[dday]

Hey all,

I'm picking up my new 435 m-sport this Thursday. After that we'll be driving back to Boston but we're breaking up the drive into a couple days. We'll be stopping the first night in Asheville, NC and then headed north via 81.

Anyone every done this drive and have any recommendations of place to stay the next day on our way up Boston? Looking for some place that has some good food/beer for us to relax in between NC and MA. Appreciate the help!

(lots of pictures and video to come next week when we get back)

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by dday

Hey all,

I'm picking up my new 435 m-sport this Thursday. After that we'll be driving back to Boston but we're breaking up the drive into a couple days. We'll be stopping the first night in Asheville, NC and then headed north via 81.

Anyone every done this drive and have any recommendations of place to stay the next day on our way up Boston? Looking for some place that has some good food/beer for us to relax in between NC and MA. Appreciate the help!

(lots of pictures and video to come next week when we get back)

Unfortunately along I-81 there isn't much to see or do. I am familiar with the I-81 corridor along Virginia though since I went to college around there.

If you like southern style food, I strongly recommend eating at a place called The Home Place in Catawba, VA (near Roanoke, VA). The drive there offers some great views as it requires you to drive up and around a couple of mountains and offers a little bit of back road fun. If you'd really want to get loose, in college we used to take a back route from Blacksburg, VA that'd take you straight to the restaurant which is 40 minutes north of Blacksburg (I-81 also takes you very close to Blacksburg, VA). The route is very scenic and a blast to drive on. If you're interested in doing this I can provide more information.

I'm not sure how long you plan on driving up I-81 but if you plan on cutting across to Washington DC via I-66 and then up I-95 the rest of the way, that'll take you through VA wine country if you're into wines. There's also a very famous place called the Inn at Little Washington which is just off I-66 that has excellent food and lodging (it's also very expensive).

Can't help you much on the beer aspect though, I'm not very big into beers.

Anywho here's info on the two restaurants I mentioned:

http://www.theinnatlittlewashington.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/home-place-restaurant-catawba

[dday]

Thanks for the tip, that's a little more south than I'd like to stop though. Looking to go a bit more north to break the drive in half.