Dragon Run Tourism

I'm lucky enough to live within a long day's drive of the Tail of the Dragon.  If I want to save on motel bills and meals, or am pressed for time, the 600+ mile run is do-able, even with slow going between Robbinsville and Knoxville.  But it's more fun to take two easy days and smell the roses.  There must be tourism opportunities for you too if you're departing from a similar distance from Robbinsville, no matter your vector of travel.

My particular interests are racing cars, history, and architecture.  The major opportunities on my route are Indianapolis and Columbus IN, and Louisville and Lexington KY.  The "must" stop for me in Indianapolis is the Speedway Museum.  (There is a small Kurt Vonnegut museum in Indianapolis too.  It was his home town and he wrote about it often.)  Columbus, which I haven't visited yet, is famous for its architecture.  The Miller family, co-founders of Cummins Diesel, put up several nationally known modernistic buildings and homes, including the Cummins corporate headquarters.

Louis Meyer's 1928 Indy-winning Miller 1.5 liter straight eight  and Mark Donohue's 1972 Indy-winning 2.65 liter Offenhauser turbo McLaren M 16B in the Speedway Museum.  The Museum has a large collection, including loaners and sports cars, which it rotates frequently.  There's always something new to see if you give them a few months to refresh their display.

Louisville is on the Falls of the Ohio, where navigation was interrupted before the 1800's.  (Early explorers portaged around the rapids; later travelers took a day-long stagecoach ride around.)  It also has a couple of Plantations, one owned by Joshua Speed, who was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln's in their youth, pro-slavery, and instrumental in keeping Kentucky in the Union during the Civil War.

Louisville viewed across the Ohio River,  and my friendly docent at the Falls of the Ohio.  When I stop at a historic site almost anywhere, my experience has been friendly and knowledgable people to tell me what I'm looking at and answer my questions.  They are usually retired teachers.  This guy was particularly knowledgable about the Falls of the Ohio and Louisville before modern navigation began in 1872.

I haven't toured Lexington yet.  As a history buff, I want to see Ashland, the home of Henry Clay, who was a fascinating bundle of contradictions.  He was one of the most powerful men in Congress for four decades and a 4-time unsuccessful candidate for President.  And the Mary Todd Lincoln house, home of the Todds, who were movers and shakers in Lexington for decades.  After I've ransacked Lexington, I'll Google Knoxville and Oak Ridge.

Most Dragon fans know there are other interesting drives and things to see in the area: the dams, Cherohala Skyway, Tellico TN, Bryson City NC, Great Smoky National Park itself, and Gatlinburg.  If you have a week to spend near the Dragon, you can pack considerable variety into your trip.