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Hello! Really need some advice here, my friend is moving to LA so I am joining along for the 10 day road trip! Really need some advice, and would also like suggestions for fun sightseeing along the way- our current route is not the most direct, but these are the cities would like to travel through:
Louisville, KY
Nashville, TN
Memphis, TN
Little Rock, AR
Dallas, TX
Amarillo, TX
Santa Fe, NM
Flagstaff, AZ
Las Vegas, NV
Thanks for the help!!
Hi, and welcome to the Great American RoadTrip Forum.
On the whole, and with ten days, that looks like a relaxed trip.... with one exception. That first day is going to be a killer. It is going to keep you on the road for the best part of 11 - 12 hours, and is the extreme limit of what would be suggested for a day's drive. You might like to think about stopping in Lexington KY, where there is a good selection of accommodation, and which is a very nice town. Then next day drive to Louisville to check out that, and onto Nashville.
As for fun things to do along the way, check the trip planning tools on the green bar above for near route attractions. One thing you do not mention is the Grand Canyon. Since you will be going right by there, and you appear to have the time, it would be worth it. From Flagstaff take 89 North to 64 and enter the Canyon via the east entrance, following the Colorado river all the way. There are numerous overlooks and viewpoints along 64 - Desert View Drive. Then check out GC Village.
Maybe you could adjust the route a little so you get to Flagstaff earlier to have quality time at the Grand Canyon. Note, it is a five hour drive from the south entrance of the GC to LV, via Williams.
Have a great trip.
Lifey
Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !
You have a long first day in the road but other than that you will have time to enjoy some sights along the way. Is there anything specific you want advice for ? as you seem to have done a pretty good job with your planning. That's the art of road tripping, going to the places you want to go. By looking in the green tool bar above you will find lots of planning tips, route suggestions and the Map centre where you can search for attractions along your route. Fun stops can mean different things for different folks, but I would consider visiting the Grand canyon fun. For something a little more 'Whacky' you could try a bit of grafitti at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.
RTA Contributor Dennis Goza just posted a nice article about Downtown Santa Fe in the Roadtrip Attractions section. At the end he includes a few links, including santafe.org. That would be a good place to start looking for thing to do.
One place I'd like to point out is El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum at the south end of town. They’re only open during the summer, and not every single day, so make sure that they are open before you go out there.
A few restaurants that I'd recommend are:
La Choza
The Pantry [been here for breakfast a few times - really like it]
Santa Fe Bite at Garrett’s Desert Inn [operated by the folks who used to run the old Bobcat Bite]
Thank you all for the input! Will def have some more questions as we are starting to finalize our plan!