Australian Couple need help planning an East Coast trip.
Hi there everyone this is our first post on the forum. We are hoping to get some ideas, tips etc...anything to help us plan our trip.
At this stage we are hoping to drive from New York to New Orleans in late November early December. We will hire a car and it has been suggested we start from somewhere like Newark. We will then go to Nazareth PA as I am a keen guitarist & the Martin factory is there. From there we hope to head south via Philadelphia,Washington, and possibly Virginia Beach.I also have an interest in the Civil War so would like to take in some of those attractions. Then we would like to get across to Nashville and down to New Orleans. I would like to see Memphis and the other music related towns along the way.
We have about two weeks or so. Are we biting off more than we can chew?
Any advice regarding car hire, accommodation, and places we should not miss would be greatly appreciated.
Washington to New Orleans- December
We are an Australian couple trying to plan the above road trip.We have two weeks to complete this trip and would like to see as much historical and music related sites as possible. We would like to travel some of the backroads as well if possible.
We would really appreciate some advice and ideas of possible routes. At this stage I was going to head to Richmond then east to Charlottesville onto the I-81. However it has been suggested we could head east from Washington (66?) to meet the 81 further north. This way we would see the Shenandoah National Park and a Parkway was mentioned.Sorry I cannot recall the name.
Any ideas as to which route would be the most interesting?
We would love to hear some ideas for routes to Nashville as well. From Nashville south is well documented, however we know of little from Washington to Nashville.
Cheers,
Phil
Mod Note: Merged your two threads, as this looks like the same, albeit changed, trip.
Some geography and climatology of VA and TN
Hello Phil,
Sounds as though you'll have a fine trip and you certainly have lots of time to take in some sights and sites. Perhaps we should start with some geography and related climate information, each of which should help your planning process.
Traveling south from Washington (regionally referred to as "DC", largely because every Eastern state has a Washington County and/or town or city named Washington), one reaches Richmond on I-95 (note the absence of "the" in I-95--referring to any highway as "the" is a California thing which will have we Easterners looking at you as though you have two heads), then one turns WEST to reach I-81. It is indeed possible/practical to take I-66 directly west from the DC area to reach I-81. In fact, if your airport of entry is Dulles International, and assuming you don't care to spend time in the Capital city, I-66 from Dulles to I-81 is much-preferred. I-95 south from Reagan National is a quagmire of traffic most of the time (and I-66 surely is, too, during weekday afternoon-evening hours, as commuters head home for the suburbs).
An hour to 90 minutes west of Dulles along I-66, one passes through a gap in a small mountain range, Cactoctin Mountain, at Manassas Gap, and there one enters the Shenandoah Valley (The Valley). The Valley is some 120 miles north to south and some 15-25 miles wide. South from Manassas Gap, Cactoctin Mountain widens out and is referred to as the Blue Ridge, or Blue Ridge Mountains. The Blue Ridge is essentially a wall of forested mountains separating The Valley from the Piedmont on the eastern side. From Front Royal on south, Shenandoah National Park occupys the crest of the Blue Ridge for around 110 miles, to where I-64 from Richmond has passed through Charlottesville and crests the Blue Ridge at Rockfish Gap. Through the SNP, the Skyline Drive (SD) bisects the long, narrow length of SNP, frequently offering long views down to the Piedmont on the east and the Valley on the west, each being some 2,500' to 3,000' lower in elevation. Rockfish Gap is also "Mile 0" of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), a linear park running along the crest of the Blue Ridge for some 470 miles south from Rockfish Gap to Cherokee, NC, near where NC, Tennessee, and Georgia meet, and at the doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On the eastern side, US 29 runs parallel to the BRP through the foothill ranges, while I-81 runs through the Shenandoah Valley and the smaller but no less pastoral Great Valley on into east Tennessee, at Bristol, TN.
So, that's the setting, now here's the challenge: In December, any portion of the SD or the BRP is liable to be closed with no advanced notice due to snow. There is little to no effort to plow or otherwise remove snow from either highway, so an episode of snow and ice must melt away before the roads are re-opened. Closures are particularly likely from about the VA-NC border on south to Cherokee, as the BRP holds elevations of between 4,500 to nearly 7,000' for its lowermost 150-175 miles. The good news is that a multitude of state and US highways cross the SD and BRP, so encountering a closure only requires you to drive down the mountain to either US 29 or I-81. When open, travel along the SD and BRP is slow, with posted speed limits not in excess of 45 mph, and the parkways are curvy. It's a wonderful drive, but it's not a way to make great headway on a trip.
Historical sights and sites: Virginia abounds with Colonial and Civil War historical sites. In the most general sense, Colonial history is represented east of the Blue Ridge and Civil War history west of the mountain.
Music: Southwest Virginia is the birthplace of country music and bluegrass music. A string of venues known and promoted as "The Crooked Road" generally follows US 58 through the southwestern portion of Virginia. My fear is many of the performing artists and venues will be closed up by December. Checking in at The Crooked Road.Org will be the best way to see if that's correct. Even if many are closed, surely the Carter Family museum, etc, near Gate City, VA (outside of Bristol) will be open for visitors.
As to back roads, if I were wandering the Valley along I-81, I'd look to the west to VA highway 42, running from at least Dayton/Harrisonburg along the foot of the mountains forming the western wall of the Valley all the way down past Blacksburg to and beyond I-77. If open, the BRP will intersect US 58 at Meadows of Dan, and taking US 58 west through Hillsville to Galax brings you to traditional country music territory, while staying on US 58 to Abingdon instructs you of the provenance of the term "The Crooked Road".
From Bristol, I-81 runs southwest to I-40, and I-40 runs west through Knoxville, across the Cumberland Plateau, and descends into the Nashville basin. There are simply, and perhaps obviously, too many venues and sights and sounds in Music City to begin to name. The main entertainment district is "Lower Broad", being at the foot of Broadway where it meets the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville.
Last month, the wife and I stopped through Nashville for a great evening of Texas Swing at Robert's Western World on Lower Broad. We were having too much fun there to as much as try any other place.
You note the trip to N.O. from Nashville is well-documented, but allow me to encourage a trip to Memphis for some Beale Street blues and Elvis' Graceland, and by all means you must visit Clarksdale, Mississippi for some Delta blues and an overnight or two at the Shack Up Inn.
I hope you find this helpful and best wishes for a safe and enjoyable trip!
Foy
