Deep South Road Trip HELP !

Hi Guys
I'm very new to this forum and road trip planning !

My wife and I want to make the following trip - any suggestions , help or advice would be welcome
We want to stay on quiet roads and avoid the highways where possible
Can anyone suggest hotels or B&B along the way?

arrive Washington DC (2 days)
Then through Smoky Mountains - Blue Ridge Parkway (3 days) (which towns are best to stay at ? )
Nashville (3 days)
Tupelo (1 day) (via trace parkway)
Memphis (3 days)
Natchez (2 days)
New Orleans (2 days) - fly home

Cheers

Phil

Welcome to RTA! That sounds like a great trip in the planning. When will this trip take place?

Hotels and B&B's.....well, here in the States, B&B's aren't necessarily your low-cost option. What are you looking for in a hotel or B&B? There are a number of different chains with a wide-variety of pricing, from 5-star high-prices to 1-star I'm-on-a-strict-budget prices.

If you're looking for quiet roads, the state and US highways are generally less populated than the Interstate "blue highways". County roads are even quieter, but you may also get stuck behind Farmer John's tractor going 5 mph for 10 miles. :-)


Donna

Hi Donna
Thanks for your reply
We are looking at visiting in late May
If you have any other suggestions or ideas of hotels & unique eating places that would be great
Some off the tourist trial places would be good for us to visit
Thanks
Phil

Turns out that some of our most active members really know this area well. Here are some threads that you might find helpful (I've driven all of these roads over the years -- you are going to have some fun).

The Skyline Drive (SD) through Shenandoah National Park (SNP) follows the crest of the Blue Ridge... - (Foy)


Here are a few more thoughts concerning the Skyline Drive (SD), the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP), Shenandoah National Park (SNP), and Great Smokey Mountains National Park (GSMNP):

We have a couple of route articles about sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here is the northern stretch from Cherokee, North Carolina to Cumberland Knob

The Shack-up Inn could be on your list of possible lodging choices -- Here's a short field report by Peter Thody and another one by KathyK in 2007

Highway 61 is not on your direct route -- but if you read this book review I wrote about Tim Steils book about the highway, you'll start to get some ideas for your route.

Mountain View, Arkansas is another place to consider adding to your schedule. Every night, musicians gather in the town square and play music all night. There is also the Ozark Folk Center...

Here are some of the routes that we've published in the region....

Obviously, Tupelo is the birthplace of Elvis -- this route follows the Trace to Tupelo.

And then Tupelo to Nashville...

And this one, is a very great route for seeing the plantation properties along the Great River Road

So... please take a look and see what sorts of things appeal to you the most.

Mark

Can anyone help to confirm which places or towns are dry around the Smoky Mountains / Nashville / Memphis / Natchez areas ?
If there are still dry areas, can you get a beer in a restaurant ?

Thanks
Phil

Moderator Note: Please keep all questions about the same trip in the same thread.

Phil,

The occurrence of "dry" areas is subject to the many vagaries of state and local law, each of which may change without notice. There are, however, some generalities you may reasonably assume to be correct:

Smokies: of the locales listed, your greatest likelihood of encountering dry towns or counties is around the Smokies, particularly on the NC side. That said, the city of Asheville, in Buncombe County, is enjoying a rapidly expanding reputation as a craft brewing Mecca, and the New Belgium Brewing Company is building a large commercial brewery there. I would think some elementary research using the names of the NC and TN counties included within and adjoining the Great Smoky Mountains NP would generate some current information about beer, wine, and liquor sales.

Nashville and Memphis, TN: Both are pretty much the Wild, Wild West from my perspective. You'll likely find some dry counties and towns outside of Nashville and Memphis, particularly in far northwest Mississippi just outside of Memphis, but I'd be very surprised to learn of material restrictions to alcohol sales within the cities themselves.

Natchez: Anecdotal only: Mississippi is the second most likely of the listed areas to find dry counties and towns, behind far southwestern NC. I recall researching Natchez as a Sunday night stopover on a RoadTrip from Houston to Raleigh and learning that Natchez was dry on Sundays. Easy enough to confirm as noted above.

Also in general, you're somewhat more likely to find "dry on Sundays" than totally dry. And "dry on Sundays" oftentimes means that "to go" alcohol sales are prohibited on Sundays, with restaurant and bar sales generally allowed after about the noon hour.

Foy

Driving from Washington DC through the BRP can anyone tell me if the Peaks of Otter is a good place to stay over?
Any other suggestions of off the Beaton track locations?
Thanks
Phil

Last October while driving the BRP we went off the parkway for lunch and gas at Blowing Rock, NC. It was an unexpected, delightful stop. We camp along the way so I can't help you with lodging.
A few thoughts about the earlier comments about Sunday and alcohol; be aware that a lot of resturants in the south are closed on Sunday. We have run into that more often than dry areas. In dry areas across the south we have been offered to purchase a 'membership', basically a surcharge to your drink, and we have been 'sponsored' by a member (whom we never met).

October 2014
"Just past the Moses H. Cone home, Flat Top Manor, we drove off the parkway into Blowing Rock, NC for gas and lunch. This is a very upscale and crowded town. One restaurant even had parking spaces with a white board at each space which had names and reserved times for that day. We enjoyed a very tasty lunch at Blowing Rock Ale House and Brewery."

- See more at: http://www.roadtripamerica.com/forum....hXIlouyI.dpuf

Driving the BRP and Natchez Trace will definitley give you a slower, and much more enjoyable drive - Enjoy.
-Pat

As part of my USA road trip in May 16, we are planning 3 days in Nashville.
Does anyone know how early you can book tickets for the Opry or Ryman?
If anyone can give me a few pointers, that would be great.
We are from the UK, so any local info or tips would be very welcome

Thanks
Phil

Mod note. As previously requested, please keep all questions regarding this trip in this thread.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Well, those are relatively straightforward questions with direct answers.

Tickets for shows at the Ryman Auditorium are available directly from the Ryman. You can see a calendar of their upcoming events (with links to ticket sales) HERE.

The same is true of the Grand Ole Opry. Their calendar of events (and ticket sales) are HERE.

AZBuck

I would like to get your suggestions on the best sort of research material to look at before I arrange my trip to the USA in May - going from Washington DC along the Smokey Mountains, through Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.
In terms of maps or books etc - which would be the best options?
If anyone can suggest any titles that cover this particular area in detail, that would be very helpful.
Ideally I would like to buy here in the UK so I have time to plan ahead
Thanks for your helpful tips
Phil

Moderator Note: Please stop creating new threads about this trip. This is the 3rd time we've made this request. Continuing to ignore forum policies may result in a suspension of your ability to post.

The first thing to do is go to the RTA Store and order a Rand McNally Road Atlas. They are also available from Amazon.

I'm a believer that you can never have too much information. Certainly a good atlas is a great place to start, and really essential to get the basics down.

In addition to looking at an atlas, what I typically do is head to the library and pick up pretty much every book they have on an area I'm looking to travel. After scanning through the books, I often end up purchasing one or two of my favorites to take along with me on the trip. Often you can save a couple bucks by purchasing a previous edition, and then use the internet to double check specifics like operating hours and prices.

If you have any other suggestions or ideas of hotels & unique eating places that would be great
Some off the tourist trial places would be good for us to visit.

The best way to savour the local cuisine is to ask someone when you are there. Most hotels are good at suggestion that. Or you might ask someone who is local when you are shopping or filling up with fuel.

Lifey

Can you guys that know the area, give me any suggestions on quite roads to take (not highways) from Washington DC through smokey mountains to Nashville, Memphis, Natchez ending up in New Orleans
Any advice welcome
Cheers
Phil

Since this trip is not for some six months, you have the time to get some really good maps. Good detailed maps have all the roads on them, show them graded from super fast interstates, to small back roads. If you were to order a Rand McNally road atlas now, via the link at the bottom of this page, you will have it in a couple of weeks.

Not only will it show you all the roads, but all the towns and most of the attractions along the way.

Good detailed maps are invaluable during the planning, and essential when on the road. Don't be tempted to rely solely on your electronics.

Lifey

The fact is that any reasonable route (one that will take less than nearly three days) will have to be on numbered highways, including US and state highways or even county roads. They are all 'highways' of one sort or another - by definition. However, it is certainly possible to forego Interstate Highways and still make the drive in a day and a half to two days. Now, there are two distinct possibilities. For both you'll still need to use I-66 to get out of the DC area. You really don't want to be using surface streets in a major metropolitan area, there's nothing 'quiet' about such roads. Then you can either use really scenic roads such as Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway south past Asheville and into the western approaches to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but note that US-141 is the only road through the park and brings you out in the Knoxville area. Or you can use faster through, but still scenic, roads such as US-29 south to Danville and US-58 along the Virginia North Carolina state line through Mount Rogers National Recreation Area to Abingdon and US-11W, again to Knoxville. This way misses the actual Great Smoky Mountains, but still traverses portions of the Appalachians. Between Knoxville and Nashville US-70 runs parallel to I-40 and provides your best option.

AZBuck