Atlanta and the Deep South

Hi everyone
Last year you all were so helpfull with our trip around the canyons, yellowstone, rushmore and the rockies.
This autumn we are planning a deep south trip
Flying into Atlanta from the UK, car hire will be mustang convertible (or similar!!!!) Staying in Atlanta for two nights
Then onto the Blue Smokey montains for two nights staying at The Lodge at Buckberry Creek. One day we plan a trip round the mountains, and one day a visit to Dollywood
Then over to Nashville for a couple of nights
The trip then carries on to Memphis for two nights. If we have time we plan to drive down to Tupelo and then back up to Nashville, hopefully taking in some of the Natchez trace highway
From Memphis, down to Natchez, staying at the Monmouth hotel only for one night. Here we hope to take in some of the Mississippi and plantation and Antebelum experiences/history. Finally then down to New Orleans for two nights, and then back up to Atalanta, stopping over at Montgomery to break up that drive.
We probably know a few of the the must do's but would be keen, as before, to learn about other ideas, particularly things to see en route from one town to the next, and also how to best approach the Blue Smokey Mts as we will only have one day here but could cover some of it, we think, in the drive to Gatlinbugh from Atlanta
Thankyou in advance for any help
Richard

I have to say, your overall plan looks excellent with no major backbreaking drives and plenty of time to enjoy the places you'll be driving to. The one thing that sticks out, and maybe I'm reading it wrong, is your plan to return to Nashville after Tupelo and before Natchez. That's the one thing that just doesn't make sense. After Tupelo (Elvis' birthplace, no?) just hop on the Natchez Trace Parkway and take that all the way to Natchez.

One site you might want to look at en route is on the Nashville to Memphis leg where you can use the Natchez Trace Parkway (which begins near Nashville) down to Deerfield and then take US-64 west past Shiloh to Memphis.

Also, a minor point, it's the Great Smoky Mountains, which are a part of the Blue Ridge Mountain Range, which is in turn the southern half of the Appalachian Mountains. I think you'll have enough time for the national park since, as you note, you'll be driving through it on your way to Gatlinburg and then have another entire day to go back and explore anything that catches your eye on that drive through.

One other place I like to recommend in the Montgomery area (since you'll have a bit of time) is Old Cahawba, the original capital of Alabama and now an active archaeological site.

AZBuck