While you may not be quite ready for it, planning for the Christmas holiday is happening all around you—so you may as well dive in head first. Whether you’re planning an extended family gathering or simply a well-timed vacation, traveling for the holidays has become the norm and road trips are part of our American fabric.
Buick’s newly released mid-sized Enclave Avenir is a really great way to say “Happy Holidays” to someone looking for an upscale, but still high-functioning and intelligent vehicle. Starting at around $53,000 and seating seven adults, the Buick Enclave Avenir is a perfect way to kick off your holiday road trip. While beautifully designed, one of the most impressive things about this SUV is its attention to detail. Items like having a heated steering wheel and heated side mirrors can make driving so much easier in the cold-weather months. And, for your holiday road trips, the Avenir’s Lane Change Alert and Lane Departure Warning are important when on narrow, winding roads.
There aren’t many places in the U.S. that have the majesty of the Smoky Mountains, and driving your family this holiday through this gorgeous landscape should be on your bucket list. Approximately four hours from Atlanta and located right outside of Knoxville is a magical place called Blackberry Farm that transforms into a postcard during the Christmas season. The All-Wheel Drive feature on the Enclave Avenir would make this road trip through the picturesque mountain roads not only safe, but enjoyable.
While nothing can prepare you for holiday traffic, this Buick Enclave Avenir has not only an in-dash navigation system, but also features OnStar. The coolest part about OnStar that will help with your holiday grief is that an actual human talks to you and will download personalized maps with voice-guided directions making your trek into the Smokies much easier.
Once you arrive at Blackberry Farm, you’ll immediately realize why this tiny corner of Tennessee is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in the U.S. Founded in the 1930s by a husband and wife venturing out on their own family road trip from Chicago to Georgia, the farm is surrounded by green hills, tiny cottages and crisp mountain air.
Easily regarded as one of the best properties in the states, the farm staff’s attention to detail definitely (sans stuffiness) will be one of the most important parts of your stay. While there are several cottages, each one uniquely named, you and your loved ones will get the feeling you have your own family mountain retreat. A winter holiday in the snowy mountains may not seem to have the same draw as a beach vacation, but the quality of the food, wine and thoughtful service at Blackberry makes it a unique choice.