Try Tapoco Lodge, not the cheapest but NICE! Thats where most of the Colorado people will be headquartered this year.
Here is a long list of locations. MINIs On The Dragon - Lodging Here is the main MOTD website where you can create an account and sign up after Jan 9th. http://www.minisonthedragon.com/index.php
camping at fontana or area around Has any one tried to take a motor home to fontana or the surrounding area? If so how was the driving and are there other campgrounds with not so twisty roads?
You will need to define motor home. (Length) Also here is a great list to review: http://www.minisonthedragon.com/lodging.php
You can take a motor home, but if its over 30 feet total, the new reg's on the Tennessee side might come into play. Getting out of curvy roads down there is impossible! So if your camper cant stay between the lines on switchbacks, do everybody on the road a favor, and make your way into Fontana after dark. I saw a few RV campgrounds around the lake last year, and even the one at the bottom of the dam is set up for hookups and everything.
Well, you could come into fontana from Asheville, or Robbinsville and avoid the dragon all together with the rig.
Ok first off - newbie here! So, For you experiences MOTD'rs, can you recommend between Maryville, TN and Murphy, NC for lodging? From the looks of it - Murphy would be a much shorter and less technical drive to get to Fontana every day. But the hotel we are looking at in Maryville has a kitchenette... decisions decisions. Anyone stay in either of these towns? We are looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great time! Dan & Kim
Both area about an hour away. I would look into Robbinsville first via the lodging page HERE, my next place would Bryson City cause it closer than your original choices.
***THIS ROOM HAS BEEN CLAIMED*** I have a 2-bedroom Hemlock cabin on Welch Road @ Fontana Village, #547. Same cabin I have been renting for a number of years now. I had a conditional cabin partner, but their attendance at the event is now in question, so I have been advised to seek other arrangements. This cabin has 1 room with 2 twin beds, and 1 with a queen size bed. I have no preference between the rooms. I am currently reserved for arrival on Monday, April 27, and departure on Sunday, May 3. But I am going to extend my arrival 1 day earlier, for Sunday, April 26. Total cost should end up just North of $1,250 for all 7 nights. Just to make the math easy, your share would be $600, I'll cover the leftover portion. Not to be difficult, but I am not looking to split the cabin for only a portion of the reservation time/cost. Please PM me here if interested. ***THIS ROOM HAS BEEN CLAIMED***
We just got an efficiency room last night at Phillips Motel. I called all over and Tapoco had some available in the lodge but WAY too expensive for my blood plus they required a meal package. Al
Tapoco is an oldtime summer retreat from the 1920s or thereabouts. They closed down a few years back and have reopened with new furnishings and higher prices. The nice thing about Tapoco is that they are THE start/end of Tail of the Dragon on US 129 North/South [depending on the direction you are driving]. A lot of people think of Deals Gap as the start/end but that is not so...there are still another coupla miles down US 129 to reach the end/start. Deals Gap just represents the jog onto Highway 28 [aka Hellbender] and on to Fontana. BTW, WELCONE TO M/A!!
Welcome to M/A!! I would check with lodging around Robbinsville, NC, as it is closer to Fontana. Murphy or Andrews would be my next choices, but they are farther away from Robbinsville [to the south/southwest]. You might wish to scope out lodging on NC Hwy 28 north towards Fontana, too, as there are some small motels on that road as well that may still have some openings. Keep checking on here, too, as many prospective participants often have last minute changes of plans involving lodging they have already secured. Good Luck!
Thanks! Looking forward to this getaway. I think my wife booked something in Bryson City down the road a piece. I thought that may be better than Maryville. We are on a shoestring budget this year as it was a last minute decision to plan to attend. I literally found out about it a week before registration opened... Soooo had to take what we could afford this time around (which wasn't much) LOL. I will keep my eye out in here for anything that pops up as we can cancel up until a week or two before the event. Looking forward to meeting fellow miniacs and relaxing with a brew and a stogie or two! Sounds like the winery drive is in our future as well.
Sounds good! Bryson city is a bit away, take an alarm clock if you want to join in on the morning festivities. Last year the Colorado group was in a high end cabin between Bryson and Fontana, and our commute to Fontana was around a half hour! Granted a good bit of that was just the trail to get to the cabin.
During MSSD (fall Dragon event) this year I stayed in Bryson city for a couple of nights. Probably a 30 minute jaunt from there to Fontana, the ride in is one of my favorites.