Text Box: Hop in your car to explore Carolinas Living Here 2007-08 The Charlotte Observer By Gail Smith-Arrants                    From Charlotte, point your car in any direction for a fascinating trip.  Most of these Carolinas getaways are within 100 to 200 miles, and some just a county away. ASHEVILLE                  Want to breathe in mountain air and culture?  Drive west toward Asheville.  Don’t forget the famous Biltmore Estate and House and Grove Park Inn, as well as the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, a state historical site.  www.exploreasheville.com CHARLESTON                  This city is steeped in history and Carolinas culture.  The Civil War started at Fort Sumter.  Walk along the Battery at the harbor.  Take a walking tour and see lush gardens tucked between antebellum homes.  Eat famous Lowcountry cuisine.  Soak up the Spoleto Festival.  www.charlestoncvb.com WILMINGTON                  More low-key than Charleston, Wilmington has a lovely preserved downtown and thriving film industry.  Take a guided tour of the USS North Carolina and see the famous Cape Fear River.      www.cape-fear.nc.us OLD SALEM (WINSTON-SALEM)                  Founded by the Moravians in 1766, this place is like a miniature Williamsburg.  It has restored buildings, some in use since the 18th century.  Don’t forget to stop by the Moravian bakery for its famous paper-thin cookies.  www.oldsalem.org BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY                  Beware of congestion in October as tourists troll for fall color.  Winter can be nice because there’s little traffic, leaves are off the trees and you can see the pines of snowy mountains.  www.blueridgeparkway.org KINGS MOUNTAIN                  Hop just across the South Carolina line to visit the Kings Mountain National Military Park, site of a decisive Revolutionary War battle.  www.nps.gov/kimo CHEROKEE                  Many attractions here:  The Museum of the Cherokee Indians, as well as the adjacent Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  www.cherokee-nc.com LEXINGTON                  Between Salisbury and Winston-Salem off I-85, this is a place famous for pork barbecue.  Check out the Lexington Barbecue Festival on October 27.  www.barbecuefestival.com