We're talking about a vacation this summer so we can plan ahead. My mother (who will pay for it) said she'd love to go to Yellowstone, but it looks like it's about a 24-hour drive for us. Still, I like the idea of going to a national park. We're in Indiana, so this image shows about the limits of where we're willing to drive. Maybe 14-15 hours at most, which puts most of the ones in the image in range.
However-
• We've already been to Indiana Dunes and Gateway Arch.
• My daughter is scared of caves, so Mammoth Cave is out.
Out of the rest, which would you most recommend so I can suggest it to my mother?
Is there anything not in Indiana that is within this area that you think is more worth visiting than a national park that also would take a decent amount of time to visit and see different things? (Not a city, obviously.)
Any advice appreciated. Thanks!
I love the Great Smoky region of Appalachia. You can find some stunning mountain cabins around there on Airbnb, hot tubs, scenic views, hiking nearby, kayaking and rafting nearby.
I’ve stayed on the Bryson City side more than the Gatlinburg side; there’s a great pizza place and wine shop in the former, it’s more of a casual biker town on the AT. The latter is a little more upscale, think Asheville-esque, Local Goat would be my first restaurant recommendation there.
There’s a railroad museum in Bryson City that the kids might find cool.
Pic of last time I was up that way, 20 mins west of Bryson City:
https://midwest.social/pictrs/image/05e80a1c-c47b-4788-8732-c42166a3ae26.jpeg
The Daniel Boone National Forest isn’t too far north from there too, if you wanted to camp a night or two on the way in.