iowa to the carolinas-any must see??

There are significant Civil War sites in Southern Virginia and Northern NC.

The war in VA ended after the battle for Petersburg and Lee's retreat west to Appomattox. Both places have very nice, informative parks. If you go to Petersburg, be sure to see Blandford Church with its Tiffany stained glass windows, established after the war by the women of Petersburg as a memorial to the fallen Southerns (in a Herculean effort, the women worked for 10 years after the war to move the bodies of the Southern soldiers from their graves, where they had fallen, into the Petersburg graveyard).

In NC the war ended following a short battle at Bentonville, where Johnston was confronted by Union solders bringing supplies from New Bern to Sherman, quartered in Chapel Hill. Johnston's army retreated to Durham, where the 2nd surrender occurred at a small farm house. There is a nice park there now, with a small museum, and there is a small park at Bentonville.

Enjoy the trip!

We have driven the Blue Ridge Parkway North to South and South to North several times in our coach. It is no place to be in a hurry, but that is fine with us. Pull outs with no easy exit are marked as such so if it isn't marked you can get in and out with your tow and there are no low passes. There are a couple of low tunnels in the south, they are well marked.

DO NOT take a sideroad to exit that is anything less than major. I have found myself descending a two way one lane dirt road with switchbacks and a 10% (to be generous) downgrade for failing to heed that advice offered by my DW as I made the turn. Even good exit roads will be steep and twisty, you are driving a high ridge line.

Have fun we look forward to it every time we drive it.

Agree the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge parkways are doable. Watch where you select to get off the parkways, some of the connecting roads are very steep and hard to maneuver. (Look at them on Google maps street view beforehand)

For civil war battlefields, Antietam is really interesting and hard to cover in a day. Antietam National Battlefield

dogvetia wrote:
thank you for the ideas. I assume the Blue Ridge Parkway is very doable in a 36 ft with towed?? thanks tom

There are some pretty curvy parts and significant elevation changes on the Parkway, especially on the southern leg of it. They might present some challenges, but most of it is very drivable with ample scenic pull-outs. I have not had the opportunity to drive it with my coach since I'm a very new owner, but have ridden it numerous times on a car and on motorcycle. Beautiful scenery!!

Hopefully someone who has driven it in a coach will chime in.

I have driven much of the parkway and all of the skyline drive in the coach. At the extreme southern end of the parkway there are a couple low bridges. One tunnel on the skyline drive but it is 12'8" where the rock hangs down. I see tour busses at 13'3" go thru all the time just look for the hanging rock on the southern side I think.

Coming from Iowa you have many choices to make. One absolutely do not miss is Gettysburg Pa. Not that far off I-81. Somewhere along here you will have to deside wheather you will go down the coast or follow the mountains. The coast is beautiful with lovely beaches and lots of history. Outer banks and Roanoke island with its outdoor drama "The lost Colony" is a must see. Then Myrtle Beach and on down 17 to Charlston. Now the mountain side of the trip. After Gettysburg make your way to Front Royal Va and head down the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National park. Lots of senery and wild life. After 105 mi you will run into the Blueridge Parkway. This 440 plus miles runs along the the crest of the mountains and ends in Cherokee Nc. on the eastern side of rhe Great Smokey Mts. If you end up in cherokee be sure to see "Unto These Hills"
I hope you have good safe travels and enjoy this part of the world as
I have all my life.
By the way I travel in a 36ft. gasser towing so no problems there.

The Civil War confederate submarine Hunley is in the area of your travels. The facility is only open on weekends and it is truly amazing. Look it up at www.hundley.org

thank you for the ideas. I assume the Blue Ridge Parkway is very doable in a 36 ft with towed?? thanks tom

North Carolina has much to offer in teh way of sites to see, specially Civil War stuff. Here is a link to a map of Civil War sites you might find interesting:

http://www.civilwartraveler.com/about/maps/NC-State-Brochure-map-side.pdf

In the Western part of our state is the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, a large portion of which is viewable and accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Of course there's Asheville, home of the Biltmore Estate http://www.biltmore.com/ and also home to several craft breweries!! Great eats and a beautiful downtown area to explore. Not too far away is Mount Mitchell, the highest peak this side of the Mississippi River, and another short drive along the parkway is the famous Grandfather Mountain. Both of which might be challenging on a coach due to the elevation change and the winding roadway getting up there. No problems on a car or motorcycle, but a large coach would be challenging.

Further to the East on our Coast is a wonderful tour along the coastline from the Virginia border to the South Carolina Border. Historical lighthouses and fishing villages along the way. There are a couple of places along that route that may present some problems as they are only accessible by ferry....IE., Ocracoke Island. You may want to check with the ferry system to make sure they can accommodate a coach. Also, if you travel during hurricane season (June 1-November 30) you might find that our NC Highway 12 is closed due to washouts. Check with the NCDOT website before you head that way. On our southern coastal border there's Wilmington where the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial is, Wrightsville Beach with great beach access, and some gorgeous other places like Ft. Fisher, which was a Civil War Fort.....http://www.nchistoricsites.org/fisher/

Further into South Carolina, you'll definitely want to check out Myrtle Beach as a resort town with plenty to do. Continue on down Hwy 17 in South Carolina for about an hour and a half and you'll end up in Charleston. TONS of history there and a great place to have loads of fun! Be sure to check out the old Slave Market Place and Ft. Sumter http://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htmwhere the Civil war supposedly began. Reportedly, George Washington spent time in Charleston as well during the Revolutionary War at the Siege of Charleston.

So yeah, there's LOTS of must-see places through NC/SC....depends on if you have the time to stop and explore! Have fun!!!

There are some cool covered bridges in Indiana. Pigeon Forge Tennesee, Builtmore house in north Carolina, nothing beats Charleston south Carolina in my opinion ... you could spend weeks there.