My friend and I are planning a southern road trip for April 26-29, 2012. She is from Pennsylvania and I am from California, so the plan is to meet in Atlanta on the night of the 26th, sight-see in Atlanta on the 27th, rent a car early in the morning of the 28th and drive through Montgomery, AL and Biloxi/Gulfport, MS (not sure which city would be more interesting) to New Orleans, arriving around 9 pm on the 28th. We want to stay in Algiers and fly home from New Orleans on the evening of the 29th. The car would be returned at MSY on the night of the 28th, and New Orleans would be seen by foot/ferry.
My question is--what is there to see and do in Montgomery and Biloxi or Gulfport? We plan to eat lunch in Montgomery and dinner in Mississippi, and spend about 3 hours in each city. I'd like to see the Alabama State Capitol and the Rosa Parks Museum, but with the amount of time we have, I don't think both are possible. I would also like some recommendations for things to see or places to eat in Biloxi or Gulfport, MS--we aren't sure which would be better to visit, but both are on our route. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated since it is our first time visiting the south. Thank you!
Atlanta-Montgomery-Biloxi/Gulfport-New Orleans Road Trip
Recent Activity
View all United States activity »
- 1 GROCERY STORES MAUI, HAWAII
- 2 Airport luggage tamparing
- 3 Maui. . .where to stay for local feel
- 4 Best museums and botanical gardens in the Hawaiian Islands?
- 5 First-Time Hawaii Advice
- 6 Maui Rain Forest Hike vs Haleakala Crater Hike vs Downhill Bike Ride
- 7 Advice for 2 night intro trip to Moab in early June (1-3)
- 8 Pick up north of Boston Logan
- 9 Hudson Valley to Stockbridge, MA/Berkshires
- 10 California, Northern
- 11 East coast tour - Part2: Phily, Washington, Niagara Falls
- 12 I-5 bridge over Skagit River collapses, cars with people in water |
- 13 Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah
- 14 Using public transit in San Diego
- 15 10 day anniversary trip to Oregon Coast
- 16 Buy now or wait . . . airfare to Santa Barbara in late July?
- 17 Back to the Lovely City!!
- 18 Washington Wineries
- 19 Maine - July 5th to July 14
- 20 East coast tour - Part1: NYC
- 21 Exciting historical sites in upstate NY
- 22
Charleston, Savannah and more cheesy grits please
- 23
Hill-Crest "Museum"
- 24 Suggestions for NYC trip next week
- 25 Memphis Tours
Congrats on your trip I live in orangebeach.com Gulf Coast
AL/FL areas go to Atlanta a lot on business. Calaway Gardens
on your way down to Montgomery is worth a stop. Montgomery downtown area not terribly interesting come on down to the coast for beautiful white sand beaches and antebellum Plantations. Bellinrath Gardens beautiful. Mariott.com
Grand Hotel at Point Clear is super special. Biloxi Casinos
are the thing Beau Rivage is my fav. NewOrleansonline.com for all Big Easy activity. Like the Monteleone in the Quarter
wonderful old historic vibe at good price for upscale usually.
carrentals.com best one way rentals classic.mapquest.com
directions for route info.
Have fun!
I second the recommendation for Beau Rivage. We stayed there pre-Katrina, but it's a lovely hotel, good dining overall and a really fabulous buffet, and they have nicely loose slots.
I might suggest just striking out from Atlanta right away. In Montgomery Please do not miss seeing the civil rights memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center. It is probably the most moving memorial I have ever seen although I have not seen the Vietnam Wall. This is also designed by Maya Lin and is stunning. I would choose it over the Rosa Parks house, if you had to make a choice for time.
See my Montgomery day trip report from a couple years ago:
http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/trip-report-montgomery-alabama.cfm
The civil rights memorial and Rosa Parks Library/Museum were musts to me.