Florida Travel AROC USA NCAM 2003 What To Do On the way or while there? Little Alfa Content

[Bernie Bennett <bennetts77833@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 All:

We're beginning to plan our annual 3 weekend 2 week visit to the US Alfa 
Club's National Convention and Annual Meeting (NCAM). This will be our 
25th US Convention in 27 years of marriage. We'll be in our '92 Spider. 
We are looking for some advice. We have some tips for those driving down 
from the North and Midwest.

The question is for our planned visit, what do you digest members 
recommend we consider doing on the way or while there? For example, is 
there anything at the Daytona motor sports complex for Alfisti? I can 
get NASCAR stuff on TV . . . Any good Alfa roads? We've planned on going 
down the East Coast spending 2 days in St. Augustine, 1 day transit to 
Ft. Lauderdale, 3 days Ft. Lauderdale, 2- days Key Largo / Keys, and 2 
days @ Marco Island and then back up the West Coast to Texas.

Florida residents especially, what's on your must see list. You should 
know we like bird watching. Also we've been to Pensacola to the Naval 
Air Station to the Naval Air Museum (Wow, rivals the National Air & 
Space Museum.) When we went to see Fred a couple of years ago, we drove 
down the West Coast of Florida,. Very nice, the Sewanee (Suwanee 
actually) River, Tampa and great food. Ft. Meyes, The Edison estate. 
Sanibel Island and the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (Worth a 
Visit). Nunzio's Texaco, a real enthusiastic gentleman and of course 
Fred's friend as I recall we got an oil change and stopped for gas a 
couple of times.

Now for those of you coming down the east coast. We highly recommend 
spending a couple of days (a week if you can find it ) on the Outer 
Banks of North Carolina (North Carolina in geography reminds of the 
variety of TX, coast to mountains to forests, incredible beauty and 
variety . . .) Be prepared for traffic jams if you arrive with all the 
weekly rentals on Saturday night, tho since we've been there is now a 
bigger highway.

For those of you coming thru the midwest. In Asheville North Carolina, 
The Biltmore Estate is incredible worth 1/2 a day. And Cherokee (has a 
great outdoor drama about the "Trail of Tears" Cherokee Indian Removal 
to Oklahoma. near/ Bryson City, NC, The Hemlock Inn incredible food,  
country breakfasts and family style dinners served at round tables from 
lazy susans and quiet relaxing room in the country. Was primitive, just 
checked their web site, it's gotten quite a bit more pricey since we 
stayed there for two summers in a row in the mid 1980's. It's just about 
halfway between Asheville and Chattanooga.

If we can get within 150-200 miles of it, we stop in Chattanooga, TN 
mainly to eat at the Mt. Vernon Colonial Inn a Southern Restaurant. 
That's with a big S and Big R. Good ole' southern cooking, great steaks, 
fried chiken, ham, veggies & deserts including, Goober Pie (peanuts and 
Sugar). We did stay once at the Chattanooga Choo Choo. If you don't stay 
there just visit it a hotel with railroad sleeping cars & a good 
restaurant too. While on I24 headed West, stop in Paducah at the 
American Quilter's Society Museum and see a great collection of Quilts 
as art. In the same area, an incrediblly beautiful.region, 
the-Land-Between-the-Lakes, / Kentucky Dam.It's the place where Western 
KY, and TN come together at the Tennessee River  Also there are a couple 
of  the TN state park resorts which are all over the state with 
affordable accommodations in beautiful settings for families.

Thanks to any who have any advice, tips, &c. Hope some of this is useful.

Best Wishes,

Bernie Bennett
Brenham, TX
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