Late winter road trip Deep South

Old Apr 30th, 2016, 02:46 PM
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Late winter road trip Deep South

Hi,

I'm hoping to get a slew of ideas to consider for my winter "get out of the cold" trip to the south. I know I'm starting early...one of my quirks... My preliminary planning for a part Feb/part March road trip from Ohio will probably be solo and for around 30 days. I'm trying to capture interests such as local foods, scenic drives, history, architecture, a taste of the blues, beach, strolling town. I wish to avoid interstates most of the time and am mostly interested in medium and small towns which offer something of interest... I also don't like 1 night stays - getting a break from driving is nice. I prefer my time behind a wheel maxed out a 6 hours (not including sightseeing stops) in a day.

My draft looks like this:

Cincinnati to Memphis (7 hrs - 1 day) Interstate to get rolling on this trip
Memphis 2 nights

Cleveland/Greenwood/or other town 2 nights - I'm planning to stop in Clarksdale on the way. I will set aside a day to visit towns/sites in the area. Ideas?

Galveston, Tx 7 nights - was there recently for 2 days and missed seeing/doing a lot
New Orleans 2 nights - visiting family, been there before

Dauphen Island, Orange Bay, Oyster Beach, or Pensacola, etc. 5 nights - looking for suggestions for a beach town that is reasonable in cost, pretty, relaxing, warm (60's+). Would stroll beach/boardwalks, shop, dine, take a boat ride, sightsee and take day trips. Any ideas for those day trips and sightseeing?

Natchez 7 nights - Seems lots to do & see (plantation tour, shopping, historical sites, Indian culture), day trip to Vicksburg and looking for ideas on other day trips.

Natchez Trace to Nashville - 1 or 2 overnights - I realize that this is a slow route. Suggestions for stops or must-sees nearby?

Nashville - 2 nights - visiting friends, been there before
Back to Cincinnati

I am hoping for answers to the above questions and any suggestions for dining, accommodations and things I haven't thought of. Finally, as a solo, I have a healthy sense of cautiousness (so if you wouldn't want your mom to go there by herself, please don't suggest I go).

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond!

Deb
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Old Apr 30th, 2016, 07:58 PM
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If I was going to spend 7 nights in an east Texas city it would not be Galveston.
For a warm beach to visit, try Corpus Christi and South Padre.
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Old May 1st, 2016, 02:04 AM
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The Natchez Trace is a hideously boring highway, a tunnel through the pines. It is a direct way to Nashville, but not anywhere I would want to spend two days. Low speed limits, heavily enforced. I used to drive it when I was living in Mississippi and getting my doctorate at Vanderbilt.

I might drive from Memphis to Oxford, MS, for a night before going into the Delta. You can visit Ole Miss, the charming Square, and William Faulkner's house. Great food. If you drive via Holly Springs, you don't have to backtrack on your way to Cleveland.

You can follow the Blues Trail through the Delta and hit your high spots, but I would be inclined to stay in Cleveland and Greenville, which has a rich literary tradition along with the Blues and is the home of the original Doe's Eat Place, a steak and tamale joint not to be missed.

The weather on the Gulf Coast will be hit or miss. The high may be 50-70, lows 40-59.

Safety. This is still a poor area of the country. They have introduced gambling as a way of funding such services as they offer without paying taxes. This gives poor people the opportunity to be poorer still. I would never leave anything valuable in the car without putting it in the trunk, and I would do that at the beginning of the day, not in a Walmart parking lot. If you have an expensive watch or jewelry, I would leave it at home. I lived in Mississippi for seven years without being robbed, but I am culturally a southerner and know what to avoid.

Don't let this scare or disturb you. Approach people with a slightly reserved demeanor, and unapologetically avoid any town, business or person who makes you uncomfortable. Doe's Eat Place looks like a dump but isn't. Ask locally at the museums or public library if you have any questions about music venues.

Enjoy!
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Old May 1st, 2016, 03:40 AM
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Thank you both for your replies...

tomfuller - I did Port Aransas last Feb. for a week, but Galveston only 2 days. Enjoyed the area, but feel I've done all I wanted to do in that area. I have more on my Galveston list to do.

Ackislander - I've read mixed reviews on the Trace, maybe it will be something I drive for a section and then move on...I'll remain flexible on that. Oxford sounds interesting (love Fulkner!)and I'll look farther - doesn't John Grisham live in that area? In regards to the Delta, would you lean toward Cleveland or Greenville for a couple of nights? Any other towns to see during my time in that area (somewhere I read about Indianola)? Does Eat Place has joined Ground Zero on my dining list - thank you!

Thank you for your safety tips, which I'll follow. It sounds like the public libraries are good stops for local information in these small towns. Will I hear live music during the daytime hours anywhere?

Also, I'm seeing unbelievably low VRBO rates ($50/night) for Gulf Shores in early March - is there a reason for that besides just seasonal? Though I'm leaning toward staying closer to Pensacola (Naval Aviation Museum, Civil War sites, etc.)...

Again, I appreciate your feedback!
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Old May 1st, 2016, 05:43 AM
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I would go further south if the goal is to get out of the cold. I'd spend far less time in the western side of your route. I'd spend just a few days there, head down to the panhandle of FL (Pensacola is good or the villages along 30a - see 30a.com) then maybe Apalachicola. I'd head over to Savannah and maybe Jekyll or Cumberland Islands. I'd spend time in Georgia (lots of options), then north through Chattanooga (Chickamauga Battlefield and other Civil war sites) and then head north from there.

I'd pretty much shift everything east.
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Old May 1st, 2016, 08:25 AM
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Thanks Starrs: Great suggestions though I've pretty much traveled the places you've mentioned and am looking forward to exploring the Mississippi Delta, Natchez/Vicksburg area, and complete Galveston (wish I would have planned more time there instead of Corpus Christie last time) in this trip. After reading more about Pensacola, I have decided to explore it and some surrounding beach towns in Alabama (for me, in-the-50's is fine, in-the 60's is wonderful!). I am looking for any suggestions for areas to stay in that area, as well as must-do/must-see in Mississippi (a state I've touched but not explored).
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Old May 1st, 2016, 10:29 AM
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If you haven't been to the LA plantations - Oak Alley and Laura - I would do those.

Going to the Tabasco "factory" on Avery Island is interesting. I put factory in quotes because the process is very simple.

If you are at all interested, go to Monroeville AL, home of Harper Lee. Your dates aren't right to go see the play in production but you may enjoy the town.
http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/the-play

You may enjoy the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery AL -
https://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial

An idea for your drive back from the panhandle beaches.

You can get great rates for weekly rental in winter on the beach. Rosemary Beach, Seacrest Beach, or over to Mexico Beach. My favorite area of all is the Indian Pass and Cape San Blas area. If you want to spend quiet time on uncrowded beaches.
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Old May 1st, 2016, 04:13 PM
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Thank you Starrs! I'll check these out. Maybe Monroeville could be a day trip (at a glance, it looks nice) - lots of driving but maybe there's something else on the way. The FL beaches you mentioned are a bit to east for this trip, but I will keep them for a future winter trip (I'm trying to do this annually now that I've retired).
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Old May 1st, 2016, 04:17 PM
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Cleveland has the Grammy museum.
Clarksdale has the Blues Museum
Greenwood has the Mississippi Delta Museum
Greenville has a museum of the famous 1927 flood, much sung about by blues men and women
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Old May 1st, 2016, 05:58 PM
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Seems that I can visit the three towns on one day trip from Cleveland (my base). I'm rerouting Mississippi - Memphis to Cleveland (Rte 61), to Vicksburg then Natchez (Rte 61). I'll visit part of the Natchez Trace as a day trip from Natchez. That looks smooth on a map - thanks!
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Old May 2nd, 2016, 06:46 AM
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Glad you are going back to Galveston--it is a charming, historic city that is unique in Texas. If seven nights begins to feel like too much, you could venture over to Palacios, which is a quieter gulf-side town that is about 115 miles from Galveston. Brenham, home of Blue Bell Ice cream, is about 130 miles, and is near Washington on the Brazos, which was one of the original capitols of Texas. Lots of history in that part of Texas, for sure.

Sounds like a great trip!
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Old May 2nd, 2016, 04:23 PM
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Brenham and Washington on the Brazos look like quaint towns with some interesting history and lots to enjoy in the arts. Thanks for the tips Jayne! I now have possibilities for good day trips
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Old May 4th, 2016, 10:22 AM
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bookmarking for museums in the Delta
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Old May 4th, 2016, 02:57 PM
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I grew up in Mississippi and graduated from Delta State in Cleveland MS. I just went back to Cleveland for a college reunion and saw the new Grammy Museum. If you go thru Cleveland, it would be great to see and the downtown area in Cleveland is nice, cute shops and restaurants.
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