In the spring, I find myself itching to get to the beach but in the fall... I HAVE to visit the mountains. The sharp, smoky smell, the bright colors of the leaves and the cool weather lift my spirits and get me in the mood for pumpkins, football and chili! But of course, the mountains are beautiful anytime of year.
On this trip, I headed out with the significant other and three rugrats aged 13, 10, and 7. We were just taking a weekend trip from Columbia, SC to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC.
I booked a room through Priceline (Quality Inn, East Asheville, $150 for 2 nights) and after work Friday we loaded up and headed out. The trip from slightly north of Columbia took us about 2.5 hours. Just long enough to listen to the first few chapters of the first Harry Potter book on audiobook.
The hotel was adequate and about what you'd expect for a 2 star hotel. Free wi-fi internet was a bonus and the room also boasted a small fridge and a microwave. Everything was clean and well-organized with a small table for a laptop and 2 double beds. Our room included free breakfast as well- a nice touch when you are traveling with 5 people! As typical in hotels of this type, the breakfast was somewhat limited and items tended to run out as fast as the worker would replace them. They did offer a couple of waffle makers as well as sausage patties and fresh biscuits in addition to the usual cereal, toast, muffins and oatmeal. We were able to get everyone fed each day before we started out.
If the weather had been warm, we would have tried out the pool which was very cute with a covered gazebo at each end. Considering the prices for the area and the amenities, I consider this a very good deal.
