Brahmama

We will take a Circle Trip in early October. We are seniors - enjoy nature, walking, history, music, local food, wine, talking with locals.

We will leave from TX to New Orleans - but we have information on that leg.

We do need information / must-sees etc from New Orleans to Birmingham. We will probably spend 2 nights there.

From Birmingham to DC / information / must-sees. Probably will stay in Sterling or Leesburg for the weekend as our friends live in that vicinity .

We will move to DC for 4 or 5 nights, but hoping to park the car and train or metro in to a central location. Any ideas about where to leave a car? I'm sure it wouldn't be allowed at the Metro.

Coming back - DC through the Ozarks. We have 4 or 5 nights so can wander a bit.

From the Ozarks back to Texas is not a problem as we have done that several times when our kids were young.

This is complicated! Before, with our children - our goals and interests were different. Now it's just us and on our 40th Anniversary Trip, so we're wanting something a bit different and not child-oriented.

Thanks for any replies and suggestions.

longhorn55

For the D.C. portion of your trip, I suggest you choose a hotel either in D.C. itself or near one of the Metro stations. You could park your car there for your stay (although you'll likely have to pay for parking and it could be a bit expensive) and then use Metro to get around. Good places in Arlington for hotels near the Metro would be: Crystal City, Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, and Ballston.
Alternatively, could your friends in Sterling or Leesburg let you park your car at their home and drive you to and from your hotel? I'm not familiar with public transportation in these areas, but maybe there is another way to leave your car with your friends and get to your hotel closer to D.C.

bkluvsNola

From New Orleans to Birmingham, you could stop on the MS Gulf Coast and gamble at some of the casinos there. You could also stop in Mobile and head on up to Birmingham from there.

flapenny

Yes, you could go through Mobile to B'ham - but why? The drive from Mobile north is not that great. I think I would prefer to go through the MS Gulf Cost area, then head north through the delta country into the "Piney Woods" portion and across the state into AL and MS. I grew up between Laurel, MS and Mobile, AL (time spent in both places). If you were going along the Gulf Coast and up the Eastern Seaboard to DC, my advice would be different, though.

Dana_M

New Orleans to Birmingham is only a 4-5 hour drive. Most people would drive straight through. You will pass through Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Meridian, MS. That's the shortest route, although I'm not sure what there is to see along the way. Hopefully the Mississippi folks will chim in.

Going through Mobile would make the trip longer, and while there are some sights in Mobile, my favorite areas around Mobile are Daphne and Fairhope, which takes you out of the way, and there isn't much to see between Mobile and Birmingham.

I live in Birmingham. What are your plans while here? I can give you loads of recommendations for outdoor activities, restaurants, etc., but before I go off down that path, I thought I'd find out a little more about the group.

Are you staying in hotels, or looking for something outdoors such as cabins? For music, are you looking for local bands or the symphony? Do you want 5 star restaurants or do you want to sit outdoors in a casual setting? For history, do you want to go to the civil righs museum, or are you more interested in local architecture?

Tell me more and I'll give you advice. I'm so happy somebody has finally posted a question about Alabama, that I'll assist in any way I can!

Brahmama

I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner to your replies but with the busy weekend, I just got too involved and had to give the computer a pass.

I will be answering all of you back!

Thanks for now.

Brahmama

dana from Alabama,
I'm finally getting back to you, but our trip plans have changed about 100% as we are now going by TRAIN. And we're going from Texas to Chicago to Michigan to Washingon DC to New Orleans. Unfortunately we will not get to stop by anywhere in Alabama this time around.

But I wanted to thank you for your offer of help. Maybe next time we'll get back to Birmingham.

Happy Travels!

Dana_M

Brahmama,
I've been out of the country for two weeks, and just saw this post. Have a wonderful trip. If you ever need any advice on Alabama, let me know.