I'm going to pick up Fish next week in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and drive it back to Toledo, OH pretty much following I-75N the whole way through Georgia, Tennessee & Kentucky.

There must be at least a few MINI friends out there who could tell me about their little fun stretch of road, restaurant or destination (we're talking giant ***** of string here) off of, but close to I-75.
I've never driven this route before and I understand that through the Smoky Mountains, there is great scenery and more than a few twisties.

Now I've been living in NW OH for 11 years now and I long for some rolling, curvy, mountain roads.

Please, Let me in on your little secret mile o' heaven and I promise I'll only drive it once!

 

Hop off I-75 in Athens, TN onto Hwy 39 east and take it into Tellico Plains. You'll probably want to stop in Tellico Plains for food and gas before the next leg.

From there take the Cherohala Pky (143) east into Robbinsville, NC where it intersects with Hwy 129. Robbinsville is another good place for gas and food, but don't eat too much, because the next segment is a little "twisty"

Head north on 129 until you reach the Foothills Parkway. The twisty bits in the middle are known as the Tail of the Dragon, but you've probably already heard of that

Head north on the Foothills Parkway and follow the signs to Maryville. From Maryville, take I-140 to I-75, and you'll be back on the highway near Knoxville.

If that doesn't satisfy your thirst for "rolling curvy mountain roads", nothing will

 

That would be about as twisty and scenic as you can get for a 'detour'.

A few driving notes for Western North Carolina secondary roads:
Do not cross the centerline.
Pay attention to speed limit signs in corners, a 15mph can really mean it.

It is well worth the time to do this if you have not been on these roads.

 

Talked to my dealer and I'll be picking Fish up on Monday evening and I'm probably gonna leave Florida on Wednesday.

Just looked that up on Mapquest end it looks EXACTLY like what I'm looking for. Assuming 1 stop for gas/food, About how long would you say this sidetrip is... 1hr, 3hrs, etc???

C'mon ppl, keep those suggestions coming...

 

Most of these roads have low speed limits in 35-45mph range (posted and driveable), also lot's of scenic over looks and such. I would say minimum 4 hours, if you just drive it and stop a couple of times for scenery.