my buddy and I and our wives are gonna travel down from Canada in a few weeks and do some riding down to the tail of the dragon area , does any one have any input of some good towns to stay in near by(say up to a hour away) from there so that we can do some good riding and see some great roads. were coming from Niagara falls so figured we would stay in the tennese area
thanks

 

Check out the Maggie Valley, N.C. area on US 19. Close to the Dragon, Smokey Mountain National Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. STAY CLEAR of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This time of year, they are a traffic nightmare. While in Maggie Valley, be sure to check the Wheels Through Time Museum. So cool if your're really into bikes
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Most people stay in Gatlinberg or Pigeon Forge, TN but if you stay there be aware that they're tourist towns. We go there a few times a year and have fun, but if you don't care much for people you might want to pick someplace else. Maggie Valley and Cherokee, NC are also good places to stay while riding the Dragon. Maggie Valley has a great motorcycle museum and Cherokee has gambling depending on what your thing is. Townsend, TN is a nice quiet small town you can stay in that's close to the Dragon and also Cades Cove which is beautiful. Do a little Google research and you'll find a lot of good options. Have fun while you're down here!

 

Agree with others, unless you like traffic jams, stay clear of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. There's a nice little town about 23 miles south of Deals Gap (The Dragon) on hwy 129 called Robbinsville. Another 3 miles south on 129 is a neat little motel called The Two Wheel Inn, it's not a Hilton, but it's clean and each room has a small garage with door for your scoot at night.
If you're looking for other roads other than the Dragon, find Wayah Rd, south of 129 of us74 a little east of Topton. Wayah will take you to almost to Franklin, get on US64 and then south on US 28, this is part of the Moonshiner 28 to Highlands...along the way make sure you check out the 3 waterfalls, Dry Falls requires a little walk, but worth it, you can walk behind the falls.
From Highlands, 64 to Brevard, Brevard to Maggie Valley and from there work your way back to Robbinsville.
Also, if you do ride the Cherohala Skyway, be sure to check out Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, you'll be glad you did.
Enjoy your trip to Tennessee!!

 

You'll find no shortage of awesome roads in the area. SW Virginia, western NC, and eastern TN offer some of the best riding anywhere.

Do yourselves a favor and run through Shady Valley, TN on US421 aka "The Snake". Much less traffic than the TOTD and just as good, if not better, IMO.

http://www.421thesnake.com/

 

Agree with you inswva, the snake IS an awesome ride and while you're in that area, Grandfather Mountain and Blowing Rock.

 

I go a couple of times a year and often stay in Murphy, NC. Also Blairsville, GA. Still an easy ride to the Gap and the Cherohala Skyway. Lots of great roads around the area. 28 and 209 are favorites, as are many others.

 

A group of us go every year late September to early October and stay in Bryson City. Last year we stayed at http://ironhorsenc.com/

Awesome place. It's near Cherohala Skyway http://www.cherohala.org/ , Deal's Gap http://tailofthedragon.com/dragon.html , Blue Ridge Parkway http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/ , Cherokee http://visitcherokeenc.com/#home, Maggie valley http://www.wheelsthroughtime.com/ and every other cool place for bikes up there.

 

I forgot the Cherohala Skyway, personally I like it a lot better than the Dragon. Especially on a big bike.

 

Wife and myself, and my parents went out last summer to ride there, and around the area. We ended up finding a house to rent on VRBO.com. We stayed a bit further away near Asheville, NC, but it gives lots of riding options and directions, as well as some nice restaurants and other attractions (if desired). Saved us some cash vs hotel costs for 2 rooms for a week, and we got a great house on a river, separate rooms and common living/kitchen so we didnt have to eat out all the time.

We have also used VRBO for trips to Colorado, with great experiences.