Jacksonville to Atlanta and back again

Three collegues and I are attending a conference in Atlanta in November. We found an excellent internet special, so decided to fly into Jacksonville and have a little road trip. We are spending the first night (Wednesday) in Jacksonville (we get in late.) The next day we'll drive to Atlanta. We have the whole day, so can make some stops on the way. Friday and Saturday are the conference. Saturday afternoon we will head toward Charleston. From then until we have to catch our plane the following Wednesday afternoon we will wind our way up to Charleston, down to Savannah, and back to Jacksonville. We were thinking about spending the last night in St. Augustine, Florida. Any tips for places we can stop at would be greatly appreciated. We have a very short time, so we want to hit the highlights. Thanks for your help!

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America forum.

By swinging a bit inland on your Jacksonville to Atlanta leg, you bring a number of worthwhile stops into play, especially if you'd like a bit of interesting history to go with some scenic driving. You can start by making a quick visit to Okefenokee Swamp, but this will test your navigational skills and I wouldn't try it on a rental car map. The visitor center is on the west side off GA-177 and getting from Jacksonville to Edith, GA will not be easy.

From there, head up US-441, US-82, US-41, GA-90 and GA-49 to Andersonville for a taste of what being a prisoner in the Civil War was like. Afterwards, get back on GA-90 and use it and GA-41 up to Warm Springs, GA for a visit to FDR's Little White House. Those are what I would consider the highlights of that region, and the generally two-lane blacktops that you'll be following are pretty in their own right.

You could (and I have) spend a week in Charleston, but by all means take in Patriot's Point, and the boat ride from there out to Fort Sumter. If you'd like to visit an old plantation, there are a couple out along Ashley Road. My personal favorite was Magnolia Plantation for the variety of things offered. One thing that was not available when I was there, but that I will get back for at some point, is the CSS Hunley.

I have not spent a lot of time poking into the nooks and crannies of the coast from Charleston down to Jacksonville, but from the sound of the AM radio I've listened to through there, it should be 'interesting'.

AZBuck