NYC to Graceland

[homefx1]

Planning on a 6 day round-trip from New York City to Graceland, and want to stop at fun and kitschy places along the way...

Any stop ideas? Best route? Great food?

Advice is WELCOME!

Thanks!

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

But here's the problem. One of the things you'll notice as you read through some of the discussions of trips on these forums is that there is no 'best' route and one person's definitions of fun and kitschy is another person's dull and old-fashioned. So with that in mind, the best anyone can do is offer you some possibilities: what they think is fun.

First, any time you are doing a round-trip, don't try to find the best route, but two good routes: one to take you there and one to bring you back, so that you're exploring new territory all the time. In your case, with only 6 days to do four days worth of driving and wanting time to see some sights along the way, you can't wander too far off the most direct, all Interstate route. But here are two completely different routes that might fill the bill. Although described as though you'll do them in clockwise manner, you can of course go either way.

Starting from NYC, just head down I-95 to Washington, DC. Take the Outer Loop (the Beltway west then south) to the southwest side of the city and pick up I-66 to Front Royal and I-81. There are several commercial caves in this area (Luray Caverns, for example). Lexington, VA is a quaint city and is worth a meal and a walk at least. Continue down I-81 to Knoxville. (If you're of a mind, you can visit either Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the beauty, or Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge for the kitsch.) At Knoxville, a short jog on I-40 west will bring you to I-75 south to Chattanooga and then I-59 south into Georgia and Alabama. The point of coming this far south is the next couple of roads. At Gadsden, AL, take US-278 west to US-78 west which will bring you to Tupelo, MS. If you want kitsch, and are going to Graceland, why not stop in Tupelo and see the King's birthplace? US-78 will then continue on into Memphis.

For your return, Head out on I-40 to Nashville, then north on I-65 to Bowling Green, KY. Stop and take one of the tours of Mammoth Cave, then at Elizabethtown use the Blue Grass Parkway to Lexington and hop on I-64 to Charleston, WV. From there it's up I-79 to Morgantown and then I-68 east to Hagerstown. For kitsch along this section, look for the reproduction of Noah's Ark in Frostburg. From Hagerstown, go north on I-81 past Harrisburg and then I-78 will return you to New York.

AZBuck