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Hello fellow roadtrippers, great forum :)
We will be driving from NOLA to Doswell VA mid September, we have 3 days for this drive and Google maps gave us these results: http://bit.ly/1oLpzQC
We would love it if you could recommend us which road is better for seeing nice/historical/quaint views and attractions on the way.
Thanks and best regards!
Welcome to RTA!
Looking at my own maps (paper maps), I would recommend I-59 to I-20/59, to I-75 to I-40, I-81 and I-64. I believe this is the 2nd (gray) option on the Google map. First off, it avoids Atlanta - horrid traffic. But more importantly than that -- if you wanted something beautiful, you could have a little time to drive over to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. (Get a paper map and you'll see it on the map in southern Tennessee.) Also, along I-64 at Waynesboro is the entrance to Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive -- 105 miles of beautiful views.
Donna
Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!
As the map(s) suggest, there are possible alternatives to the most efficient route. But there are also alternatives to those alternatives. This is why we strongly recommend that you plot your route on paper maps rather than just meekly acquiesce to whatever comes out of your computer. Personally, I would opt for the route that more closely follows the Appalachians, I-59/I-75/I-81/I-64, through Birmingham AL and Chattanooga TN. That would tend to be more scenic, still have a number of historic venues, and only cost you an additional hour of driving over your three day journey. Just a few of the 'attractions' along that route are: Scenic - the Blue Ridge Parkway; Historic: the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park; Quaint Towns - Lexington VA. But there are more, and there are other parallel roads such as AL-75, US-411 in Tennessee, and US-19 in Virginia and West Virginia that will let you explore some of the countryside at a slower pace.
AZBuck
Thanks Donna and AZBuck for your prompt replies and great suggestions and warm welcome!
We understand the importance and fun in planning our own trip but since we don't reside in the US its hard to find specific paper maps for our trails and have to rely upon the internet, having said that we will try to find said maps,
Thanks again for your input, it really helped us looking at our road trip with new eyes :)
Most good book stores should have travel maps in stock or at least be able to order them in within a few days. State by State maps generally give you better detail. In the 'Maps' link in the green tool bar above you will find 2 RTA mapping programs where you can find attractions with detailed info from RTA contributors and create routes. To quickly check out alternatives you can 'drop and drag' the Google map blue route line to create a route that takes you to where you want to go, the routes given are only a suggested route, there are many options. You could also look in the Maps section under the title 'Shop' in the tool bar above.
If you can't get any reasonably priced maps locally, go to the green bar above, click on shop. You could have a Rand McNally atlas in a couple of weeks. As well as using it for planning, it will also be a great tool to have on your trip.
I have had a Rand McNally for every trip. Each night I sit and highlight those roads on which I have travelled. Not only does it make a wonderful souvenir of the trip, but it reminds you exactly of where you went. Somehow I find I can see the road as I leaf through my atlasses.
Lifey