Bristol this week - advice?

[colinspooky]

As it says, I am at Bristol this week - yay.

Any advice on what to do in the area on day's off?

And what to do and look out for at the track. Would hate someone to say "oh you should have gone here and done this" after we get back.

Gratefully received.

[Alexamateo]

Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park are only 2-3 hours away, and if you are into kitsch , there's always Dollywood, a theme park owned by Dolly Parton.

[71Fan]

Being a west coaster I got no idea other than don't forget the earplugs. Especially for the little ones.

[colinspooky]

Think Dollywood is closed - opens in April.

No little ones - yay.

[71minus2]

Earplugs = a must! Its LOUD. Louder than i expected.

Get there early and you can get to see the pre race show from outside the track. When I went this was just behind the merchandise trucks on the front stretch side of the track. Won a Speed t shirt for traveling the furthest to get to the race too!

Be prepared to walk a long way. Especially if you arrive by bus and, like me, seated on the back stretch.

Buy a seat cushion. My arse was asleep mid way through the Nationwide race so i popped out and bought one.

Where are you staying? I was in Knoxville which was ok but not a lot to do.

[Mark in Oshawa]

There isn't no unique anything in that part of the world unless you want to just be there for the race days, and get in early and go down 3 or 4 hours down into Charlotte and do the raceshops before driving back west to Bristol. Most of the interesting things to do in the south that are truly noteworthy are not open this time of year or are a few hours a way. I would look up webpages of the major cities in the area and hit the tourist links.

Chattanooga is an interesting town I think, but again, 3 hours or so from Bristol...Knoxville is an hour and change....and if you go up into Virginia, there is nothing of note until you are further up I-81 into the Shendandoah....

[harvick#1]

how far is Lynchburg from the track, you can always tour the old Jack Daniels Distillery

[Alexamateo]

Maybe a whitewater rafting trip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RRdRGkmszI

[Alexamateo]

how far is Lynchburg from the track, you can always tour the old Jack Daniels Distillery

Fantastic tour, but it's about 5 and a half hours away.

[slorydn1]

You can come visit me- I am only 6.5 hours away