (and drink). And it’s right off 81. Prices are reasonable in the summer especially. Avoid graduation and homecoming reunion etc weekends (both W&L and VMI).

But I have to say, I don’t think you could get a GT3 on a Uhaul trailer. Maybe if you had a ledge so the ramps were nearly parallel, but I can’t see it working without some engineering which is hard to do at the destination. Also, I am not sure Uhaul will even rent you one for a GT3. You need to check.

On Sunday I did 4:50 minutes in the LWB and it was great. Did the RDS road rally which was lots of fun. Chester county (and northern new castle county) have some great roads. Then again I also drove a lotus Elise non-stop from Ft. Lauderdale to Wilmington, Delaware .... that was rough.

I would encourage you to drive the GT3. Where in PA are you? Maybe add another stop and take a lot of backroads? Things like the blue ridge parkway are beautiful. While TOTD gets a lot of press, there are so many roads in the hills and mountains that are so nice it seems kind of silly to tow to TOTD and tow back.

RockyTopTenn

As a 27-year veteran of the Memphis in May BBQ championship, I'll say that Knoxville is unfortunately just average for BBQ. Calhoun's has GREAT atmosphere (the one on Neyland Drive on the river by the UT stadium) and the BBQ is pretty good, but I wouldn't call them a BBQ joint, per se. Sweet P's is a lakeside/marina restaurant that also serves OK BBQ.

Far and away the best BBQ in town is Archer's, but they have similar ambiance to a Subway restaurant (stand in line, make your plate, sit down and eat) - and they don't serve alcohol - although you can bring your own. Probably the best combo is Dead End BBQ on Sutherland Ave in Knoxville. If you make it to Pigeon Forge (tourist trap near Gatlinburg), they have a Corky's BBQ - which is a Memphis original chain with great food and decent atmosphere. FWIW, Knoxville also has a Gus's Fried Chicken on Sutherland and it is fantastic!

As for the Dragon, think weekday morning if you want a chance at enjoying it. This time of year, the weekends are a mob scene. (I live 45 minutes away, have a GT3 and haven't driven it there yet.) The road itself is so extremely tight and curvy that it is really more suited to Minis, Miatas and crotch rockets - something that you can push to 90% of its capability- at 35 MPH. Moonshiner 28 and and the Cherohala Skyway are MUCH better GT roads with fast sweepers... (see this map for good advice: https://tailofthedragonmaps.com/radar/ )

PM with more questions. Happy to help!

Advisor

I’ve had my share of VA law enforcement in my younger years so I will definitely be taking it easy for the most part. Thanks for the note on Tellico Plains, I will add it to the list. I let the wife know about this thread so she is monitoring it and will look up Nantahala. I didn’t think to stop in Asheville but I’m a sucker for good food & drinks. Thanks!

Point taken about VA cops. I wish we could move the entire state to the Midwest...lol. I told the wife about The Red Hen so we will likely stop there at least to try it out. I keep hearing about roads of North Georgia so depending on how long we plan to stay, I may venture a little further south to check it out. Cherohala Skyway is definitely on the list. Didn’t think to venture to Ohio although Hocking Hills sounds awesome.

the scofflaw

I've done the trip to the Tail of The Dragon a few times with motorcycles. I'd echo the point about it being very tight and suited for smaller vehicles. That being said you should absolutely do it. My favorite ride is called the Six Gap. It heads into Northern Georgia and it a great drive. Map is Here. Easily done in a day.

Nizer

The one road you can't miss is Rt 39 out of Lexington, VA. Perfectly cambered roller coaster and one of the best roads I've ever driven. Loop back via 780/64 from Goshen or 42/64 from Millboro Springs. Or if you're looking for a great overnight keep on 39 all the way up the mountain to 220 then head south to The Homestead at Hot Springs, VA.

https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/ho...medium=organic

Another fun side trip is Route 60 from Buena Vista, VA up to the Blue Ridge Pkwy. You can then take Blue Ridge south to 130 and drop back down to 81 via Natural Bridge or continue a bit further to 43 and down to Buchanan.

With the Blue Ridge on one side and the Appalachians on the other you can literally throw a dart anywhere around the Shenandoah Valley and find great roads. Enjoy.

Agent_Orange

After PEC in Feb we planned to do a similar route.
The Devil's Whip kept coming up in local posts about being a better road but less known than Tail Of The Dragon
http://www.thedevilnc80.com/

RockyTopTenn

Honestly, I don't see all the fuss over the Dragon. It is an icon though - especially for motorcycles - so definitely run it if you're nearby. I've heard that the police there are more concerned with respecting the double-yellow lines than speed limits...

There are much better roads in the area though. Foothills Parkway is very fun and scenic - especially the newly-opened section.

Advisor

I didn't think about staying in Lexington on the way down but I'm open. The wife is mainly looking for good wineries if possible as we pass through VA. I will investigate the Uhaul option some more. Someone in our local PCA group, rented from Uhaul & trailered his Boxster to the tracks for the better part of a year before investing the money into buying one. I will go talk to those guys & continue to think about it.

I saw pictures of the RDS road rally, looks like it was a good event.

I'm just outside of Philly. I came up the blue ridge parkway back in '15 when I was driving my M3 home from PCD. It was a really nice route to take home. I'm not dead set on TOTD b/c of the name. I want to at least see it, check the box& keep on rolling to the next back road that I can find. SOrt of like when I did Stelvio in Italy. I drove it, checked the box & much preferred a number of other roads that I drove.

This is exactly the type of food info that I am looking for. I only mentioned Knoxville since that seems to be the closest big city near the mountains. I can only go by local reviews so if Archer's & Dead End is one of my best bets in Knoxville, I'm sold.

Based on what we are planning now, I would get down there on Thursday during the day sometime, which should line up nicely for an Friday early morning drive & then move on to the next back road to enjoy. I have added Moonshiner 28 & the Cherohala to the list. You live close enough that I would love to meet up for a drive if you will be around. Thinking second wknd in July. Thanks for info.