UserA

My two sons (20/22) are taking my 993 to the tail of the dragon for a road trip before he heads off to start his job. They are leaving from Charleston, staying 7/5 at Tapoco Lodge then driving to Atlanta to catch a Phillies game before driving back. No real plans other than the hotel and the TOD/Cherohala Skyway. Please let me know if there are any great spots to hit on the route. They are so excited!


The car I want back in one piece.

livfreely

Can’t help you on spots to hit, but I just wanted to give you kudos on a great test to see if you raised them right! I’ll send up a few prayers that she comes back as she left….and for the boys to

JB 911

28 that runs from Almond (practically all the way) to the Tapoco Lodge was a fun drive / light traffic. But the TOD, Cherohala Skyway and the Lodge you already mentioned are already three really good ones. The Tapoco restaurant outdoors by the river is a really nice spot. My advice would be to hit TOD early in the morning like 6 am before the crowds come. The Tapoco is a great launching spot for that. Drive down, back up and then onto the Cherohala. Beware the blind corners on the TOD!

cqhall

I wouldn't drive the car to the game for a lot of reasons...the greatest of which is that you don't want it to be in a cargo container on a ship 2 hrs later. Nothing against the Braves or Atlanta (Marietta). That's just life in the big city. Maybe leave it at the hotel and catch a ride to the game?

The Tail of the Dragon is kinda overrated. It's better for motorcycles than cars. Back-to-back tight turns. You'll never get out of 2nd gear. Maybe 3rd if you have *****. Lots of stop and go and being worried that someone will rear end you. It can all be unnerving to do it in someone else's $100K car. Like others have said, the roads in an out of the TotD are much better for cars. Long sweeping turns. Great scenery. I've done the TotD in my 996 C4S and wish I had spent that time in the surrounding mountains. I was very underwhelmed with TotD and I have no desire to ever go back.

If/when your son does the TotD, do not go on the weekends. It's a mess. A traffic jam of motorcycles and cars (everyone with the exact same idea). Not to mention the fact that people wreck like every weekend, which adds to the mess. I asked the lady who ran one of the stores about accidents and deaths and she looks me straight in the eye and says, "Both...allllll the time. Plus EMS is like an hour away (if they decide to come...this isn't their primary coverage area) and a helicopter can't get in there. We don't have local EMS. Back in [date I can't recall], I watched a guy buy a brand new Corvette and he took it straight from the dealership down the Dragon and had it upside down 5 minutes in."

I went on a Wednesday afternoon in the spring and it was pretty free. Weekend in the summer will be chaos.

Signed,

Capt. Buzzkill


That being said, Atlanta has A LOT going on day and night. Not really sure what your son is into, but I'm sure he can find it in ATL.

bbs993tt

PEC ATL

And Father of the Year to you!!

cqhall

YES.

Also, remember to book well in advance. Everything requires an appointment booked in advance...even the self-tour and gift shop. It's my understanding that you can't just drive up, pay, and enter.

rdad993

2 bits of advice: #1 stay on your side of the yellow line at all times - short sight distances around blind curves means someone may be just out of sight coming fast in the opposite direction. #2 Don't hesitate to pull over into a wide spot to let other faster drivers get past. Don't let a faster guy chase you into going faster that you feel comfortable driving. Have fun!

Carolinacar

I would steer clear of that road for novice drivers in a 80k classic car. So much traffic and idiots. Especially on weekends. Weekdays early? Another story. But so many other awesome roads all over that area that are far less crowded. My .02.

sirdaft1

My old man and I took 4 days to drive TOTD and the surrounding area two years ago with my 911 and it was a life changing trip. Your son will LOVE it. I also believe the road was just resurfaced so it should be nice and smooth. That said, TOTD is fun, but there are many MANY other roads around there we liked the same or better.

A few pieces of advice:

1) TOTD - Per the advice of a local enthusiast - drive before 7am or after 7pm. Anytime between is going to be worthless due to traffic and police.

2) Cherohala Skyway - traffic is much better here no matter the time of day, particularly because it’s much more open, faster turns and far less motorcycles. However, be wary of cyclists and random clusters of cars that park on the side of the roads. As you exit the west end of the skyway into Tellico Plains, there’s a great little greasy spoon breakfast joint called La Loteria. Highly recommended. As they continue, they can also continue north on the backroads through Vonore (some amazing twisties heading that way as well), and do a full loop back to the north end of TOTD or the Baby TOTD (see below).

3) The road Topoco Lodge is on (Topoco Rd) is an absolutely beautiful drive that runs alongside the river. Highly recommend taking that southeast until it dead ends. With where he’s staying he’ll be almost directly across the road from the Cheoah Dam, which is where they shot the dam scene in the movie “The Fugitive”. Good spot to pull off to take photos.

4) Driving a few miles north out of the TOTD, is a road WAY less travelled that locals refer to as “The Baby TOTD”, called Happy Valley Rd. It starts right at the Chilhowee Lake and runs northeast, and then eventually over the crest of the mountain and eventually leads into Maryville. It has some phenomenal elevation changes, making it feel like a rollercoaster. This was one of my favorite drives while we were there. Happy Valley Rd can also take them to a beautiful area at the top of the Smokies called Lake In The Sky. When there, there’s another fantastic road full of twisties and little-to-no-traffic called Butterfly Gap Rd.

5) I would tell them to steer clear of heading towards Gatlinburg as it’s tourist central. LOTS of traffic and it’s an easy way to burn 1/2 a day getting stuck in traffic (speaking from experience).

6) Tell him to plan his meals accordingly. Being at Topoco Lodge may alleviate much of this, but there are very few places to eat. And cell service is all but non-existent up there. Other than Topoco Lodge and Dragon’s Den Grill at the south end of the TOTD, it’s extremely sparse (including very few options in Robinsville).

Above all else, I would encourage him to look on Google Maps to see what else he can find and worst case - just to get lost. It’s difficult to find a road that isn’t a great drive out there.

Here’s a video from our trip to give an idea of the experience and many of the places I mentioned above:
Tail of the Dragon

Let me know if you have any other questions. He’s going to have an absolutely fantastic trip. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

UserA

Thank you for the great insights everyone! Sirdaft1, thank you for taking the time to write this all up, it is really helpful. Car looks amazing by the way.

cqhall

Relevant Hagerty's Henry Catchpole at TotD...and Blue Ridge Mountains:

UserA

The boys had an amazing first part of the trip. They loved the TOD, did it after 7 as per the recommendations here and also the Tapoco Lodge. Car and most importantly, the boys are in one piece.

sirdaft1

OUTSTANDING.

They made memories for a lifetime!

95_993

Awesome!! So great to see you passing on the enthusiasm for great, classic cars to next generation.

UserA

Car and boys are back in Charleston without a scratch! Thank you to everyone who help plan this out.