Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Next up:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
. Though it's the USA's most popu-
lar patch of parkland, you can leave most of the crowds behind if you're willing to hike
or paddle (studies have shown that 95% of tourists here never venture more than 100
yards from their cars!). After a day spent in the wilderness surrounded by lush, heather-
colored peaks, there's nothing quite like arriving in
Gatlinburg
, the park's kitschy base.
Prepare for fudge shops,
Ripley's Believe It or Not
oddities and moonshine distilleries.
So goes the first week. Now it's time to fuel up for the twisty drive through the moun-
tains and across to the coast, where the
Outer Banks
pay off big. Laid-back beach towns
full of locally owned ice-cream shops and mom-and-pop motels dot the windswept barri-
er islands. Check out
Cape Hatteras
, with its unspoiled dunes, marshes and woodlands,
or catch the ferry to remote
Ocracoke Island
, where the wild ponies run. Speaking of
which: more wild horses roam
Assateague Island
, which floats to the north between Vir-
ginia and Maryland. It too offers brilliant, secluded beaches and a landscape ripe for
birding, kayaking, crabbing and fishing.
Still craving surf and sand? Family-friendly, gay-friendly
Rehoboth Beach
bestows
traditional gingerbread houses, kiddie amusements and a big ol' boardwalk along the
oceanfront.
City skyline, Boston (
Click here
)
DRNADIG / GETTY IMAGES ©
