Two Brits going from NY to LA in May - Southern Route

[moosemoose]

Hi guys,

As the title suggests, my brother and I have taken the whole of May to Road Trip across the US. We have some vague plans, which you can see here if you'd like.



We've got 29 days to it all in but we're looking for a bit of help. We intend to do some of the following:
- Tourist stuff in NY
- The White House
- Looking for bluegrass in a few of the South Eastern states
- The authentic deep, deep south
- Searching for Elvis in Memphis
- Very interested in Louisiana and New Orleans
- Deserted towns NV, AZ
- Las Vegas
- and LA of course!

Is there anything obvious we've missed from the map? And what are the things that are totally unmissable!


Thanks,

Tom and Rob

[glc]

Welcome!

When you get out to the Southwest, I see you do have the Grand Canyon as one stop. What you may want to do is include other spectacular parks in southern Utah such as Bryce Canyon and Zion. You could also go from Las Vegas through Death Valley and over Tioga Pass (if it's open) into Yosemite, then head to the coast and take CA-1 from Monterey down to LA.

[moosemoose]

Hi Glc,

Thanks very much for the reply.

That was the one thing I meant to add to my initial post, we want to see some/a park/s. Are the best ones on our route, the ones around the Grand Canyon?

Also, if we were to take the Death Valley route, would San Francisco be worth a visit?

Thanks

[Southwest Dave]

Hey Moose,

San Francisco is a great little City and well worth a visit, along with another Million and one places that is !! Lol.

With a whole Month available, you have time to do some exploring along the way, but you will have to pick and choose according to your interests and timescale. I would encourage you too search the Forums and Roadtrip planning pages to find those places of interest in each section of your trip. The Map Centre is great for routing and looking at Roadside Attractions along those chosen routes. As you do this and your timeline becomes more apparent, we can certainly help to fill in the blanks and offer a 'Tweak' here and there.

One thing I would recommend for consideration is to head North into the Four corners region from Roswell. A high concentration of National and State parks, great driving roads plus the amazing and diverse scenery through New Mexico into Colorado and Utah and into Arizona can't fail to impress ! Of course you could spend an entire Month here and only scratch the surface.

Enjoy the planning and keep asking questions 'As' and 'When'.

[Louisiana Lady]

Hi Guys,
I think I can give y'all some info on La.
New Orleans is a treasure trove. You should ride the streercar down St Charles Ave. You can hop on on Canal or just get on it on St Charles. I'm not sure of the fare, but you do need exact change. This will take you through the Garden District, with all of the magnificent mansions. Many people like to get off at the Cameillia Grill where the waiters are as entertaining as the burgers are good. My advice is to do that on a weekday, as there are lines on the weekend. s
The Columns Hotel on St Charles Ave isp a great place to have a drink and people watch. iOf course ther e is the famous Preservation Hall on St Peter St. thThere is no Air Conditoning or food or drink served but it is the touchstone for all true NO Jazz fanatics. Usually lines of people wait to get in, but if You love music it's the place to be. The Maison de Bourbon on Bourbon has good music serves drinks-1 drink per set minimum. There is also Tipitina' s that offers an eclectic selection of music, a House of Blues on Decatur St. Felix's Oyster Bar on Bienville has very good Po-Boys. It'll probably be too late for oysters, but shrimp and crawfish are fresh. One word about NO. It's one of the world's great cities, but it does have crime, and being such an old city it is easy to go from a "good" area to "bad" area, so be aware.
Another interesting place is the Rock N Bowl, a combination bowling alley and dance place. New Orleans is home to the National D-Day musuem, a world class musuem and a real bargain. Also nearby is the Confederate Musuem. Hopefully it is open. Be aware that it is a display of artifacts donated by Confederate veterans' families, so it does not give a balanced telling. But the artifacts are interesting. eOf course you want to have beignets at the Cafe DuMonde as well as visit the The Cabillo. Bourbon St is unfortunately pretty dirty, and is really a tourist trap so unless you're going to Maison de Bourbon, you won't be missing anything. Royal St is home to many wonderful antique shops, as is Magazine St which is Uptown(parallel, as much as anything can be in NO, to St Charles).
When done in NO, you can take I-10 West to Baton Rouge, the state capitol. The LSU Rural Life musuem is at the Essen Lane exit of I-10 W. It gives the perspective of La., that is not magnolia and mint juleps.
Downtown is the state capitol, built by the infamous Huey Long in the 1920s. It is a study in Art Deco architecture, and you can see where bullets grazed the marble when Long was shot down in a hail of bullets when he was a United States senator, though he still controlled the state. It was claimed that he was asassinated, but many believe he was killed by his own bodyguards.
The Old Governor's Mansion is interesting, as is the Old State Capitol. Magnolia Mound is open only for walking tours of the grounds, the kitchen, as well as the displays in the gift shop. The house is currently being repaired, and won't reopen until June. The house is an example of Colonial Louisiana as opposed to Ante-Bellum.
Take I-10 West, over the River. You'll soon be travelling over the Actchaflya Basin, that goes through a swamp. If you are interested in a swamp tour, exit at Breaux Bridge/ Henderson). There is McGehee's Landing where you can take a swamp tour. It's a good time of year, as the warmer weather brings out the alligators and others. After the tour you can go to "Mulate's", where locals and visitors go to dance to Cajun Music and eat Cajun Food. We live to eat down here. When you meet a native and they find out you are a visitor they usually want to feed you!

GTG now, but I hope to add more info later!