Post-grad roadtrip cross country

Hello,
My friend and I (two girls) are planning a roadtrip to drive from NYC to San Francisco, Ca in about 2.5 weeks. So far, we know that we want to head south and hit New Orleans for a few days and then head west through Texas and the Death Valley region.
Does anyone have any suggestions for places to stay along the route, sites to see in the south, or anything that is a must-see?
We are looking to see the "real south," some fun bars, maybe some beaches along the eastern coastline of NC, etc.
Any suggestions help! :-)
Thanks!

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Its always very hard/impossible to really start coming up with a list of "must sees" on a cross country trip, since there are so very many possibilities and everyones tastes are different. What sort of things have you come up with so far that are Must Sees for you?

I will ask is this a one way trip? Two and a half weeks will be fairly comfortable if that is the case, but if you are planning to do a round trip, your time will really be at a premium, especially if you want to spend a few days in New Orleans and other places on your trip. If that is the case, you might want to trim back your plans and really focus your time along the Atlantic Coast, the South, and New Orleans, so you can enjoy yourself and not have to worry about covering 500 miles every single day.