All Roads Lead to Mardi Gras?

Leaving in about a week on a solo Road Trip in AWD SUV to head SE from Chicago with final destination being New Orleans, LA where I have hotel reservations at the end of February to witness all of the merriment and mayhem of Mardi Gras.
Last rear I did the scenic SW route through Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Nogales (Mexico), New Mexico, Texas.

This year I intend to do Nashville, to Murphy, NC, to Greenville, SC, to Baltimore/Washington, DC, to Savannah, GA, to Biloxi, MS, to NOLA.

I am interested in learning more about the USA via adventure and experiences, including nature, geology, historical significance, human accomplishments (i.e. Like Hoover Dam project), Rocky Mountains, Civil War, Appalachian Trail, cultural, museums, people, events, etc.

I will be staying in locally owned/operated facilities (usually motels, B and Bs) and SUV camping, and stealth camping.

I am very flexible, self reliant, self contained, experienced and avoid drama. My schedule is pretty open and flexible.

Let me know your thoughts and please share the "must-sees and must-dos", and any other thoughts to enhance this journey.
Thanks! Dave H.

I don't know what you mean by "SUV camping", but bear in mind that in February, much of the US is under winter weather. Many public and private campgrounds are closed. Sleeping in your vehicle could be VERY uncomfortable due to outside temperatures - even in the South. Same with "Stealth camping", which I assume you mean pulling over someplace and staying overnight in a hidden spot. You can't just pull over anywhere in the US to do that. You may be woken in the middle of the night and asked to move on, or even looking at the wrong end of somebody's shotgun, if you choose someone's private property. There ARE places in the US for dispersed camping, but most of them (on national forest property) are located in or west of the Rockies. Really, your best bet are cheap motels.

As for "must-sees and must-dos", the one thing we believe and stress around here is that your trip should be tailored to what YOU like. You've given us some good starts. So, that said....

You'll find Civil War sites (Manassas, Fredericksburg, Antietam, Gettysburg) in the DC area as well as Shiloh in TN and another in Vicksburg, MS. In VA and points south, you can find the Blue Ridge Mountain Highway as well as Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive.

Do you have a road atlas of the US? If not, you should get one. This site, Amazon, and more have the Rand McNally, which my husband and I consider "the best".

Donna

I assume this means you abandoned your previous plan to head west?

Your route is a little strange. Why are you heading all the way down to South Carolina, before going all the way back up to Washington and Baltimore? If you want to visit Nashville, that would probably make more sense to visit on your way back to Chicago.

"Must Sees" are tough, especially when you are talking about the entire Southeastern US. Have you taken advantage of RTA's Map Center yet?

I will also agree with Donna about having concerns about your camping plans. "Stealth Camping" implies illegal trespassing, especially as there are not many places to legally do dispersed camping in the east, and hardly avoids drama. Even if you find legal camping spots, you'll very much need winter camping gear. I camped in Northern Florida a few weeks ago, and temperatures dropped below freezing - and it's quite likely you'll see similar conditions in February.