Southern road Trip

Uncle_moe

My wife and I are planning a fly drive down south in the US but haven't decided on what route to do.
Our first plan was Atlanta - Smoky Mountains - Nashville - Memphis - New Orleans The only downside to this was a lot of driving in a two week period. We did a very similar distance a few years ago and found the time in the car a bit long.
Second plan was Austin - San Antonio - Houston - Lafayette - New Orleans
Very different places I know but if anyone has any advice at all about each place and which they think would be better I'd be interested to hear it.
I should also say we'd like somewhere fairly laid back for a few days, nice hotel with a pool, bars restaurants nearby etc.

dennyk

How long is your trip in total?

If Memphis and New Orleans aren't must-dos, I'd suggest maybe Atlanta -> Savannah (3.5 hours) -> Asheville, NC (4.5 hours) -> Nashville (4.5 hours) -> Chattanooga, TN (2 hours), then drive back to ATL (2 hours) to fly home.

Atlanta: Not sure if you're planning to spend time here or just flying in and driving out, but if you're staying a bit, there's definitely stuff to do in town. Downtown around Centennial Olympic Park you've got the Georgia Aquarium (definitely a must-see), the World of Coca-Cola (touristy as hell, but eh), the Center for Civil and Human Rights (interesting museum with a nice exhibit on the American Civil Rights movement), the CNN studio tour, the College Football Hall of Fame (probably not your thing, but it's there), and Atlanta's giant London Eye-esque Ferris wheel. In Midtown, stuff is more spread out, but you've got the High Museum of Art (a must-visit if you like art museums at all), the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the Margaret Mitchell house (author of Gone with the Wind), and Piedmont Park. Further outside of the city center is the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and the Atlanta History Center, both excellent museums.

For stuff to eat, definitely try the fried chicken at South City Kitchen. If you're downtown around the park and craving some sharwarma, Baraka Sharwarma on Walton is the best I've ever had anywhere. Didn't eat in town much, as I lived up in the 'burbs, so don't have any other particular recommendations.

If you have a chance, try to catch an improv show at Dad's Garage, they're hilarious.

Savannah: Beautiful port town near the Georgia coast. The historic district is nice to just wander around in admiring the architecture and the squares. River Street is nice as well, and there's several interesting museums in town. Take a drive out to Tybee Island for a day as well, it's a great little beach town. Fort Pulaski along the way is a cool stop as well, it's a very well-preserved Civil War fort with some nice walking trails around it.

For food, don't have any particular recommendations for Savannah, but there's lots of good places in town. Vic's on the River was good last time I was there. On Tybee, you want AJ's Dockside or Sting Ray's for beach grub or Tybee Island Fish Camp for something fancier (food-wise, anyway). Bernie's for oysters and Bloody Marys if that's your groove, and Tybee Time if you want neon-colored frozen adult beverages.

Asheville: Cool little city nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Good base for exploring Great Smokey Mountain National Park or driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the city itself is quite unique; definitely meets your 'laid back' criteria, with many good restaurants and great brewpubs and bars, and live music. Big microbrew scene in town as well; Green Man is my favorite (get yourself some at Jack of the Wood), but there's plenty more to try as well. The town has a fairly big hippie scene, so there's lots of veggie/vegan restaurants and New Age shops as well, not something you normally find in the middle of the Bible Belt. Definitely check out the Grove Arcade, the Basilica of St. Lawrence, and the Grove Park Inn (hell, if price is no object, you could even stay there). The Pinball Museum is also pretty cool; you can play all the retro pinball machines you want for $15. And of course there's the Biltmore Estate, if you don't mind paying a lot of money to see how the 0.1% lived during the last Gilded Age (spoiler: really damn well).

Nashville: Sorry, ain't been to Nashville myself, so you're on your own here, but since it was your idea, I assume you've got some stuff in mind... :pac:

Chattanooga: A small city on the Tennessee-Georgia border, halfway between Nashville and Atlanta. I always stayed in the Bluff View Art District, which has rooms in a few historic houses in a tiny neighborhood on a bluff overlooking the river; several good restaurants and a few shops and such there as well, and the Hunter Museum of American Art is very nice. Definitely check out the aquarium (not quite as fancy as Atlanta's, but very nice nonetheless) and walk across the historic Walnut Street Bridge to check out Coolidge Park and the shops on the north bank of the river. Take the Incline Railway up to Lookout Mountain and check out the view from Point Park, drive up to Rock City Gardens, maybe check out Ruby Falls (pretty caves and an underground waterfall, but I hear it's absolutely slammed with tourists in the busy seasons these days, and expensive to boot).

Uncle_moe

thanks a million for the incredibly detailed reply. I will look into this as it's not a route we thought of but we had always liked the idea of Savannah. Just depends on whether or not New Orleans is a must see. Thanks again.

alastair

New Orleans IS must see, tbh. One of my favorite cities in the US.

Nashville is a nice town, but unless you’re a country music fan, it’s not particularly scenic or historic. There’s some great food there, but the same is true of many other spots in the south.

McSween

I’ve been to Nashville twice and you dont have to be a country music fan to enjoy it. Honestly, most of the bands are rock and everyone has a good time as there is a great atmosphere.

Uncle_moe

thanks everyone for the replies. We haven't booked flights yet but most likely will include New Orleans and Nashville. Now to find best available flights

jester1980

We did a similar trip, went to atalnta and then drove up through the smoky mountains which are amazing, then went to Nashville before going on to Memphis. did all that in about 10 days.

Loved it all

Uncle_moe

Thanks a million. We were planning that route and on down to new orleans but it looks like a little less travelling (perhaps better roads) to travel from Nashville to Atlanta Via smokey mountains and on down to New Orleans. Haven't fully decided on the route yet though.

ollaetta

Planning something similar ourselves and am wondering if mid-March/early April would be too early in the year, particularly for some of the mountainous areas?

dennyk

Nah, it should be fine that time of year. It'd be on the chilly side in some places in the mountains and it's possible you might see a snowstorm or a bit of ice there, but the weather's pretty variable that time of year, so it could just as easily be sunny and mild the whole time. There really aren't any parts of the southern Appalachians that are permanently inaccessible even in winter, it really just depends on the local weather from day to day. By mid-spring the chances of getting trapped somewhere by weather are pretty slim, unless you go deliberately driving up the steepest mountain you can find when there's a winter storm warning out.

Uncle_moe

So we finally made plans and booked everything, we're flying to Nashville, travelling through the smokies, on to Atlanta and then down to New Orleans. Just have one question, the drive from Atlanta to NO is long so is there anywhere people would recommend a stop or two. Most likely have 2 nights to spare on this leg of the trip.

Thanks

JackieChan

It it was me, I would drive from Atlanta down to Panama city and drive route 98 to Pensacola and 90 on to NO.
Not done it, but a Beautiful drive that I want to do.

Its more time in the car but can stop of lots for breaks/photos.

Uncle_moe

Thanks for that. Have looked into it and I think we'll drive to Panama City and stay a night or two there or Destin and then take the coast road over to NO.

Deirdre1234

Hi there, myself and my two sisters are heading over to Nashville in April this year. We are flying from Ireland. We are hoping to stay for over two weeks and hoping to visit maybe Memphis and somewhere else relatively close. We are open to any suggestions. Thanks

towger

Deirdre1234 wrote: »

Hi there, myself and my two sisters are heading over to Nashville in April this year. We are flying from Ireland. We are hoping to stay for over two weeks and hoping to visit maybe Memphis and somewhere else relatively close. We are open to any suggestions. Thanks

We did this last year.

Nashville, Memphis, Natchez, New Orleans, Pensacola.

All brilliant. Two nights in Memphis, should have done three, left ourselves short there, so much to do and see, 100% do not miss Martin Lurther King Museum and Sun Studios.
Brilliant holiday.

kjbsrah1

I an at the beginning stages of starting to plan a trip for my parents for next year (sept 2020). They will be 50 years married and it’s their one dream that we have yet to fulfill. They are out dancing every weekend and mam is a massive Elvis fan. Just wondering (i’ve Never been to that part of the states) but would maybe 3 nights in Nashville, 2 nights at Graceland and 2 nights at Dollywood be doable/a good idea? Not keen on the 4 hour each way day trip from Nashville to either place - just cause it’s a long time and it would tire then out too much. Both are in excellent health (dad still powerwalks marathons and mum walks everywhere’s) but sitting for that length would be tough for them.

I see there is the Martin Luther King Museum there too so that would be a bonus.

If anyone is familiar with the area and has maybe done or planned a similar trip i’d love to hear from you. They will be flying from Ireland.
Thanks in advance.

Uncle_moe

Hi, we started in Nashville, spent 3 nights there and then went to Gatlinburg for a couple of nights. We drove by Pigeon forge on the way to Gatlinburg and were delighted we didn't stay there. PF is closer to Dollywood but it's really tacky looking and very much geared towards people with young kids. Your parents could stay in Gatlinburg and still be relatively close to Dollywood.
Can't speak about Memphis though as we didn't go there.