Short Road Trip from DC to GA: Looking For Knife Stops

Praxis

Praxis

Joined
Sep 30, 2001
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I'm taking a short road trip from the Fredericksburg, VA area down to Athens, Georgia to present at an academic conference at UGA next weekend. Will be taking I85 from Richmond all the way down to the Athens area. I would definitely like to break up the drive down and back with a few stops. Any knife stores worth a visit along my route between Richmond and Athens? Any other "must see" stops along the way? Will definitely be hitting up a few BBQ joints as well.

Thanks for any suggestions!:D
 
There aren't any here in NC worth stopping for so just keep on driving. :D
 
the EK knife factory in Richmond on forest hill ave could be neat. there was a store called becks cutlery in raliegh NC. if you check out their website it says the guy still does some stuff at the raleigh farmers market that is on wed and thur i believe. at least might be someone neat to talk to. and im sure you know corkie's in fredericksburg.
 
chuck buck said:
the EK knife factory in Richmond on forest hill ave could be neat. there was a store called becks cutlery in raliegh NC. if you check out their website it says the guy still does some stuff at the raleigh farmers market that is on wed and thur i believe. at least might be someone neat to talk to. and im sure you know corkie's in fredericksburg.
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Thanks Chuck. I'm a frequent visitor to Corkie's.:D I will have to check out the other possibilities you mention.
 
As a Georgia native I'm sad to report that I don't know of ANY good knife stores in the area. On a positive note, Athens is a great town. I hope you enjoy your trip.
 
There is a nice store in Spartanburg S.C. called Odom's Hardware and Knives. Advertise themselves as the biggest knife store in SC. Just Google map them and see. It really isn't far off of I-85, though you would have to get off onto Business 85 for a few miles. They carry a lot of brands and a great selection, and really good prices to boot. They do carry a few of the BM Auto's also.
 
Franklin Gun SHop
3941 Atlanta Hwy
Bogart, GA 30622

706-543-7803

This gun shop and outdoors store has a rather extensive knife department. I think it would be worth a stop. Prices aren't the best but there is a very nice selection. Bogart is very close (really close) to Athens, right next to it. Also, right up the street about a half mile from Franklin's is Clyde Armory. They may have a selection of knives as well, but I'm not sure on that, but worth a stop anyway as it is very close to Franklin's.

I bought my Kershaw Lahar at Franklin's.

Athens is a great town.
 
The Knifecenter is in College Park, MD, but I think you have to call ahead of time and set up an appointment to go in.
 
Will definitely be hitting up a few BBQ joints as well.
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Dreamland BBQ in Duluth and Roswell, GA is worth a stop. Ain't nothin like em nowhere!
 
maybe take a leisurely detour to new graham on your way back up! it seems to be the place to go in the mid Atlantic. when your driving 10 hours whats 4 more to see some good stuff? haha. good luck drive safely.
 
College Barbeque in Salisbury, NC is the best in the area. They are the only barbeque joint left in the area that still has a real wood fire pit. The rest all switched to gas. It is only about 5 minutes off the interstate.

College Bar B Que
117 Statesville Blvd.
Salisbury, NC 28144

While you are there get a cheerwine. Let me know when you are coming through, I will buy your lunch.

Whitty
 
cutter17 said:
There is a nice store in Spartanburg S.C. called Odom's Hardware and Knives. Advertise themselves as the biggest knife store in SC. Just Google map them and see. It really isn't far off of I-85, though you would have to get off onto Business 85 for a few miles. They carry a lot of brands and a great selection, and really good prices to boot. They do carry a few of the BM Auto's also.
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Cutter, thanks for the suggestion. Will check them out.


Que said:
Franklin Gun SHop
3941 Atlanta Hwy
Bogart, GA 30622

706-543-7803

This gun shop and outdoors store has a rather extensive knife department. I think it would be worth a stop.
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Another great suggestion! Thanks!

whitty said:
College Barbeque in Salisbury, NC is the best in the area. While you are there get a cheerwine. Let me know when you are coming through, I will buy your lunch.

Whitty
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Whitty, thanks for the offer. Left you a visitor message with travel details.

Wish I had more time to explore and have fun, but I have other obligations in addition to my teaching work so can't fit in a side trips to New Graham.:(
 
Que said:
Franklin Gun SHop
3941 Atlanta Hwy
Bogart, GA 30622

706-543-7803

This gun shop and outdoors store has a rather extensive knife department. I think it would be worth a stop. Prices aren't the best but there is a very nice selection. Bogart is very close (really close) to Athens, right next to it. Also, right up the street about a half mile from Franklin's is Clyde Armory. They may have a selection of knives as well, but I'm not sure on that, but worth a stop anyway as it is very close to Franklin's.

I bought my Kershaw Lahar at Franklin's.

Athens is a great town.
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Been to both. Franklin's is certainly worth a visit. When I was at Clyde Armory, they did have a limited selection, mostly BMs, but Franklin's was the better of the two. They are an MSRP dealer, however. Good for seeing & handling stuff, but they don't discount.
 
dalefuller said:
Been to both. Franklin's is certainly worth a visit. When I was at Clyde Armory, they did have a limited selection, mostly BMs, but Franklin's was the better of the two. They are an MSRP dealer, however. Good for seeing & handling stuff, but they don't discount.
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Good to know, thanks!
 
Think about taking a different route back and stopping at Smoky Mountain Knife Works on your way back. It will add about 120 miles to your mileage, but may be worth it if you've never been.

They have a huge selection of knives and displays, and it also houses the National Knife Museum. I could easily spend hours and hours there. It's just a few miles off of I-40 near Knoxville, TN
 
I'd also warn that places like Franklin's can be dangerous. With so many knives to handle with many if not most priced at MSRP it can still be hard to resist a purchase.

Bogart is a good hour plus drive for me so I don't get there as often as I'd like. When last there I was looking through the many Kershaws and spotted a Lahar, a knife that interested me greatly that I had only seen on the Internet. Some of the reviews that I had read indicated that it was too large for EDC. I was able to examine the knife and pocket it and decide for myself. Of course I could have let the knife go back in the case and go home (or even out to my Jeep) and order it for less from any number of sources, but I figured that a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush. I had examined that particualr knife and was happy with it, and that is worth something to me. I was also interested in some instant gratification rather than waiting by the mailbox.

So, if you go into Franklin's you'd best have better self-control than me if you are there just to look :D

I could also recommend Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, but you'd need a time machine as I finished cherry-picking that shop a month ago. They still have some discontinued models and a good if not depleted selection. If you want a Ruckus that's where to go.
 
Downtown Athens is a great place to hang out. Where are you staying? There's a couple of hotels that are close to downtown / the north (older / better) end of campus.

If you like beer, stop by Trappeze Pub in downtown Athens for a fantastic selection of craft beers.

Weaver D's will get you some authentic home-style cooking - he's also the originator of the saying 'Automatic for the people' that was later used by REM.

Farm 225 and The Last Resort are also great restaurants and well-worth visiting, but can be slightly expensive.
 
Steve_Holt said:
Think about taking a different route back and stopping at Smoky Mountain Knife Works on your way back. It will add about 120 miles to your mileage, but may be worth it if you've never been.

They have a huge selection of knives and displays, and it also houses the National Knife Museum. I could easily spend hours and hours there. It's just a few miles off of I-40 near Knoxville, TN
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Steve, thanks for the suggstion. I'm strongly considering a detour to SMKW on my way home tomorrow. Is their website an accurate reflection of the in-store stock? Do they have knives not listed on the site? I'm always looking for Spydercos, but the website just shows a basic selection.

Thanks!
Ben
 
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