I’m an Australian traveling down south for a holiday – does this route seem ok?

41 comments

1. How long are you in the US for? That will really determine if this list is feasible.

2. Charleston, SC. Asheville, NC. Somewhere on the Atlantic coast. Not going to tell you to lose any of the spots listed. I don’t know what you’re looking for at each of them.

3. New Orleans is a great choice. wonderful food, music, & culture. nice airport, too.

   I’m curious about your timeline. some of these stops call for a longer stay than others. (I’m trying to be nice)

   also depends on what you like to do. there are beautiful beaches on the Florida panhandle not too far from southern Louisiana where you begin the trip, for example.

4. I see no real reason to go to a couple of these on the list unless you have a specific reason for doing so (Jackson, Hattiesburg, Selma, Montgomery).

   I personally can’t stand Atlanta and unless you are big into advertising history (Coca-Cola Museum) or want to see the aquarium, its not a great tourist town. Perhaps a somewhat unpopular opinion.

   New Orleans is rad and one of my favorite cities. Embrace the shadiness.

   Nashville is getting more and more kitschy, but still fun at times.

   Memphis is a cool, if somewhat rougher city. The Blues scene and food is cool.

   Savannah and Charleston are basically sister cities for the purpose of tourism. I would do those both in lieu of others on your list.

   More important than the where, is the what. Hard to make recommendations without knowing more about what you like or the goals for the trip.

5. I would look into possibly stopping in St. Augustine, a few hours south of Savannah. It’s the oldest city in the US, with a lot of great Spanish architecture.

6. If you’re here for even as long as 2 weeks you’re going to spend a lot of time just driving and checking into hotels/rentals. Hopefully this is a 3+ week wishlist.

   Hattiesburg and Jackson can be stricken from your itinerary. Jackson is quite frankly a terrible city, one of the worst overall in the country, and unless you’ve got something very specific there you want to see there’s no reason to spend a day in either place. Instead of Hattiesburg, consider the Gulf Coast area for some beach time. Pascagoula, Gulf Shores.

   Consider Asheville and Chattanooga, both are lovely cities in mountain settings which are quite a bit different than the large cities and historical ones you’ve listed.

7. I’d add Charleston and St. Augustine Florida on your list.

   Nashville is great and every non-American who I speak to LOVES visiting it.

8. Charleston and Savannah and the Gullah island in between

9. If you keep Montgomery do **not** skip the Legacy Museum & Memorial. I’ve been to some of the places on your list and the Legacy Museum is an absolute must visit.

   I know New Orleans is popular but I personally didn’t care for it. Savannah had a better “southern gothic” vibe for me.

   Also, if you’re looking to prune the list I suggest Nashville over Atlanta. Both are fine but if this is a one-shot trip then Nashville might be better.

   Make sure to account for travel time and recovery between these cities. Have fun!

10. That’s a lot of driving. But you’re from a big country too so go for it. Look into scenic byways in each state. There might be a national scenic byway or two on that route as well. I like Michelin road maps for road trips, green roads are scenic, but I’ve not used it in the USA.

    The mountains in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina are lovely. NC especially is full of amazing mountain towns (Asheville and Biltmore recommended). Chattanooga in TN is also pretty cool.

11. Unless you just really want to see the Edmund Pettus Bridge, don’t go to Selma. It’s completely out of the way (an hour west of Montgomery), there’s nothing there except a few civil rights sites, a population of less than 20k, and a ton of poverty and everything that comes with that.

12. I would skip Jackson, Hattiesburg, and Selma and go to Huntsville, Alabama, which has a Space Museum and NASA stuff, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, a cute, small city in the mountains with a great aquarium and tons of tourists friendly things. Montgomery is also not super interesting unless you like terrible casinos, and if you do, Biloxi, Mississippi has much better terrible casinos. If you have time, Charleston, South Carolina has a ton of history and great food.

13. Skip all of this and do either a week in New Orleans, or 10-14 days in Charleston-Savannah-St Augustine.

    Your going to drive yourselves to death with that itinerary.

14. I’d recommend going to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. Cities like Knoxville and Chattanooga are great places to visit. There’s also Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, though those places are becoming more of a tourist trap.

    There’s not much reason to visit Jackson, Hattiesburg, Selma, or Montgomery unless there’s something specific there that you want, or just want to see a generic American city. The gulf coast of Mississippi has some nice beaches and casinos, but they don’t even compare to Florida’s beaches (you might be able to do Pensacola).

    Just be prepared for driving long, boring stretches of highway for hours with nothing to see. That’s just the reality of American road trips.

15. I would cut out the Alabama stops tbh. Focus on the other cities, especially New Orleans which is my fave city in the US

16. If you’re already in Savannah you need to adjust your schedule to include Charleston

17. > anything we should cut out

    So I already know I will get flamed for this but personally this does not look like a fun road trip. Keep New Orleans and Nashville trash the rest. There are 100 cities I’d visit in the US before Atlanta which is the best city out of the rest on your list.

    Unless there’s some specific things you are trying to see/learn about in the South particularly I’d honestly change my whole trip.

18. What an itinerary! Very specific. What motivated you to consider this? It’ll definitely be a culture shock for you, some of these are deep, Deep South to the point that it is almost like a foreign country to some of us northerners.

19. I would add Charleston. No disrespect to the savannahans but Charleston is a better colonial city

20. >Are these the best places to visit down south?

    I think these are fine cities to visit, but best is hard to define without knowing what you’re looking for. Any advice on your destinations are totally dependent on what your plans are, why these cities are chosen, and how long you’re in the US. I would only point out a couple of things to keep in mind: If you’re driving, This is a 20 hour road trip *without* traffic. Atlanta has some of the worst traffic in the country. Georgia is in a different time zone from the other places on your list. Atlanta and Savannah are 1 hour later than the rest (Noon in NO is 1300 in ATL). Finally a reminder for Aussies, seasons are opposite here. Winter for you is summer for us. I *know* you know, but we forget sometimes and I’d hate for you travel havinf forgotten too.

21. I would add Charleston, SC and take of Montgomery, AL. No offense intended. I used to live there.

22. Try to go a little west from New Orleans down 90 into Cajun Country before heading into Mississippi and Tennessee.

    Though, for something a little kitschy and beachy you could swing by Biloxi and then head to Jackson/Memphis unless there is something specific you want to do in Hattiesburg.

    Or head to Natchez MS first from New Orleans and take the Natchez Trace Parkway which is a famous scenic parkway through Mississippi and head to Jackson that way with a detour by Vicksburg if you want to see the huge civil war battlefield site. You’d also head through Baton Rouge that way instead of Hattiesburg.

    From Nashville to Birmingham if you go through Muscle Shoals instead of straight down I-65 you can do stuff related to all the musical heritage that’s also present in Muscle Shoals. Many famous bands and albums were recorded there.

    If you can try to add Charleston SC when you head towards Atlanta/Savannah. It’s not too far away and if you’re interested in visiting Savannah then you definitely wouldn’t want to miss Charleston.

    Hilton Head Island is also a very popular vacation destination (especially if you golf) but also Beaufort SC between those two towns is a well preserved gem as well.

    Also, if you head to SC/GA via Chattanooga or Asheville that might be neat as well. You get a chance to visit the Great Smoky Mountains/Appalachians and Chattanooga has a lot of touristy stuff that runs from kitchsy to outdoorsy to both. Or you instead go up to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg for a real tourist trap experience (I don’t mean that negatively, sometimes its fun to walk into the tourist trap).

    For that you’d probably skip most of the Alabama cities unless you’re fine with some back tracking.

23. If you’re from Australia, surely that means you’re traveling *up north* for a holiday

24. If you had to keep one city only, New Orleans. If you could add a second, Savannah.

    Memphis has a lot of sketchy areas, but I actually love it- just be diligent and do your research. The Beauty Shop in Memphis is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere, and the Civil Rights Museum and music history are incredible.

    It seems like you have an excessive number of deep south poor cities. I haven’t been to them, but I imagine there is not a need to stay in so many to get a flavor for what they are like. I would maybe do your New Orleans to Memphis route, then go to Nashville, then drive from Nashville to Asheville to the coast. You will go thru beautiful mountains, Appalachia – a totally different (but still southern) vibe.

    I don’t love Nashville, but everyone else does, so I guess keep that on your list.

    I loved living in Atlanta, but the areas downtown (by the Aquarium, World of Coke, etc.) don’t really have any character, people don’t really live there (except homeless), and I would stay elsewhere. There are lots of cute, vibrant, walkable areas nearby. But honestly it’s not a great tourist city.

    I also agree with the suggestions to include Charleston.

25. This puts you smack in the heart of the full spectrum of the civil rights movement. Tons of history along the way.

    You’ve got some great food options, too. New Orleans, Memphis barbecue, Nashville chicken …

    April is a pretty good time to hit the south. It hopefully won’t be super hot yet. If the weather is good, the South has a lot of scenic beauty. And we make fun of Southerners but they’re actually very friendly, welcoming, and they’ll make you feel right at home.

    Have a fun, safe trip!

26. I would replace a couple of these with Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC. the NC beaches are also beautiful and have some interesting history as well

27. It would help if you could share what exactly y’all are hoping to see. Is the priority historical sites? National Parks? State Capitols? Something else? A broad idea will help us give you better suggestions.

    Absent that, New Orleans, Nashville and Savannah are great. As others have already said, if you’re going to go to Savannah you might as well go to Charleston too – they are close to each other and each is unique in its own way. I might even throw in Beaufort, SC as a quick stop between the two.

    As for Mississippi stops (sorry Mississippians) I would skip both Hattiesburg and Jackson and visit Oxford instead in connection with your Memphis stop. Oxford is a great town with phenomenal food. It’s also very close to Memphis.

    Agree with others that Chattanooga or Asheville would be good additions. I live in Atlanta and it’s a great town but I don’t think it’s a great *tourist* town unless you’re coming to see something specific or just love spending hours in traffic.

28. New Orleans opinion from someone living nearby. The French Quarter is a disgustingly fascinating place to walk around while drunk. You’ll wonder how it’s so dirty despite the giant tank trucks that spray the streets every morning, wear shoes you’re ok throwing out at the end of your stay. I’d recommend stopping into Central Grocer for a mufalletta sandwich (if it’s open again after Hurricane Ida), walking on top of the levee to see the Mississippi River for yourself.

29. You’re missing Charleston.

30. This is an interesting route, OP. I think you could really enjoy it, especially if you like music, food, and history.

    That being said, I did want to point out that there’s a reason most road trippers exploring the US for the first time head to the West Coast, the Southwest, or New England. You aren’t going to see as much jaw-dropping natural beauty on this route (particularly the first half of it), and you *are* going to see a lot of [poverty](https://vividmaps.com/human-development-index-us-vs-europe/), especially as you leave New Orleans and drive through the Mississippi Delta.

    You’re probably already aware of that—I just wanted to make sure.

    All that being said, I’d highly recommend looking into adding Charleston, SC to your itinerary, and possibly Oxford, MS too. I’d also cut Hattiesburg, Jackson, and Selma from your list, unless you have specific things in those places you really want to see. I might also suggest cutting the Birmingham/Montgomery/Atlanta leg and driving straight from Nashville to Asheville, NC, then dropping down from there to Charleston/Savannah—the Blue Ridge Mountains in that part of the country are really pretty.

31. Any particular reasons you are choosing the south? A lot of the old architecture is no longer around except in some isolated pockets. The South West US is probably has a lot more unique architecture if that is what you are looking for, or the North East. And the beauty is undeniable in the South West. But I can understand it if food is a consideration and trying a lot of uniquely southern foods etc.

32. It’s not on your list but I’d recommend hitting up Vicksburg while around Jackson. (About an hour west of there). There’s some good food and there’s the Vicksburg National Military Park that covers the Civil War siege there. It has hundreds of monuments in the park and the USS Cairo, the only City Class gunboat left. There’s good food downtown too. Also, if you’re spending the night in in most all of these cities just be careful where you stay. Crime isn’t great in any city but especially Memphis and Jackson.

33. From a longtime Georgia resident in no particular order.

    Savannah- Ghost Tour, Zunzi Sandwiches, Common Thread (restaurant), River Walk, The Pink House (Restaurant), Wurmsloe Historical Site, Savannah Bananas baseball game (look up youtube clips, it is not a standard baseball game)

    Atlanta- Georgia Aquarium, Oakland Park Cemetary, Little 5 Points neighborhood, Homegrown (restaurant, breakfast or lunch), Wrecking Bar (restaurant), Stone Mountain state park, King Center/Martin Luther King Jr. childhood home, Ponce City Market, Monday Night Brewing, 3 Taverns Brewing, see a soccer or football game at Mercedes Benz Stadium

34. Charleston, South Carolina

35. When you are in Atlanta, check out the food options. It’s an international city with and incredibly diverse population (look up nearby Clarkston, GA). It’s one of the few places in the southeast where you can throw a dart at map and find food from whatever country in lands on. Also if you are home sick and want Australian food, check out the Australian bakery in nearby Marietta. It’s about 30 mins north but the meat pies are awesome.

36. This needs a great deal of work. At the very least:

    1. Skip Jackson and Hattiesburg. If you want to stop in MS, which I don’t really suggest, choose one or all of Pass Christian, Bay St. Louis, Natchez, and Clarksdale.
    2. Skip Alabama and head from Knoxville to Asheville. From there, head southeast to Charleston. End at Atlanta.

37. I live in Atlanta and I agree with another commenter that Atlanta is less of a tourist town than it is a commercial and residential hub. It’s a nice place to live and it’s prospering but the tourist offerings aren’t particularly unique or extensive. Of course, if you do come, there are things to see and do for a couple of days. One unique one is Stone Mountain Park, which features a large granite dome [monadnock] you can climb and get a view of the entire metropolitan area. It’s very steep in places. There is also a skylift to the top. There are other touristy activities there, too, including a scenic five mile loop road if you like walking or biking. There are also plenty of restaurants in Atlanta, of course, featuring Southern food and many, many other cuisines.

    Atlanta is also a place you could easily see a baseball game. It’s not the right time of year for most sports and even the others that are still going will be doing their playoffs where tickets are more expensive and harder to come by. Atlanta is really the only city on your list with a Major League (highest professional tier) baseball team. They also have a very new stadium with a modern design that I think people really like.

    Many people find baseball a bit on the boring side and if you don’t know the rules that won’t help. It would be a bit like watching cricket without knowing the rules or appreciating the strategy. But it’s probably still worth going to for the experience. Lots of things go on, and there is food and drink and entertainment. It’s not the same over-the-top, rah rah experience of going to a football game, but it’s the wrong time of year for that.

38. Don’t book airbnbs. They are creating a housing crisis and taking homes away from residents. Here in New Orleans, most are in poor neighborhoods that are dangerous to tourists. Book a hotel and tip everyone really well, we are still recovering from the pandemic and Ida.

39. Honestly, you can skip Jackson and Hattiesburg. There isn’t much to do in either, and Jackson is one of the worst and most dangerous cities in the country. If you’re looking to spend time in MS, go to one of the cities on the coast (Bay St Louis, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs) or if you like music, check out Clarksburg and go see some blues music. Morgan Freeman owns a club there (though there are others) and that part of the state is known for its blues/music history. Oxford I hear is cool too.

    Otherwise, can understand the other cities, just be careful particularly in Memphis and Montgomery. Memphis is a great city with tons of great food, history, and music, but is also one of the murder capitals of the country and only getting worse.

40. If you’re really into food, skip Atlanta and go to Charleston.

41. History buff? Consider St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US.