2014 Conference Transportation Information

How do I get to Cherokee, NC?

Participants who fly in to Asheville (AVL), NC, located 58 miles away, will have access to affordable shuttles to and from Cherokee. Otherwise, Cherokee is 119 miles from Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP), 164 miles from Charlotte (CLT), and 171 miles from Atlanta (ATL) airports. Access to the airport at Knoxville (TYS), 77 miles away, may not always be practical due to crossing the mountains.

We suggest you fly to Asheville, NC (AVL), where we will have charter buses available at cost ($20 one-way) for those who have reserved a day/time. The bus drive is 1.5 hours one-way to Cherokee. Otherwise, you may rent a car and drive yourself to Cherokee.

The following airlines and non-stop flight schedules are current for January, 2014. However, schedules may change – check with the Asheville airport under Flight Schedules at http://www.flyavl.com/ . Delta flies Atlanta (ATL) to AVL; US Airways flies Charlotte (CLT) to AVL, and United flies a few flights from Chicago (ORD) to AVL.

In the following schedule, Monday=1, Tuesday=2, and so on.

* Note: Other flights run at other times on single days of the week.
Highlighted in yellow: Sunday morning flights that allow you to attend the optional Sunday afternoon field trip (which requires that you register by April 4th).
Highlighted in green: Sunday flights that allow you to attend the Sunday evening opening reception.

Making your flight and shuttle reservations

Arrival to Cherokee: We suggest that if you want to attend the optional field trip on Sunday afternoon, you should plan to arrive in Asheville by 12:15-12:30 Sunday (May 11) morning, OR arrive in Asheville on Saturday (May 10) and plan to spend the night in Asheville, taking one of our shuttles to Cherokee on Sunday morning. If you are on the SoE Board or SEB Council, you should plan to arrive in Cherokee on Saturday. See the airline overview above for information about what flight arrival times on Sunday would allow you to attend either the field trip or the evening welcome reception.

As soon as you know your flight/transportation plans, you need to return to the Conference Registration site and reserve a specific day/time for a $20 one-way shuttle from Asheville to Cherokee. Shuttle reservations need to be made by Friday, April 4th to guarantee a seat.

Return to Asheville: If you plan to attend one of the optional post-conference field trips, your field trip may return you to Asheville (see details on individual field trips). Otherwise, if you do NOT plan to attend a field trip and need to take a shuttle from Cherokee back to Asheville, you need to make certain that you budget enough time (2 hours shuttle) for the shuttle trip back to the airport plus time for security clearance before your flight out. You need to reserve a day and time for your $20 shuttle trip from Cherokee to Asheville by Friday, April 4th, to guarantee a seat.

SHUTTLE RESERVATIONS

DEADLINE to book a seat: April 4th

Each shuttle run is $20 one way (e.g., $20 from Asheville to Cherokee, and an additional $20 from Cherokee to Asheville).

WARNING: Book your plane flights to match with your shuttle reservations. Make sure to plan enough time to make your return flight home: the 56-mile drive from Cherokee to Asheville may take 1.5 hours, plus you should plan to arrive at the airport 70-90 minutes before your flight so that you have time to pass through Security and arrive at your gate before your boarding time.

Note that you may elect to take a field trip along the way on Thursday, May 15th, as you travel back to the airport: be sure to read the field trip descriptions and time of arrival at airport. If you register for a field trip that returns you to the airport, do NOT also sign up for a return shuttle here: your field trip will take you to the airport as stated in the field trip description.

A note about scheduling your shuttle on Sunday, May 11th to arrive in time for scheduled activities:

• To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 3:00 field trip, you must take the 1:00 pm shuttle;
• To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 6:00 Pecha Kucha, you must take the 4:15 pm or earlier shuttle;
• To arrive in Cherokee in time for the 8:00 pm welcome reception, you must take the 6:30 pm or earlier shuttle.

ARRIVAL: Shuttles from Asheville Regional Airport to Harrah’s Cherokee Casino

Saturday, May 10

• 8:15 pm

Sunday, May 11

• 1:00 pm (arrives in time for 3:00 optional field trip)
• 4:15 pm (arrives in time for 6:00 pm Pecha Kucha)
• 6:30 pm (arrives in time for 8:00 pm welcome reception)
• 9:15 pm

Monday, May 12

• 11:15 am

DEPARTURE: Shuttles from Harrah’s Cherokee Casino to Asheville Regional Airport

note: arrival at airport is approximately 1.5 hours after departure from Cherokee

Wednesday, May 14

• 3:30 pm (for flights departing 6:00 pm and later)

Thursday, May 15

• 7:00 am  (for flights departing 9:28 am and later)
• 4:15 pm (for flights departing 6:20 pm and later)

Friday, May 16

Please inquire via email by Friday, March 28 to Gail Wagner at gail.wagner@sc.edu; put Conference Shuttle in the subject heading of your email.

If you are booking a shuttle (including a field trip that returns you to the airport), you will be asked to supply the following information:

• your name and email address;
• Arrival date, airline and flight number, and arrival time in Asheville (for example, May 11, Delta 5322, 11:54 am);
• Departure date, airline and flight number, and departure time.