Tour Description

We have combined the Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Smokey Mountains and the Appalachian fall foliage for the prettiest fall tour you can imagine. Making Memories is pleased to host this unforgettable tour through southeastern United States where the deep red, rustic orange and aged yellow colors are everywhere and command your attention. This is not a prim and proper or slow drum tour, oh no. We’ve planned some fabulous finds for you such as the Hatfield and McCoy Show in Pigeon Forge, TN, a tour of the Biltmore Estates, a glance back at Mayberry Memories with a stop at the Andy Griffith Museum, the National D-Day Memorial, the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, West Virginia and the Heritage Farm and Museum. We’d be honored to have you along as we explore and appreciate nature’s visual bounty in autumn.

Day 1:

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Lodging: LaQuinta Inn & Suites

The first day of our tour will be a leisurely travel day with our destination of Nashville, Tennessee. While traveling today you will already get a glimpse of what nature has to offer as we see the many different colors of the ever-changing seasons.

Day 2:

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Lodging: Hampton Inn

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning we depart Nashville and drive deeper into the state arriving for our Making Memories welcome lunch at the Hatfield & McCoy Show. There is not a bad seat in the house for this high-spirited mountain music show. Your toes will be tappin’, hands will be clappin’ and lips will be smackin’.

Day 3:

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Hampton Inn Breakfast

Our mid-morning extravaganza includes a leisurely stop at America’s largest home. Enjoy the beautiful 8000-acre Blue Ridge Mountain backyard of George Vanderbilt’s 4-story, legendary Biltmore Estates. This 250-room house has an interior floor area equal to 4 acres. The estate is home to Vanderbilt’s extensive art and antique collections from his world travels. Your breath will be taken away by the amazing views afforded by the observation points located throughout. Our afternoon promises to make this a gem of a day are fulfilled when we visit Emerald Village deep in the mountains of North Carolina. This historic mining setting lets us have a try for a flash of gold in the pan during our gold panning! We will make our nightly stop at Mt. Airy, North Carolina.

Day 4:

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Lodging: Country Inn

Meals: Breakfast

We are welcomed today at the home of Andy Griffith, with an informative city tour of Mount Airy, NC and end at the Andy Griffith Museum. Housing the largest collection of memorabilia spanning his television and movie career including sets from beloved Mayberry and Matlock, you’ll enjoy your visit to a piece of Americana. The afternoon gives us a reflective look appreciating the freedom we have to travel free and enjoy our great nation. We visit the D-Day Museum located in Bedford, VA which is the war memorial giving tribute to and preserving the lessons and legacy of D-Day. This community suffered the highest per capita of D-Day losses in the nation. The memorial holds 4,413 Allied soldiers names who died in the invasion. It is the most complete list of its kind in the world. Tonight we will relax and remember the day in Princeton, West Virginia.

Day 5:

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Lodging: Drury Inn and Suites

Meals: Breakfast

Today we will view the State Capital Complex which took eight years to complete in three specific phases; the west wing in 1924-25, the east wing in 1926-27 and the rotunda in 1930-32. The 293-foot gold dome topping the structure is five foot taller than that of the US Capitol! Just over two-thirds of the interior of this splendid space is marble. Charleston, WV indeed has a beauty of a capitol! Our afternoon delight is spent at the Heritage Farm and Museum where we’ll step back in time with a guided adventure of life back then. Prepare to enjoy some time in yesteryear. We will rest our heads in Louisville, Kentucky tonight.

Day 6:

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Lodging: Patti’s Inn

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Tomorrow we arrive home. Before we get there, we’ve still got some memories to make. This morning we visit the Louisville Slugger production site. Inside we hit the Grand Slam Gallery, hunt for famous signatures found on Louisville Slugger bats and get a peek into a 125 year-old industry of bat making. You can even order your own personalized Louisville Slugger! Before our morning is over, we do the next best thing to being at the Derby – we go to the Kentucky Derby Museum, celebrating all things Kentucky Derby. Our evening venue will be at Patti’s 1880’s Settlement, a recreated historical log cabin village. Come for relaxation, a bite to eat, a casual stroll through town, unique shopping and beautiful gardens. Patti’s is a reminder of when things moved slower. They’ve received the Readers Choice Award for Best Small Town Restaurant in southeastern United States by the acclaimed Southern Living Magazine. Once we bite into their famous 2” pork chops, we might give them our own Making Memories Tour Choice Award! After dinner you’ll have time to meander the Settlement. Our lodging will be hosted by Patti’s Inn located in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.

Day 7:

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Meals: Breakfast

Today, as we head towards home, we remember the beautiful and breathtaking views of nature we have been privileged to view. We also have lots of memories of the many places we stopped and toured. Making Memories hope you made some unforgettable fall foliage memories. Thank you for taking your week to spend with us.