Comments on: Will you squeeze in one more summer getaway?

By: Judy Hotchkiss

Judy Hotchkiss — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:37:47 +0000

School just started today here in Tennessee. For those of us IN the B&B business, I can tell you when to get the best late-season bang for your buck–Come to the NE Tenn./NW North Carolina/SW VA Mountains. Plan your trip between now and October (that high season to see the leaves. More color equals more room cost and more traffic).
I personally think September is the most underrated month. Prices are moderate, crowds are nonexistent and the air is fresh, and dry. A few trees will begin to turn; the wildflowers are still abundant. Here in Mountain City, TN, the trees won’t be quite in fall color (but I think Atlanta’s fall leaves can be just as nice….). What you will find is lots of rural mountains, openfields, forests, a great lake still warm enough to enjoy (Watauga Lake), hiking galore and very, very fresh air. My own property comes in at $99-$169 per night. We serve a full breakfast and provide free in-room snacks making for savings. We also rent a cottage (for kids and dogs), as do many others. Mind you, THIS IS NOT GATLINBURG. We don’t have a whole lot of shopping “in the mountains.” You can go to Boone if you need some of that! Restaurants are nice (and moderate priced compared to “city” prices.) I’m exactly 300 miles from Five Points. If you haven’t seen this area, maybe it’s time to check it out.

By: Jomal

Jomal — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:06:16 +0000

To my surprise, my brother-in-law offered to take our daughter on vacation with his family in a few weeks (to keep his daughter company of course). They’re going to Destin for five days, which gives us five days to do ANYTHING! I told my wife I’ll plan it and tell her how to pack. Thinking Vegas, San Diego or Martha’s Vineyard. All three have been on “the list” for years, and I’d like to scratch one off. What to do???

By: John

John — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:28:04 +0000

We flew to Boston and drove to Bar Harbor. We spent a lot of time in Acadia National Park but also drove up the coast to the easternmost point in the United States. The temperatures varied over the course of five days. The water was cold but you could wade. We went out on one of the sailing ships one afternoon and you needed a jacket when the ship got up to speed. There were no crowds except on the day one of the cruise ships made a stop in Bar Harbor and all of the people on the ship made their shore excursions.

By: Keith

Keith — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:24:04 +0000

Hey John –

I didn’t mean to imply we should change school schedules — just noting that prices down here are cheaper in in August when we’re all back in school. Where did you go in Maine? We are considering making a trip up there too. How was the water temperature in June? Was it too cold to wade out into the ocean?

By: John

John — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:49:45 +0000

Sorry for all the typos in my last post (two incorrectly spelled words and an open parenthesis). If I could go back and edit it, I would but this site doesn’t give me that option.

By: John

John — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:47:33 +0000

We did our quick trip to northest Georgia the end of last week since my wife is a teacher and had top start back to work Monday. It was great. Georgia students are in school in August. However, they get out by the end of May, which leaves all of June–when the weather is usually much better than August–free for vacations. Most of the schools up north don’t get out until mid to late June. We have taken advantage of that the last couple of years by going to places like Maine and the New Jersey shore in early June when their rates were cheap (because their students were in school, the places were much less crowded, and the weather was much cooler. Let’s keep our current school schedules.