Hit the Road Jack...The Road to Gatlinburg

or Jill or Bob or Betty.  It's time for a family vacation that may let you avoid baggage fees or even plane tickets.  The Smoky Mountains feels like a distant retreat, so far from a typical day.  The reality is that Gatlinburg is centrally located, only a day's drive from 50% of the US population east of the Mississippi River.  Here's 9 major cities under 6 hour drive:
1.  Chattanooga, TN  71 miles, 1.25 hours
2.  Lexington, KY    211 miles, 3.5 hours
3.  Atlanta, GA        197 miles, 3.75 hours
4.  Charlotte, NC       200 miles, 4 hours
5.  Nashville, TN      223 miles, 4 hours
6.  Columbia, SC     228 miles, 4 hours
7.  Cincinnati, OH    291 miles, 4.5 hours
8.  Birmingham, AL  302 miles, 5 hours
9.  Raleigh, NC         325 miles, 5.5 hours
If you have a choice in cars, bring your jeep or SUV for climbing gravel mountain roads.  Leave your perfectly polished sports car in the garage.