Day 5 – August 2nd, 2017
After relaxing for two days in Pigeon Forge it was time to get going, as we had quite a busy itinerary waiting for us. We left towards Gatlinburg again to enter Blue Ridge Parkway. If you haven’t experienced this road before I would highly recommend to add it to your “to do” list. Many call it the most scenic road in United States, if not the world. I am not going to dispute that claim, but it is definitely one of our favorite routes. We have covered the whole stretch (over 460 miles) over the years of road tripping, but it is always a good excuse to revisit part of it if our schedule brings us nearby. Such was the case on that day. Our final destination was Asheville in North Carolina. Rather than following the main route (I-40) we have chosen to travel about 125 miles along the scenic route instead.
Blue Ridge Parkway between Pigeon Forge TN and Asheville NC. Image courtesy of Google.
There’s only one piece of advice I can offer when it comes to the Blue Ridge Parkway: don’t rush. Enjoy the moment. The road was designed to travel at low speeds (45 mph maximum limit) in order to enjoy the breathtaking panorama. There are plenty of overlooks on the way, offering great vistas of the Smokey Mountains and the Appalachian region. It doesn’t get much better than this.
The main point on our agenda was the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, NC. We have spent quite a few hours walking along the exhibits of Cherokee’s rich heritage and culture and there was still more that we could explore. Over 13,000 years of history is presented in brilliant fashion, often accompanied by interactive display and real life scale objects and figures representing day-to-day life of this once great nation. The museum was voted one of the best among Native American ones and it fully deserves that vote. It’s a great education for the whole family, highly recommended.
Few of the other noteworthy attractions along this stretch of the Parkway include:
- Ocanaluftee Visitor Center
- Richland Balsam mountain
- Sherrill Cove Tunnel
- Skinny Dip Falls
In case you are wondering, there was absolutely no range anxiety along the whole journey. While there are some drastic elevation changes, you are mostly travelling at 35-45 mph. You will regain a substantial amount of energy from regenerative braking, too.
If you are really concerned, there is a Destination Charger (8 kW) in Cherokee, just outside the visitor’s center.
After yet another fruitful day we finally arrive in Asheville. Quick check into our hotel and we concluded with a top up at Tesla Supercharger before going for dinner.
Number of miles traveled: 140
Number of other Teslas spotted along the way: 0
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