One Tank Trip for North Carolina Camping

Sponsored By:
Rutlege Lake RV Park www.rutledgelake.com
North Carolina is one of those places where you can completely lose track of time. There’s an ease and soul-warming quality at work here that makes the concept of a fixed schedule just melt away. When you choose the Old North State for your getaway destination, be prepared to just set everything on “coast,” and adopt a “we’ll-get-there when-we-get-there” attitude. If you are looking for taking a quick but relaxing weekend getaway, you might want to stop along these locations on your one tank trips journey through North Carolina.
The city of Charlotte was first settled in the mid-18th century and was at one time used for encampments by both the British and American armies during the Revolutionary War, which resulted in the city seeing many battles between the two sides. Charlotte has several historic monuments and sites to visit, including antebellum plantations and the home of James Polk, the 11th president. For something a bit more adventurous, Carowinds is North Carolina’s theme park, where you can find roller coasters that send you spiraling nearly out of control at breakneck speeds, along with more sedate family-oriented attractions like bumper cars or a whitewater raft ride down a raging river. Charlotte is also where you’ll find the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, which runs more exciting racing events than can be easily counted. The Speedway features a dirt track for monster trucks and demo derbys, a drag strip for alcohol powered funny cars to rocket down the track at insane speeds, and a full NASCAR-legal oval track for stock car races. If you’re a racing fan, keep in mind that in the summer, Lowe’s hosts the Summer Shootout series, which runs from early June to mid-August. This event consists of different kinds of racing, along with school bus races and awesome fireworks displays. It’s well worth planning a trip around.
Heading west on the I-85 takes you past the Carl Sandburg Home, a national historic site devoted to displaying the life of the writer and poet who won two Pulitzer Prizes, one of which was for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. The home and museum often feature events such as live poetry readings from Sandburg’s work.
Continuing west on the I-85 will take you towards Kings Mountain, a charming little town that always has some kind of festival or event going on. Pull over and walk down the quiet main street and grab a bite at the local café before getting back on the road. Leaving Kings Mountain by way of the westbound US-74, cruise through some beautiful North Carolina countryside for 52 miles before merging with the northbound I-26. Stay on this route for 33 miles into Asheville, which is the location of the truly awe-inspiring Biltmore Estate, which is accurately labeled America’s Largest Home. This American palace was commissioned by George Vanderbilt in the late 19th century and took six years to build. The main house sits on four acres of land and boasts 250 rooms, 34 of which were bedrooms. Words can’t properly convey the unbelievable grandeur of this place. You truly have to see it to believe it.
Once you tear yourself away from this monument to wealth and power, head east on the I-40 for 70 miles and pull over in the town of Hickory. Take in some of the crisp North Carolina air and go for a stroll on any of the numerous hiking trails in the area. There are a great many parks to be found here, most of which have trails that take you through some beautiful terrain, complete with waterfalls and picture-perfect forestry. Many of these parks are equipped for RVers, so if you’re looking for a place to rest the rig for a while, then you’ve come to the right place to enjoy beautiful North Carolina camping and picturesque scenery.
Back on the road, it’s another 25 miles on the eastbound I-40 to Statesville, where you’ll catch the I-77-S and take it 20 miles to Lake Norman, which is an immense man-made lake that’s ideal for fishing, boating, or kayaking. Pull over and break out the grillin’ meat, and treat yourself to a truly breathtaking North Carolina sunset and let time just slip right on by.
When it’s time to return to the real world, your origin point of Charlotte is just 17 more miles on the I-77-S. But there’s no real rush…after all, you just got here, right??
This article was only one of many other exciting one tank trips also found in Woodall's 2010 North American Campground Directory. Enjoy an eventful weekend getaway of North Carolina camping and experience it all on just one tank of gas. Woodall's Recommended North Carolina RV Campgrounds