Join us for an exciting, fun-filled, two-day trip that offers breathtaking fall colors, Cherokee, and a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad! We'll be traveling with participants from the Appalachian State University Institute for Senior Scholars in Boone. The bus will pick us up in Hickory in mid-morning of Thursday, October 22, and we'll return home in the evening on Friday, the 23rd.

Here's what you can expect:

Day 1
We'll board the bus in Hickory around 11 a.m. We'll take Interstate 40 to Cherokee, with a couple of rest stops on the way and a boxed lunch. Once in Cherokee, you'll have options about how to spend your afternoon in town. Later, we'll get checked in at the hotel and enjoy a group dinner together.

Day 2
We'll enjoy a continental breakfast (included in fee) at the hotel on Day 2, check out, and then head for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, just a mile from the hotel. We'll climb aboard the Royal Palm Crown Coach, featuring large windows for viewing. We'll enjoy a climate controlled car, with restroom.

Once aboard, we'll be traveling west along the Tuckasegee River, over the impressive Fontana Lake Trestle and into the Nantahala River Gorge. This is a 4 1/2 hour, 44-mile round trip, including a 1-hour layover at Nantahala Outdoor Center. A limited choice, pre-ordered lunch will be enjoyed on board.

When we return to the station, we'll have an hour to visit the Lionel train museum on-site before boarding the bus for the trip home. We should arrive back in Hickory by about 6 p.m.

Registration Information

Costs do not include Day 1 dinner meal or individual entertainment expenses or shopping. All registrations and full payments must be received by September 21. A $100 deposit is due at the time of registration.

Registration fees are based on single or double hotel occupancy. Cost per person for single occupancy is $235, which includes one night's hotel accommodation, train ticket, and two boxed lunches. Cost per person for double occupancy is $185, with the same amenities per person.

Through the submission of your registration form and by subsequent enrollment into this event, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Appalachian State University, Appalachian State University Center at Hickory and its representatives from any claims for personal illness or injury that might occur to you during your participation in this program.

Registrations will be accepted by telephone only. Please call 828-324-6966, ext. 2008, to secure your space and pay your $100 deposit. Balance is due by September 21, 2009, at 5 p.m. EDT.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your registration before September 21. You will receive a refund of your deposit or full payment minus a $10 processing fee. On or after September 21, no refunds will be given; however, substitutions may be made, with a $6 per ticket fee (as required by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad). Tickets are non-refundable/non-exchangeable during the last 48 hours before the departure date.