Smokey Mountain | The Habitation of Justice

A few weeks ago I took a quiz at FindYourSpot.com to find places in the U.S. that I’d likely be happier living in. Most of the suggestions were located in the Rocky Mountain region and thus beyond driving range, but there was also a high concentration of recommendations in Tennessee and North Carolina as well. So I figured, why not make a road trip out of it? (specifically for this October…)

In addition, autumn is my absolute favorite season, and ever since I learned about the Smokey Mountain region I’ve always wanted to visit to enjoy the acclaimed fall foliage that it brings during that time of year. And then of course, there’s Dollywood too!

Using the quiz results then, I was able to map out a rough itinerary that would take me through every city recommended for this region (sans Nashville and Chattanooga), and so far it looks pretty good. Once I leave Virginia, I can loop around in an almost perfect circle before making my way back home again:

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My first stop would begin with Roanoke in Virginia, then to Abingdon (since these two cities both made my quiz list). From there, I’ll have to decide whether I want to begin my loop at Mt. Airy in North Carolina, or at Kingsport in Tennessee. Assuming I opt for Tennessee first, I’ll visit the twin cities of Kingsport and Johnson City, then work my way down to Knoxville. From there, I may head over to Maryville and use that as a platform to launch the next leg of my trip through the Smokey Mountain region, (unless I’m feeling really brave and decide to head all the way down to Chattanooga instead before making my way back north again.)

Either way, my next stop would land me in Waynesville, North Carolina, thus beginning my tour of western North Carolina that would take me through Brevard, Hendersonville, Asheville, Hickory and Morganton, Boone, and finally Mt. Airy.

Nashville was too far out of the way so it didn’t make the cut (and besides, country singers annoy me), and Charlotte in NC also got dropped, partly because it was also too far out of the way, and partly because I found nothing noteworthy to compel me to check it out.

So that’s it! By the time I finish my road trip, I should have a better idea of where I might like to live, and if not, at least I got an enjoyable vacation out of it. I’ve been dying to get out of this evil state for a much needed break since forever anyway, so this had been a long time coming.

It’s still up in the air whether I’ll actually do this or not, but in the meantime, I appreciate any suggestions and advice for my trip, especially on places I can visit during the way (specifically places that offer unusually high concentrations of hot southern babes, because I’d definitely like to check those areas out for… research purposes). :ggrin: