My boyfriend and I are leaving tomorrow (!!) for a 10-12 day cross-country drive. We're leaving from Boston and our final destination is Los Angeles. Two years ago we drove from LA to NH and we took a more northern route (after going through Arizona/Utah/Colorado) so this time we're hoping to explore more of the south.

Tomorrow we're heading to DC, the following day we want to explore North Carolina. We don't have too many plans after that... I want to go to New Orleans, we've talked about going to Austin, Santa Fe, and Sedona. We may also go a bit out of our way and head back to Bryce Canyon National Park, which was our absolute favorite stop last time.

I am 23 and my boyfriend is 22. We like hiking and being outdoors, and we also like museums and cities. I realize that some people are probably reading this and thinking, "You're leaving in 16 hours and don't know where you're going?!" but we want this trip to be flexible. We have loads of maps and guidebooks, but I really want to get advice from people who have done the route before. Where should we go? What's worth seeing in South Carolina? Georgia? Alabama? Mississippi? Elsewhere? What should we be sure not to miss?

Thank you so much in advance!