Travel Advice.

Driving from Michigan to Atlanta for a Falcons football game. Looking for a place to stay on the Friday before. Preferable georgia/tenn. line. Not sure if Dalton area is what we want. Anything in the National forest areas. Just looking for a hotel and a couple of restaurants/bars. Then head into Atlanta for Sat night and the game on sunday. Possible from Knoxville to Atlanta thru the hills?

Travel Advice.

Dalton would be OK -- plenty of moderately priced hotels and chain restaurants, but not a lot more.

Give downtown Chattanooga some consideration -- plenty of decent hotels, it%26#39;s very walkable and has a free electric shuttle bus service around the downtown core area and has more interesting restaurants, nightlife, etc.

Travel Advice.

Definitely Chattanooga, stay somewhere downtown for a good variety of restaurants and other things to keep you busy.

You could also take a detour near Knoxville and head to the Smoky Mountains NP since you mentioned the National Forest areas. Gatlinburg is a hillbilly heaven but has some beautiful scenery and plenty of places to eat.

Thanks, I was wondering about Cherokee or Franklin in N.C. Don%26#39;t need much just hotel and a bar or two after 12 hr drive. The drive is no problem, we would be arriving to these area%26#39;s around 5 in the afternoon.

you don%26#39;t want to do cherokee or franklin, first off cause there is no hard liquor in either city. Your best best, as i PM%26#39;d you, is to stay in gatlinburg. Go to smoky mountain brewery in gatlinburg, great food and drinks. plenty of inexpensive hotels at gatlinburg also. Plus, you do NOT want to drive over that mountain at night. Just drive it saturday morning, maybe stop by harrah%26#39;s casino in cherokee for a couple of hours, and then head to the ATL.

What route are you using to come through? Cherokee and Franklin aren%26#39;t on a major interstate, so I don%26#39;t follow how you plan to get there.

We love a place just outside of Robbinsville, NC, which would be close to Franklin, but it is remote. Great food and private rooms plus free use of canoes on a gorgeous lake and easy access to hiking and scenic drives - www.blueboarinn.com

I%26#39;m pretty sure they%26#39;ll take 40 east out of knoxville to 441 south, which will take you right into cherokee and franklin.