A question for the locals...hello from Chicago

My girlfriend and I are trying to decide where to go for spring break. We both love driving so we want to go where we can have a nice drive. The first day of spring break for us is March 14th.

I was thinking Smoky Mountains was a good candidate...I drove through the Tail of the Dragon this past summer on the way to Florida, and that was a fantastic drive. Granted I was in my friend's 3-series (too bulky for my taste), it was still amazing!

I really love nature and I just want to spend this spring break relaxing somewhere, enjoying nature by hiking, canoeing, etc. Whatever there is to do. But is mid-March still a tad cold over there? I'm pretty worried about the climate during March, I really want it to be decently warm (at least 55 - 60 degrees).

If anyone has any other suggestions, that would be great! We will have from Saturday to Friday of the week after, so I'm thinking a maximum 12 hour drive (spending two days to drive) to get to our destination and spending 3 full days somewhere would be nice. Smoky Mountain is only about 7 hours away so we can do that in one day so that's another reason why it is a great candidate!

Sorry to go on and on about this, but I just talked to my girlfriend (she's in Japan for winter break) and I'm really excited about spending a week together like this.

If anyone has any suggestions, advice, etc please let me know! Thanks!

 

If you choose the first of March then I think you will have a good time without as much traffic. Of course if the sun breaks warm, everyone will bring their ride out from hibernation. Guess where they will head? Hear is a calender.

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/calendar.html

 

Well, we aren't there just for that. We will stay near the park and do stuff outdoors if the climate lets us. That's mostly my question, is it warm enough?