Chicago to South Florida, Recommendations Anyone? Scenic Routes, Great Food.....

[MaBusch]

So I recently purchased an RV and will be taking my first trip from Chicago to Florida. I have taken the trip several times before but never pulling an RV along. I have gotten some great feedback on where to stay, but now I am looking for some other recommendations such as great places to stop for food. If you know of any that would make parking not such a hastle with an RV that would be great. I also am a photography lover so I would love to hear about great places to stop along the way for some good pictures. We will be taking 65 and then 74 South through Indiana, and then 75 pretty much the rest of the way. Plans are not finalized so if you know of any MUST SEES please let me know.....

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

I am afraid this area is not one I am familiar with but by searching the forums you should be able to find some useful info by using key words. This thread has some ideas for things to see along I 75 and this Article could be of interest but you really haven't told anyone of your interests or who is travelling with you, if anyone [kid's etc] or how long you have for the trip.
If you have the time the Great Smokeys might be of interest to you, I know I would like to get there one day !
One more thing, if you scroll down this thread you will places to R&R just off I 75 but with only a small number of regular contributors to the site and with so many food stops etc you are unlikely to get much personal feed back in such detail.

[BlueCuzco]

Some must sees I see:

• Mammoth Cave: At five hundred square miles it's the largest cave in the world, plus world heritage site and national park status. The most northern caving I've done is Scott's Gulf on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, but this is generally regarded as a must see, whether it's just a stop through on your way to Nashville or a few days. (There's paddling and hiking aboveground in the park, as well.)
• Nashville: Duh. I've been a number of times and can't say I've fallen in love with the city (I'm not typical in that), but there are a good number of things to do for those historically and musically inclined.
• Great Smoky Mountains: Climax of the Appalachian Mountains. Another world heritage site. Almost a thousand miles of hiking trails exploring the wonders of this lofty near-rainforest, and scenic drives, as well. If you really catch the vibe here there's even more to see in the rest of West North Carolina, and more again in the mountains of North Georgia. To get an idea of what's going on, notice the mountainous area in this picture and the big lush green area in this one. All dotted with scenic views, streams, waterfalls, on and on.
• Chattanooga: The other big spot in East Tennessee. Worth a stop through in general or several days if you're interested in canyons and history of the North-South (Civil War) and Native American (Trail of Tears) varieties.
• North Georgia/Atlanta: Then there are a load of sights to see on the way down to Atlanta like Fort Mountain, the Etowah Mounds, Kennesaw Mountain, Alatoona, Red Top Mountain, etc, and then Atlanta itself.

[MaBusch]

Thank you for the suggestions!

Dave - I didn't add a whole lot of details because I really was just looking for some suggestions on great food, maybe a scenic stop or two along the way. I am traveling with my mother, my son (10months old), and my dog. So I wasn't really looking for big attractions or sit down restaurants.... maybe just a great burger place right off the highway. We are taking 4 days to get from Chicago to West Palm Beach, well 5 since we are staying 2 nights in Kentuky visiting friends. So even though we have a bit of time traveling with a baby, and a dog, not to add a mother and daughter in the same car together; I have a feeling that we will not have a whole lot of time for long stops, frequent stops are a given which is why I thought I would try and get some feedback on some good food. We try and steer from the normal "fast food" when we are on the road, and love to check out the little scenic look outs when we go through the mountains, my favorite one is along 40 or 81 in Tennessee - we got detoured because of that bad rockslide on our last trip (about 6 months ago) and was directed up 26 and back down 81 to get to our destination north of Knoxville. Funny how you can find the best things when you're not looking...

Blue - Thank you for the suggestions, but as you will see above I am not looking for big attractions. I was looking for some specific places to stop, I have taken the trip from here to Florida 4 times in the last 2 years so I have been through all the major towns and attractions, now I am trying to find some great routine stop king of places - a great burger joint, or a nice place to stop and enjoy a packed lunch. Thought by trying a sight where you can post and reply would help get me in touch with some local people, or people that may travel the same route. But again thanks for the tips......