"I Gotta Get Outta Here" Road Trip: Tampa, Florida to Bryson City, North Carolina

A road trip is a great way to spend a week off, especially if you want to get away from the real world. I realize these days gas is expensive, but it could ultimately cost less by driving as opposed to flying and renting a car. I personally prefer the freedom of having my own vehicle and I'm not a huge fan of flying. If you live in the state of Florida then you can squeeze in a great mountain getaway. I personally traveled from the central Florida area, but if you are coming from south Florida, you're probably looking at an additional four to six hours depending on your location. This guesstimate is applicable if you are adults only. If traveling with children, add an additional hour per year from the age of 3 to 7, then start subtracting an hour per age from 8 to 12, then stop counting because they won't rather drop dead than take a road trip with their parents ever again. The road trip I took was adults only with the exception of one hissy fit, but I won't say who threw it.

First, I would recommend attempting road trips on off peak times. Don't wait for a holiday weekend so you possibly get a couple extra days. It won't matter if you end up spending more time sitting in your vehicle as opposed to enjoying your trip.

I made a suggestion to my husband about where we should go based on the advice of someone I use to work for, which at least turned out better than the job. So upon agreement I set my sights on Bryson City, North Carolina. What could possibly be in Bryson City, North Carolina you ask? Well, pretty much nothing, which is the point. It is located to the South of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and West of the Nantahala National Forest. Let's face it, this puts you pretty surrounded by beauty.

We packed the car as soon as I got home from work on a Friday and set off at about 6:30pm. I drove straight through until about 1am when I finally decided I needed some sleep. A road trip such as this requires covering a lot of ground in the quickest amount of time, so there really is no need to worry about what's in between point A and point B. You just need to cover that ground. The funny thing was, I had no idea we were only about another hour and a half outside our destination. When we woke the next morning it was a nice surprise to figure that out. The great thing was that we were at our destination with more than enough time to enjoy a whole week of well, nothing. Even better was that when we arrived earlier than expected, the wonderful owner at the cabin we rented was more than accommodating and got us in early. Since our plan was peace and quiet, I found a great cabin at Hidden Creek Cabins which is slightly off the beaten path, but not by much. If you check out the website, we stayed in Maggie's Cabin. A wonderful choice for a romantic getaway with a babbling creek right outside the front door where you can sit in a rustic rocking chair on the porch. It was clean, comfy and possibly quieter than I expected. Additionally, this is a great way to keep costs down. Once we settled into our cabin, the first thing we did was run up the road and hit the supermarket to stock our kitchen. We ate most meals at the cabin as opposed to eating out three meals a day for a week. The kitchen was fully stocked with everything we needed to cook as well as a grill outside.

This location puts you in a position to take mini road trips throughout the week over the river, through the woods, to grandmothers.... no, no, no, around the mountains. We went at a very off peak time of the year, just before winter came, so there were no tourists as rafting was out of the question, as well as most other outdoor activities. It was perfect to complete our objective. You are also very close to Asheville if you need a little taste of a bigger city and if you choose to take a day road trip, you could always plan a visit to the Biltmore Estate, a must see.