During the later spring of 2021, Teddy and I traveled from central Pennsylvania south to his Master’s Degree graduation at Clemson. Rather than just going down for the graduation and coming home, we decided to make it a road trip. It took us just under 7 days.
What you’ll find below is exactly what we did on each day with linked blog posts to give you more details about each spot. We don’t mind driving so this trip of about 5 or so hours of driving a day was very doable but may not be for everyone. You can add additional time in each place or cut out various spots depending on what’s most comfortable for you and those you’re traveling with.
Night 1
- Drive to Staunton, Virginia
- Stay overnight at the Blackburn Inn
Day 2
- Visit Draper Mercantile in Draper, Virginia
- Check out downtown in Abingdon, Virginia
- Stand in 2 states at once in Bristol, VA + Bristol, TN
- Looking Glass Falls in Pisgah National Forest
- Drive up the mountain to see the view at Pretty Place, NC
- Walk the Devil’s Kitchen at Caesar’s Head
- Stay overnight in Brevard, North Carolina
Day 3
- Drive to the top of Sassafrass Mountain, SC and stand in two different states at once again
- Grab breakfast at Coyote Coffee in Pickens, SC
- Spend some time exploring downtown Greenville, SC
- Drive to Clemson and explore the college campus. Grab dinner at the golf course and end with ice cream at Spill the Beans
- Book an overnight at one of our favorite spots we’ve ever stayed – The Beacon Bed & Breakfast in Hartwell, GA
Day 4
- Hike Yellow Branch Falls in Sumter National Forest
- Visit Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel and Issaqueena Falls
- Stop at the Mingus Mill in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Dinner downtown Gatlinburg
- Stay overnight in Gatlinburg
Day 5
- Hike to Laurel Falls in Smoky Mountain National Park
- Check out Tupelo Honey, the wall murals, Mast Outfitters, and so much more in downtown Knoxville
- Dine at the El Mazatlan in Cave City for Dinner.
- Stay overnight in Cave City
Day 6
- Get the most delicious breakfast sandwich at Farmwalds Restaurant & Bakery in Horse Cave, KY
- Do the Cave Tour in Mammoth Cave National Park
- Grab lunch at the Back Home Restaurant in Elizabethtown, KY
- Pick up some coffee at Schoolhouse Coffee in Lexington, Kentucky and explore downtown
- Hike the Natural Bridge Trail in Kentucky
- Stay overnight in Huntington, WV
Day 7
- Pull off the side of the road to see the beautiful Cathedral Falls in Gauley Bridge, WV
- Hike the Endless Wall Trail in New River Gorge National Park
- Drive to Ohiopyle State Park in PA and hike down to Cucumber falls
- Head home!
Stats
- 2050 Miles
- 32 Hours of Driving
- 7 Days
- 9 States
- 3 National Parks
- 2 State Parks
