SydneyPaige From Atlanta’s Bustling Streets to the Great Smoky Mountains Serene Wilderness – A 4-Day Road Trip Adventure Awaits.
Not only does this trip include highlights from Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood to the Great Smoky Mountain NP – but everywhere in between. A gorgeous waterfall at Dry Falls to a delicious lunch outside the national park in Cherokee, NC to staying in a huge Airbnb in Bryson City overlooking the smoky mountains. The whole reason for this trip is a wedding me and my boyfriend, Nate were invited to. These are my favorite types of trips to plan. I love having one main event and getting to plan other things around it and explore new places.
Tips for planning around someone else’s destination wedding
Unpopular opinion but I like getting invited to destination weddings – it gives me an excuse to travel somewhere new and explore somewhere I may have never ventured to.
This may sound obvious, but if you are traveling somewhere you have never been – you should do some research prior to maximize your travels. Is the wedding close to somewhere or something you have always wanted to do? Well, now is your chance. Here are some helpful tips when planning your trip:
– If the bride and groom provide you with a wedding site – use it! They usually provide helpful information about how to get there, nearby attractions & ideas for lodging if not an already discounted venue.
– Make sure you allow time to get there and factor in delays…Get to know the wedding obligations and schedule first – and then plan around it.
– Book with others attending wedding for cheaper lodging, transportation and activities.
Where to stay when visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park
If you are reading this guide and you aren’t restricted to an area but want to visit the Great Smoky Mountains NP then there are tons of different options when it comes to where you can lodge to get the Great Smoky Mountains. Unlike other national parks, the Great Smoky Mountains have multiple entrance’s. Gaitlinburg, Tennessee or Piegon Ford, Tennesse are common bases.
Gaitlinburg is a bigger touristy base for the national park, but don’t sleep on Bryson City either. You can access the Bryson City side, from North Carolina. Which one you use as a home base will depend on things you intend to do in the park and where you stay.
Me and my boyfriend were invited to a wedding in North Carolina – his family had booked a large Airbnb for everyone in Bryson City, NC – Somewhere we have never visited, count us in! As I started researching Bryson City and nearby airports to fly into from Philadelphia, I realized it was going to be a pretty penny if we got flight tickets to Asheville, NC or Mcgee Tyson + still needed to purchase a rental car.
Could we have just flown into a airport nearby rented a car and stayed in Bryson City for the weekend? Yes. BUT, I wanted to take advantage of being so close to Georgia and knocking off another state. And it was a little less costly. Why not take the scenic route, with a little hustle and bustle from the city life?
Weighing out the pros and cons, it seemed more efficient to fly into Atlanta and drive to Bryson City. As every airport, we would still need to rent a car, flying into Atlanta’s airport was cheaper. As with any of my guides – take what you need. Switch things up and make them customizable for you.
Day One:
Full day exploring Atlanta, Georgia
On day one, you’ll spend your time exploring Atlanta. I opted to stay primarily in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood due to it’s perceived safety advantages compared to downtown.
If you are looking to maximize your trips; always go for the earlier fight.
We took an early 6am flight out of Philadelphia landing in Atlanta around 9am. First things first; picked up our rental from Enterprise. We got a pickup truck because we knew we would be driving in unknown/rough terrain and best to have tires that can due the weather.
Check into your hotel
The Starling Atlanta Midtown, Curio Collection by Hilton
I always recommend having things to do/something planned if you arrive well before check in. But it doesn’t hurt to try and check in early and 95% of the time it works. And if it doesn’t work then just ask the hotel to hold your bags while you are out for the day. Once we put our bags up in our room, we had breakfast at the hotel before heading out for the day.
While our time at this hotel is limited, I firmly believe that the choice of where you stay holds significance. Opting for a hotel equipped with amenities offers numerous advantages, particularly regarding weather and safety, which are important to me. Even though I was accompanied by my boyfriend on this trip, I tend to prefer hotels with ample amenities for solo ventures, providing added security if I find myself hesitant to venture out alone, especially at night in unfamiliar surroundings.
After checking into the hotel early, we had breakfast at the hotel before we ventured out for the day. It is a set price per person buffet style.
Visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden
Less than a mile from each other – We walked from our hotel to the Botanical Gardens. If you don’t want to add extra walking, especially if you are visiting in the summer, you have other options. Consider renting a bike, calling an Uber, or parking directly at the gardens. We were trying to reduce cost where we could, so we walked. Admission stood at $30 per person, granting access to the captivating Trolls art exhibit at the time of our visit.
I will eventually do a whole post on botanical gardens but as a solo and couple traveler, botanical gardens are my favorite. Beautiful, relaxing and relatively safe.
One highlight of the botanical garden for me was the food demonstration, where they utilized ingredients sourced from the edible garden. This was our first time trying farro and it was surprisingly good.
Have lunch at Serena Pastificio
This restaurant is gorgeous, located in Colony Square just next to the hotel. I had reservations for lunch already reserved in case they couldn’t take walk-ins. This would be the perfect restaurant for those special occasions.
Shopping in Midtown’s Atlantic Station
After lunch, I needed to buy a dress for the wedding in a few days. Last minute, I know. But less I had to carry on the way. We went shopping at Atlantic station, forever 21 is always my go-to.
After shopping, we spent some time lounging at the pool at the hotel. For dinner we went to Politician Row Food Hall – which has tons of different options in a very instagram-able atmosphere. We got the smash burger tacos with fries and went back to the hotel room for the evening.
Day 2:
Travel Day – Leaving Atlanta and driving to Bryson City with a
Time in Atlanta is coming to an end. Packed up the hotel room and hit the road. First stop;
Sky Valley, Georgia
Just before heading over state lines into North Carolina, we made our first stop in Sky Valley, Georgia. This was just a taste for what’s to come! If you have time, stop and do one of their many hiking trails. We utilized safe pull over spots for scenic views while traveling through.
Dry Falls, North Carolina
Dry Falls is a .2 mile out and back trail that takes an average of 7 minutes to complete. It is mostly paved but there are a lot of stairs. Short trail, yet big reward. Parking is small but it is a short walk to the falls. Arrive at Dry Falls, a spectacular waterfall located in Nantahala National Forest. I love how you can walk behind the falls, but beware you may get wet.
I visited in the summer, but this 75 foot waterfall would be really cool to see when it freezes in the winter. No matter what time of year you visit be careful going down to the falls as it can be slippery.
Enjoy lunch at El Cajelito in Cherokee, NC
We had no plans for lunch, so the first non fast food place we saw we were headed to. This place did not disappoint, it was budget friendly, delicious and had good quick service.
So if you are following this guide because you are coming from Atlanta traveling to Bryson City, stop here and go check in to your airbnb. If we had another day on this trip, we would have spent a full day in the park. So instead before checking into our airbnb we drove to the national park to do the trail at Clingman’s Dome.
Great Smoky Mountain National Park
Nestled between North Carolina and Tennessee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the few national parks on the eastern coast of the US. It’s also one of the few national parks with no entrance fees.
Clingman’s Dome
If you are like me – limited on time, Clingman’s Dome is the perfect trail to experience the Great Smoky mountains from the Bryson City, NC side. It is the highest peak in the park.
Hike a 1.3 mile out and back trail at Clingman’s dome – the highest elevation point of the park. This trail resides in both North Carolina and Tennessee. It is a very steep incline. Even if you don’t want to hike to the top, there are stunning views from the parking lot. This trail was well marked and mostly paved, but I still always log into my alltrails app to keep track.
If we had more time in the park, the deep creek area was just north of Bryson City and filled with even more beautiful trails and falls to see. After visiting the gift shop, we head to our final destination: The Airbnb in Bryson City.
Check in to your airbnb in Bryson City
The airbnb was overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains, suitable for 16+ people, 5 bedrooms, 8 beds and 3.5 bath. I was just in awe over the view in almost every room on the upstairs main floor. They even had a spiral staircase going to the bottom floor. A huge pool over looking the mountains which was really enjoyable in the evening. They even had a hot tub, I can only imagine how perfect that would be at night.
Day 3
Wedding Day in Topton, NC
We attended a beautiful wedding at Natahala Lake in Topton,NC. Nantahala weddings is a small beautiful wedding venue on lake Natahala. This is the perfect outdoor wedding venue for a beautiful intimate wedding and reception on the lake.
Day 4
Last Day – Head back to Atlanta to fly home.
A quick, yet eventful weekend. After, oversleeping and completely missing our flight – we were able a flight for just a few hours later. The airline wouldn’t rebook me over the phone, so I had to do it at the airport once we got there. It was actually a really simple process and didn’t cost anything. I understand this would be a different story if we were flying with an airline with limited flights out of that airport.
Although, our luck kind of ended there. Our new flight was delayed over 6 times. Basically, problem after problem and while I could say I hate this airline. Mechanical and staffing issues can happen on any airline. I add this section in, just to show travel isn’t always glamorous, but it does help you build patience.
I had the best time exploring my #22nd and #23rd state. The crazy part is I had no desire to explore North Carolina. Some reason, the state just didn’t appeal to me. Now, I cant wait to return!
