Coastergirl

Hi

We (hubby and I both aged 30) are doing a road trip on Dec 10th 2005, and have made the following arrangements:

Fly in to Orlando (unavoidable)
Drive to Walterboro. Stop overnight.
Next day drive to Dollywood, via Asheville.
Stay o/n Pigeon Forge (only be in room for 7 hours!)
Next day drive to Nashville, seeing Ther Hermitage en-route. Stay at Opryland Hotel. Have booked Pam Tillis' Country Christmas Dinner Show for evening.
Next day see Capitol Building, Parthenon, Country Music Hall of Fame and the Studio B Tour, then some lunch somewhere. In afternoon, do the Ryman Backstage Tour and have dinner somewhere. Have booked tickets for the Opry (being held at Ryman at this time) at 7pm.
Next day, get up and drive down to Valdosta via the following places:
Stones River Battlefield and Cemetary
Fortress Rosecrans
Cannonsburgh Village
Ruby Falls Lookout Mountain Cave/Waterfall
Chattannooga Choo Choo
Margaret Mitchell House nr Atlanta
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial nr Atlanta.
Stay o/n at Valdosta, Ga then drive down to Orlando next morning.

So, these are our plans. We know the distances are huge and timescale very very short but we are used to cramming things. It is unavoidable as we have to be in Orlando by Noon on Day 6.

Anyone have any thoughts or tips? I am a little concerned about driving through the Smoky Mountains in December and can't find much info on what roads might be closed etc.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Rach x (in Bristol, England)

Brian_in_Charlotte

I know you say you have to be in Orlando, but I would seriously recommend looking into flying between Orlando and Atlanta. Flights should be cheap and it will save you some very long and boring miles in the car.

Coastergirl

Thanks for replying Brian, and I understand your point but unfortunately because we have booked a package flydrive from the UK (charter flight) we have to collect/drop off at Sanford. Sometimes dropping off one car and collecting a new car, check-in time, waiting for luggage, etc can be quite lengthy processess too so we decided to just drive - and see what we can see en-route. Fingers crossed that we enjoy it

Amy15

My hubby and I (me 30 and him 32) grew up in Nashville and just moved from there 2 years ago. Your Nashville time sounds great!! I would also suggest hitting the honky tonk bars on Lower Broadway. They are within walking distance of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Ryman. You can hear someone playing music in most of them any time of the day or night. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge is probably the most famous with tons of autographed pictures on the walls. Tootsie's backs up to the Ryman so many stars used to come in the back door from a night at the Ryman and play. My husband and I actually heard Toby Keith there after he came in from the Ryman on our first date. Other favorites are Legends Corner and Robert's Western World complete with boots on the wall. Robert's also has great burgers. Have a great time!!!

SharonG

You might think about going to the Frist museum. The art isn't that great usually but they have a wonderful gift shop. Also, Demos Restaurant downtown has good (not outstanding) food at fairly reasonable prices. Since you have a car, you might want to scoot over to the Vanderbilt area for some fun places to eat like Sunset Grill, Tayst (my favorite on 21st across from Army/Navy store) or Midtown Cafe (I think on 19th or 20th).

jw

I would pass on Ruby Falls, but Point Park on Lookout Mtn. is nice, and you could consider the Incline Railway up the side of Lookout Mtn. to get to Point Park.

Coastergirl

Hi Everyone!

Having read the replies, it seems Nashville is just one of those places that filling in small time gaps just won't be an issue. I'm sure we'll find some nice restaurants or bars with food near to the Ryman once we're there.

I think I am starting to over-plan this trip, lol!

All the major stuff is in, and the rest will sort itself out once we are there.

I am *so* excited and just want to go now, ha ha!!!

Thanks again everyone...
Rach

atlswan

Rachel, I just read this post. I replied to you other one this morning. Sounds like quite an itinerary!

One thing about Atlanta. There are two MLK Jr. places to visit. The Martin Luther King Jr. Center is on one side of the street and the Martin Luther King Jr. site run by the National Park Service (which includes his boyhood home) is on the other side.

The one run by tne National Parks Service is the better site, in my opinion. It is better maintained and has more to offer in terms of Dr. King's life story. They also have great temporary exhibits.

Alas, the King Center is undergoing a bit of a crisis right now as two of Dr. King's sons work out who is going to run it. The place is in a state of disrepair and beyond a few artifacts and papers, there's not much to see.

When you're in that area, if you enjoyed your Jack's BBQ experience, you should try Rolling Bones BBQ on Auburn Avenue.

If you're sick of BBQ, head over to The Varisty, a true Atlanta favorite. They serve hamburgers, hotdogs, onion rings, anything greasy. The fried pies are awesome. And the ambience is truly original. Folks from every walk of life eat there. Just go to www.thevarsity.com and you'll find out what I mean.

Coastergirl

Hi atlswan,

Quite an itinerary is right - we're going to be exhausted once we're done, ha ha. I love to be tearing around though, so it's no problem! (hopefully!)

I'm interested in what you were saying about the MLK sites. Really, I would like to be able to 'drive past and take a picture' of the house he in grew up in, and I would like be to able to 'see and take a picture' of his tomb (it's in a big pool isn't it?). Also, is there an eternal flame?

I don't need to see any exhibits or displays - I am really just interested in his old house, his tomb and the eternal flame (if there is one).

Which side of the road do I need to be looking? <g>

Brian in Charlotte had given me some advice within my other thread about Atlanta and panicking, so that's great as I was concerned about getting lost!

I hope this all works out okay, I will admit it is the part of the trip that is concerning me most (but I really don't want to miss the opportunity).

Thanks in advance
Rachel

atlswan

Rachel:

I can understand your concerns. Atlanta traffic can be nutty. And Atlanta isn't the easiest town to drive in!

If you are driving east on Auburn Ave., the King Center (where his tomb is) should be on your right.

I would park at the Historic Site on the right (it is free) and go take your picture. The tomb cannot be easily seen from the street. You do not want to park on Auburn Ave. as it is not very wide and you'd probably get honked at by other drivers. I am pretty sure it has an eternal flame, but I cannot remember. Sorry!

The King boyhood home is on 1501 Auburn Ave. You would have no problem slowing down and taking a photo there as it is a less congested area and the home is right on the street.

Here's a site that may help:

http://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

Hope this helps.

Coastergirl

Hi atlswan,

The website you linked to is excellent. I hadn't found that when I did a google search (here in UK my computer blocks access to the US google and defaults back to UK google, which doesn't seem to bring up all the US websites, sometimes. Grrrrrr.!)

Your info makes it so much less daunting, and I really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Saraho

Bellemeade Mansion is a very interesting plantation house to visit in Nashville. It is around four miles from the Parthenon on the same street, West End( Highway 100). Have fun in one of my favorite cities. I grew up there.

Coastergirl

Hi All!

I am hoping atlswan, brian in charlotte and others can answer another small query I have...

Note: I am referencing http://data2.itc.nps.gov/parks/malu/...malumap2%2Epdf

Having discussed this with hubby, and looking at the official MLK map (above), we want to park in the official Visitors Car Park which seems to be accessed from John Wesley Dobbs Avenue. We'll have to walk through the Promenade and Peace Plaza and cross Auburn to get to the Tomb.

Questions: is there any problem with this plan? How far is it to walk? Is it safe to walk there? And most importantly - how do we drive to John Wesley Dobbs Ave from I-75? (we're driving from the north, heading south).

Thank you muchly!
Rachel

atlswan

Rachel:

I'm glad that site was helpful for you.

If you go during daylight hours, you should be fine. Just make sure you take any valuables (camera, cell phone) with you or put them in the trunk so that they are not out in plain sight. Leaving valuables out is what usually causes someone to break into a car.

If you take I-75 South, there is an exit for John Wesley Dobbs Ave. Exit, turn left at the light and you are on your way.

However, if you are coming from the Margaret Mitchell House, I would head east on 10th Street and then turn right onto Juniper (runs parallel to Peachtree Street). You can take Juniper (which becomes Courtland) all the way down to John Wesley Dobbs and turn left. That's much easier than getting back on the Interstate.

Your concerns are valid so don't apologize for asking questions.