Manchester to North Carolina: an independent travel itinerary with mountain biking and city break
Why North Carolina?
A friend accidentally visited Asheville for a day on a road trip through the States and she said it was the best place they visited on the whole two week holiday and she wishes they had based themselves there - this is the inspiration that started off my research.
In mountain biking circles, North Carolina is a bit of an up-and-coming US state for under-the-radar world class mountain biking trails - I’m talking the rough and tough stuff here. My boyfriend really enjoys the technical, fast and challenging trails so this location would very much tick his boxes for what constitutes a great holiday destination, and I don’t mind the challenge of some technical singletrack myself so I’m certain we can find some trails that we can both enjoy. Add the vibrant, hip, and exciting cultural offerings I can find in North Carolina’s cities - breweries, art trails, city yoga - and if we find time or visit at the right time of year, sports events like Nascar and NFL - this place truly seems to have it all going on for us.
So my research has me settled on a twin-centre itinerary for Charlotte and Asheville. I have ignored the coastal attractions of NC for my trip as refinement has taught me I don’t personally care for the beach.
Nicknamed the ‘Queen City’, Charlotte and its resident county are named in honour of Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of British King George III during the time of the city's founding. It’s a large city, with the usual metropolitan fare on offer so my focus here will be a classic city break to discover some state history and American sports, take advantage of the pleasant climate to partake in urban cycling, all flavoured by Southern food,
Following on from there, we will drive west to Asheville, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains for a much longer stay. I imagine the stay in Asheville will be a hybrid city-and-active stay, as the place itself looks to have everything you’d expect from a modern buzzy city, but also with excellent proximity for outdoor adventuring day trips.
Itinerary At A Glance
10-14 night independent itinerary for North Carolina in the Central East of the USA: 3-4 nights in Charlotte, and 7-10 nights in Asheville on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Based on flying in and out of Charlotte from Manchester with hops either in Munich, JFK or London. Car will also be essential to move between locations, as well as mountain bike hire in Asheville
Highlights include biking the Great Smoky Mountains, NASCAR, authentic BBQ, perhaps some live NFL and plenty ‘o’ beer
Based on a couple travelling, with a focus on leisurely cultural activities and biking, interspersed with time to just relax and soak up the atmosphere
Itinerary Details
WHEN
Autumn - October or November.
Conversely to the UK weather, October and November are historically two of the driest months of the year, and this time of year will see pleasantly warm days, cool evenings plus the beautiful colour change of autumn leaves. It would be lovely to get away from the UK at this time also - in my opinion, autumn is the worst season for weather in the UK.
Summer is swelteringly hot, humid and the rainiest time of year- it is much drier outside of the summer months
Try to time our visit with an NFL home game for the Carolina Panthers
FLIGHTS & OTHER TRAVEL MEANS
Getting to Charlotte will involve stops, almost irrespective of where I fly from.
Best options look to be:
With Lufthansa, Manchester to Charlotte with a 2hr layover in Munich
With British Airways, Manchester to Charlotte with a 1.5hr layover in London Heathrow
With Aer Lingus, Manchester to Charlotte with a 2hr layover in JFK
NEIGHBOURHOODS & ACCOMMODATION
Asheville neighbourhoods
Montford, north of downtown - heritage buildings, more suburban than touristy downtown
West Asheville - funky, up-and-coming, laid-back vibes and a vintage feel - a hive of activity for the music scene.
River Arts district - Restored, renovated industrial estate, home to cool warehouses and artists from all kinds of industries and niches
Black Mountain - 20-minutes drive east of downtown Asheville, in the shadow of the mountains, gateway to Pisgah National Forest and Mt Mitchell.
Self catering options, in order of preference:
Top-floor quirky and characterful apartment with fantastic views from the deck
Modern Airbnb bungalow with some great outdoor seating
Historic Carolinian home with outdoor veranda
Charlotte neighbourhoods
Uptown - the central business & retail centre
NoDa - the arty alternative area
South End - the cool renovated-industrial area
Myers Park - the greenest and grandest area
Dilworth - the charming and cute historic area
For this trip, and such a short buzzy stay in Charlotte, I’m fancying a hotel, and a good one - one that represents Charlotte’s historic past and modern future. It will have to be either:
SCHEDULE - ACTIVITIES TO BOOK, DAY TRIPS & WHERE TO WANDER
Charlotte - Day 1 to 4
Day 1
Arrive; settle in & wander the neighbourhood
Day 2
Book for brunch at The Stanley
Hire a bike and follow one of these self-guided bike routes in and around the city
Visit the Nascar Hall of Fame
Day 3
Book onto one of these Charlotte tours - on foot, one to learn more about the history of the city
Visit the Mint Museum for contemporary art, craft and design
North Carolina is, after all, part of the ‘South’ and BBQ is important in this part of the world - pick any one of these BBQ locales for dinner
Day 4
Enjoy some classic Southern cuisine for lunch at The Haberdish
Book to see an NFL game at the Bank of America stadium
Day 5 - Drive between Charlotte & Asheville
About 130 miles, 2hr 20mins driving
Asheville & surrounds - Day 5 to 12
One of the main aspects of the stay will be regular mountain biking in the surrounds of Asheville. Options that strike my fancy are:
Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventures specializes in professionally guided trips in Pisgah National Forest and Dupont State Recreation Forest
The Tsali Trails in Nantahala National Forest are a series of mountain biking trails that offer a great combination of challenging but not overly technical trails, spectacular lake-and-mountain views, and convenient access
Big Avery Loop - gruelling 12.9-mile route in Pisgah National Forest. With difficult climbs and breakneck descents, this is not a route for beginners, but experienced mountain bikers will find many thrills here.
Take a day-trip south to Chimney Rock or go east to funky Boone
Asheville Trails offers lots of information on trails in and around the area - including a free self-guided walking tour that explores the city’s history, notable residents, architecture & local art with 30 stop-offs in places of cultural significance.
Namaste in Nature offers mountaintop yoga, waterfall hikes and a Sunset and Full Moon Yoga Hike (full moons March through October) on a scenic mountaintop with guided yoga and meditation.
The Wedge – two locations in the River Arts District it was founded by a metal artist and is adorned with eccentric and delightfully creepy art.
Smoky Park Supper Club, a riverside, casual, lively eatery set in a strategically arranged shipping containers and the kitchen specializes in all sorts of wood-smoked morsels, from char-grilled oysters to wood-fired mussels
Ginger’s Revenge - they serve alcoholic ginger beer that they brew onsite
Make a visit to Funkatorium, Wicked Weed’s industrial-chic taproom. In addition to being one of the most fantastically named beer joints in America, they are devoted exclusively to sour beers
