Chasing Cars: Talladega (and the South East)

[the_dude07]

I live in Atlanta so I can probably be of some help.

I've been to Stone Mountain a few times (though not to camp) but from what i've seen of it I would highly recommend it as it is only about 30 minutes from downtown atlanta (depending on traffic of course).

I personally am not a big fan of amusement parks so I have never been to 6 flags. Since you seem to be a fan of racing, you might want to check this out instead of going to 6 flags and Talledega http://http://www.roadatlanta.com/index.lasso?-database=road_events&-layout=ev_2&-response=eventdetail.lasso&-recordID=3&-search.
Road Atlanta is within an hour north of Atlanta and this event is taking place at Road Atlanta the weekend of your arrival. You can camp there as well I believe.

Again, speaking personally, I'm not a fan of NASCAR, although I am a big fan of automobile racing. I went to the Daytona 500 race this year and found it even more boring in person then watching it on TV. I'd also skip Myrtle Beach entirely. I've been there and yes the beaches are nice but there really isnt much else to do besides golf. I have been to Charleston, SC and would highly recommend that area. Dont know about the camping prospects though. There are nice beaches there and you would want to take a visit to downtown historic Charleston. I might even add a day for Charleston.

Also, I've never been to the Great Smokey National Park, but if you want to save to save a little bit of driving time, you could always stay at the Chattahoochee National Forrest in North Georgiahttp://www.fs.fed.us/conf/. I have been on 2 hikes within the forrest within the last month and I would recommend both. One was at Brasstown Bald Mountain (the highest mountain in Georgia), the other hike was along the Broad River (VERY scenic in my opinion and relatively flat). I have pictures from both areas that I can forward to you if you'd like.


So this would be my schedule:

Fri Apr 28 Arrive and drive to Road Atlanta, camp at Road Atlanta
Sat Apr 29 Road Atlanta
Sunday Apr 30 Drive north from Road Atlanta to the Chattahoochee National Forrest
Monday May 1st Chattachoochee National Forrest
Tuesday May 2nd travel back to Atlanta, watch Braves vs Rockies, camp at Stone Mountain
Wednesday May 3rd Travel to Charleston, SC (6 hours driving) set up camp somewhere
Thursday May 4th Spend the day in downtown Charleston
Friday May 5th spend the day at a Charleston area beach
Saturday May 6th return to Stone Mountain....look around Atlanta
Sunday May 7th look around Atlanta, go to airport.

I think you'll find this schedule has far less driving and you'd actually be spending more times at your destinations, making for a more enjoyable trip.

Regarding Atlanta, if you want any specifics about what to see or do, just give me an idea of what you are looking for ie shopping, tourist sites, restaurants, etc. and i'd be happy to make suggestions.