Dallas to Birmingham to Toronto, Canada - most scenic drive?

[Fantasygoat]

I'm picking up an old convertible in Dallas and I'd like to stop in Birmingham, AL on my way back to Toronto, Canada. Other than those stops, I'd like to figure out the most scenic route - ie. avoiding the interstates where it doesn't completely blow my 3 1/2 day timeline.

Any recommendations welcome!

[Robert Schaller]

This journey is about 1600 miles -- so the reality is you won't have too much time to get off the main roads. Why not make it an interstate trip up to Tennessee and then do a detour over to the beautiful Smoky Mountains for the better part of a day -- then back onto the superslab for the remainder of your trip. I think Tennessee will be the most beautiful part of your route. Just a suggestion. Bob

[AZBuck]

I'm afraid that Bob is right. You'll have to stick pretty much to the Interstates to have any chance of making it in 3 and a half days. But if you're willing to put in a hard first day, You can buy yourself some more relaxation later on. You don't say why you want to stop in Birmingham, but if you can cover the 642 miles (all interstate) to Birmingham on the first day then you at least have a shot at spending some time on the back roads the rest of the way. You'd have to get an early start out of Dallas, early enough to beat rush hour, and put in a good 11-12 hours behind the wheel. Don't forget you'll have to add time for meals, gas and rest stops, as well as the hour you'll lose to the time zone change.

That would then leave 'only' 950 miles in the next 2 and a half days to Toronto and you can kick back a bit. Bob is also right about the best roads you'll traverse being in Tennessee, but running close behind are the other states along the Appalachians. From the Great Smoky Mountains, you can head north up US-23 through Kentucky and into Ohio. This route has the advantage of being 4 lane divided highway much of the way through the mountains, and it also follows the Ohio River valley for a while. If you need a fix of two lane road with the top down, I'd try to find some roads through the flatlands of Ohio working my way up to Toledo, maybe US-35 and US-68.

The main thing, I guess, is that you'll need to keep a running clock in the back of your head to know if and when it's time to bail out of the scenic portion of the trip and get back on the controlled access monoliths so as to get home in time. And not begrudge that you have to do so, but recognize that you did get a good chunk of what you wanted the drive to be.

AZBuck