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View Full Version : Things to do while in erwin tn ....



darkage
05-25-2009, 15:10
Greetings WB,

My wife's driving me and my brother down to erwin ... Her, my 2 kids and a friend to keep her company while driving back home are looking for something to do while down there ... Since its part of her vacation to drive me to mine .... I was hoping someone could recommend anything from mini golf, art exhibits ... I don't know how large the town is so i might be asking for too much ... i didn't find much online searches ... just the A.T hiking tours ... lol

Ahh well, if atleast nothing ... she can drive home and find something around here .... "The joy of pennsylvania" gah, sarcasm for sure. :rolleyes:

Thanks,

Lone Wolf
05-25-2009, 15:36
you can raft the nolichucky river or go to 1 of 100 churches. that's about all there is to do

modiyooch
05-25-2009, 16:49
you could stop in damascus and bike the virginia creeper trail.

Egads
05-25-2009, 18:37
You could go hiking

saimyoji
05-25-2009, 18:42
my reading comprehension is far below most of y'all's, but i think he means things for his wife, two kids and wife's friend to do. :-?

Egads
05-25-2009, 19:00
They could drive on down to Asheville

modiyooch
05-25-2009, 19:12
my reading comprehension is far below most of y'all's, but i think he means things for his wife, two kids and wife's friend to do. :-?
i got it. kids like to bike. big kids, like me, do as well. "you" being used as a generic term.

Monkeywrench
05-25-2009, 19:47
When I got to Erwin I was having major food fantasies about bacon cheeseburgers, and I made the fantasy come true at the Sonic. Other than fulfilling my cheeseburger fantasy, I was pretty much just looking for a hot shower and a soft bed, but I don't remember there being much there to entertain the wife and kiddies.

Roan Creeper
05-25-2009, 19:57
Drive the forest road from Erwin to Unicoi...

Google Unaka Mountain Wilderness Drive or something like that.

vamelungeon
05-25-2009, 20:32
They could drive on down to Asheville

Yep. That's their best bet.

modiyooch
05-25-2009, 20:38
Alot to do in western nc.

Canada Goose
05-25-2009, 20:49
A third vote for Asheville. There is a strong art, and music scene there, with lots of lodging and restaurant options. They could visit Biltmore ($$$)(tip; visiting after 2:30 p.m. gets you free admission the following day. The North Carolina Arboretum is excellent (only $6 /car). They could do a day trip over to the Smokey Mtns, or the NOC for a raft trip. And afterwards, head home on the BRP with all it's vistas, and historical attractions. Another tip: try to avoid the weekends (more crowds & $$$).

darkage
05-25-2009, 21:25
Yeah, she had just asked me if i knew of anything they could do before heading back home .... its a 9 1/2 hour drive, i'll pass on the suggestions and look up some more things from those ideas and let her know ....

Other than that, its 2 weeks in the woods for me ... wooohoo!

DavidNH
05-25-2009, 21:57
eat, eat and eat some more. I don't recall there being all that much else to do there.

Bearpaw
05-25-2009, 22:02
You could go visit where they hung the elephant.

Canada Goose
05-25-2009, 22:03
Then, how about a visit to Roan Mtn for the Rhododendron Gardens (if the timing of your trip coincides), or a side trip to Grandfather Mtn (haven't been there, but I here it's nice). Otherwise, if they are coming straight back, take Skyline Drive through Shenandoah. They could stop along the way at waysides for refreshments, and strech the legs at interpretive areas. Then, stop at Harpers Ferry for the "Tour".

johnnybgood
05-25-2009, 22:09
Don't know if your wife and kids / friend are into white water rafting but my churchs' youth group rafted the Nolichucky River and my daughter said she had a blast.

I believe the rafting company that runs these trips is in Erwin . Just saying .., an idea.

sasquatch2014
05-25-2009, 22:14
Adopt a dog. Ask Wrongway about it.

darkage
05-25-2009, 22:16
Adopt a dog. Ask Wrongway about it.

Funny you say that, i'm gonna be puppy searching after the trip .... :D

modiyooch
05-25-2009, 22:27
how old are the kids?

darkage
05-25-2009, 22:41
6 and 1 1/2 ...

vamelungeon
05-25-2009, 23:21
You could go visit where they hung the elephant.
LOL. Erwin's claim to fame, Mary the elephant. Not a story for young children, though.

Ron Haven
05-26-2009, 00:03
Miss Janet could fill you in on Erwin :-?

The Mechanical Man
05-26-2009, 00:27
Take your bicycles,.................. Erwin has a real nice bike path. It's even lighted at night, with old fashioned lamposts. :sun


Parking is just across from McDonalds, and near the Super 8 motel.

dmax
05-26-2009, 18:48
Some of these have already been mentioned:
Trout hatchery & museum
Rock Creek park/Rock Creek Falls
Forest service road over Beauty Spot/Unaka Mt
Rafting the chucky USA raft...NOC rafting...Cherokee Adventures

Away from Erwin:
Historic Jonesboro is 10 miles away with a nice little downtown with some nice shops.
Asheville, Nc
Roan Mt [put to the top of the list]
Grandfather Mt
Grayson Highlands [2nd on list]
Pigion Forge/ Gatlinburg - Tons of outlet malls, putt-putt, go carts..etc

Alot of any of this depends if she plans on driving the 9 1/2 hours the same day.

Tennessee Viking
05-26-2009, 22:08
I think Miss Janet is the unofficial tour guide for Erwin. But Johnson City is about 20 minutes north of Erwin by Intersate 26. Lots of shopping. They can drive Unaka Mtn Road USFS 230. Several picnic spots. Wolf Laurel Ski Resort is pretty popular during the ski season. Lots of river fishing. Then a few lakes within a hour drive. Bays Mtn in Kingsport offers a city run nature preserve and has a planetarium. Lots of easy hiking trails too.

darkage
05-26-2009, 23:16
Yeah, we're now looking at johnson city cause the holiday inn over there does 5 people per room ... one in erwin only allows 4, and this is including children ... lame, but alright. Scenic drives and a picnic are so far a winner .... Still looking over stuff .... Appreciate the suggestions. =]

wakapak
05-26-2009, 23:21
Yeah, we're now looking at johnson city cause the holiday inn over there does 5 people per room ... one in erwin only allows 4, and this is including children ... lame, but alright. Scenic drives and a picnic are so far a winner .... Still looking over stuff .... Appreciate the suggestions. =]

Just a random thought, but Watauga Lake is close to Johnson City, and there's a picnic area there, and the trail goes near it, so it's possible if they did a picnic or something they could meet some other hikers. Can't remember if theres any playground type thing for the kids, but maybe they'd be into exploring the area a bit and walking part of the trail right by the picnic area? like i said, just a random thought!

modiyooch
05-27-2009, 07:46
there is a small zoo in asheville of the animals native to the area. never understood why they put the bear cage next to the deer cage. I thought typically if you saw deer, you wouldn't find bear.

We just went to asheville last saturday. 1.5 hike up mt pisgah for a panaramic view of the mts. carry binoculars for view of the biltmore house. Then ate lunch at the lodge, and visited the art center on the parkway.

10-K
05-27-2009, 14:49
Definitely go to the Dari-Ace and get a milkshake.

dmax
05-27-2009, 20:01
Off to Dairy Ace I go!!

There is also a dinosore exhibit in Gray Tn. That is just outside of Johnson City. I haven't been there yet, but I heard it was worth checking out.
Also there is Bristol Caverns.
Also Linville Gorge and Linville Caverns just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I like the idea of Watauga lake picnic with a trip to Roan Mt/Carvers gap to see the Rhododendrums blooming. Its out of this world beautifull.

soad
05-31-2009, 20:06
Take your bicycles,.................. Erwin has a real nice bike path. It's even lighted at night, with old fashioned lamposts. :sun


Parking is just across from McDonalds, and near the Super 8 motel.


Does this path go near the Holiday Inn Express? We are spending a night there in a few weeks and Im looking for a place to jog in the morning. This sounds like the perfect place. thanks

Reid
05-31-2009, 20:36
I think they are building an observatory/planatarium like Roper mountain in Greenville in Asheville sometime soon. Can't wait.

dmax
05-31-2009, 21:46
Yes, the bike/walk path is near Holiday Inn.

freefall
05-31-2009, 21:51
Does this path go near the Holiday Inn Express? We are spending a night there in a few weeks and Im looking for a place to jog in the morning. This sounds like the perfect place. thanks

I marked the Holiday Inn and the southern end of the Erwin Linear Trail with yellow push pins. The Trail basically follows the interstate back up into town. I lived there for 2 years and when I left there were plans to continue it all the way to Johnson City but I don't know if it was ever extended.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/7/1/3/5/erinlineartrail_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33977&c=514)http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33977&c=514%5D

soad
06-01-2009, 09:33
I marked the Holiday Inn and the southern end of the Erwin Linear Trail with yellow push pins. The Trail basically follows the interstate back up into town. I lived there for 2 years and when I left there were plans to continue it all the way to Johnson City but I don't know if it was ever extended.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/files/7/1/3/5/erinlineartrail_thumb.jpg (http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33977&c=514)http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=33977&c=514%5D


dmax, freefall, thank you very much!!!!!

fredmugs
06-04-2009, 21:00
Two things come to mind:

1. Kill some rats at Uncle Johnny's.
2. Get into a pizza scrum when they bring out new pizzas at Pizza Plus.