Places to fly in the southeast?

[newmei]

Need some x-country time, I was wondering if you guys could give me some hints as to some places in the SE where I can fly a resonably (ie cheaply) go into town and do something. New Orleans? Hilton Head? (been to key west and Atlanta already) I'll be leaving out of Tampa.

Thanks

 

[flywithruss]

Nothing is cheap in Hilton Head, but the food is beyond compare. Savannah and Charleston also have excellent food, though finding it cheaply can be an issue. Anywhere you go you can find minor league baseball ... always cheap to see. Try Roanoke (ROA) or Lewisburg WV (LWB) for neat approaches in the mountains if you're a flatlander who's never done any mountain flying. Fly to GSP and try Charlie's Bar-B-Que at SC 14 and Pelham Road, just a few miles away. Aviation memorabilia decorates the walls and the food is quite good ... not that mustard-based crap you'll find in other parts of SC. Memphis (MEM) sports the best FBO in the country (Wilson Air Center) and superb barbecue at Corky's (on Poplar Avenue) or the Rendezvous (downtown). Wilson has rates at area hotels if you want to overnight. Though I've never been, I've heard the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is worth a visit, as is the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro (HBI). If gambling is your speed, the Gulfport/Biloxi area offers many casinos on the Mississippi coast ... fly to GPT. Nashville (BNA) is a great city to visit if you like country music ... and Memphis is great for the blues. Check out Beale Street for sure. If you're a golfer, Myrtle Beach (via CRE or MYR) is a good stop. Closer to home, take the trip to Michelbob's if you haven't already ... fly to APF and walk across the street ... "Best Ribs in America" might be a bit of an overstatement, but the food is pretty good. Fly to Asheville NC (AVL) and visit the Biltmore Estate.

Happy flying!

R

 

[Bluestreak]

BBQ

Yeah,I got to meet Charlie B. once.Mutts is good,as well as Sadler's Creek in Anderson,but I can't stay away from Sonny's-all you can eat ! I'd try flying to Habersham,GA to the Runway Fish House-the airport ID is AJR.It's only open on weekends,tho.I hear there is live music saturdays at the 57Alpha Cafe in Rutherfordton,NC (just north of SPA).Or you can always go to SPA and take the crew van to the Beacon Restaurant.

 

[mainah]

My family are Hilton Head residents so I definitely second that area. Tupelo (TUP) is a nice town in northeast MS.

 

[KINGAIR PIC]

Even though I am from New Orleans, have lived here my whole life, and am sick of it, I do highly recommend visiting here at least once. The French Quarter is a must see & do. PM me for any additional info.

 

[Paladin]

Re: BBQ

Or you can always go to SPA and take the crew van to the Beacon Restaurant.

Just don't plan on feeling human for a few hours after you're done eating...it's the greasiest spoon restaurant on the planet. You gotta love Breast 'o plenty

Cheers,
Markus

Work smart
Not hard

 

[tarp]

Day trips, overnights - what are you doing?

New Orleans is just cruel for pilots - a bar every 6 paces in the French Quarter and you can't drink. Too far from Armstrong Intl to downtown and it ain't cheap down there.

Somebody said Charleston and they have that CATS bus that runs in and out of downtown - it can be cheap if you stay out by the airbase and bus it into town.

Day trips:

Jekyl Island, GA - where the millionaire's lived! Summer cottages for the Rockafellers, Vanderbilts, etc on this tiny island. You can walk to the "cottage" from the airport. Nice diversion - hideously expensive to STAY there, but a neat little "go to", get out of the plane for a few hours and then move on.

Pine Mountain/Callaway Gardens,GA - nice little nature preserve south of Atlanta - beautiful in the spring when Azaelas are blooming.

Athens, GA - September's coming. Steal the courtesy car, drive towards the UGA campus, stop at McDonald's for a sandwich, continue to the campus and park. Pick a nice shady tree and then watch the most beautiful women in the world walk by. I always had real problems walking and talking in this town.

North Myrtle Beach, SC - ask for a courtesy car for lunch. You have something like 16 miles of golf courses, restaurants and any kind of diversion you want.

Concord, NC - I'm not NASCAR, but I've driven some folks who are and I guess this town is like a shrine or holy grail of NASCAR. You can see garages and stuff (don't ask me, these guys had like a four day itinerary of car stuff they were going to do in Concord??)

Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN - get a car, go see the Smokies, Dollywood or that tourist trap in Gatlinburg. Hey it's fun to be campy once in a while.

Marietta, GA - too bad Stone Mountain Airport is gone. On the other side of Atlanta from Stone Mountain is Marietta and Kenesaw Mountain. Nice views from the mountain and some real Civil War history. Good diversion for the day.

Overnights -

Yeah CHS, SAV, RYY, - not cheap though.

I like rolling the dice on small places but a lot of them have something to do with golf. Now, if you are going on golf trips, have I got a list for you!!!

You didn't say what you were doing X-C in and how much time building. I rented a Seneca at a dry rate for a while. I used Airnav.com (wore it out) creating flight plans to the cheapest gas stations in the South. I remember going to Kinston, NC for $1.65 gas, Butler, GA for $1.90, Reidsville, NC for $1.99 and Whiteville, NC for $1.89. Just going to some of these "out of the way" places can be fun.

 

[sky37d]

SOP
If you like to play golf, SOP is a great destination. The Carolina Country Club is 1 mile from the airport, it's an Arnold Palmer designed course. Tough, but fun. Nice folks there, too.

 

[Floyd94]

If your in NC, you have to go to the outer banks/ first flight memorial. The runway is right next to the memorial. A must see this year in particular.

 

[prodigal]

Fly to eat . . .

The best seafood you'll ever eat is at Gloria Jeans at SSI.
Also gotta go at least once to FQD (Rutherford Co, NC) in the beautiful foothills of NC and eat at the 57A Cafe. Be sure to save room for Ron's world famous bananna pudding. Legend has it that his cafe was broken into once and the only thing taken was his pudding! Also he has a live band on Saturdays.

 

[Bluestreak]

Uh,er,I think you mean Barbara Jeans at SSI.Just ask for some " chocolate stuff" they'll know what you're talking about.Here's a link:
http://www.barbara-jeans.com/

 

[Aviatr80]

There is not much to do in town, but there is good restaurant on the field at St. Clair County Airport (Pell City, AL) KPLR - Just east of Birmingham. The name of it is Sammie's Touch and Go and they have just about everything. So, if you're in the area drop in!
You can give them a call at (205) 338-9500.