hawks2012

Hi all,

My husband and I are planning a short road trip (6 nights) in the southern states of the USA in February and need some help!

We have a flight booked out of Dallas so thought we would start in Atlanta or Charlotte and drive to Dallas from there. I'm sure it will be a long drive so we just want to pick a couple of places along the way so it's more of an interesting drive rather than just being on motor ways the whole time.

Based on research we have done so far and looking at the map we are thinking the following:
- Asheville NC
- Birmingham
- Nashville
- Memphis
-Austin

We are keen to see some smaller towns/ quaint villages, eat good food, hear some country music and see some scenery (maybe the Great smoky mountains), perhaps visit a winery region and go to a museum on the civil rights movement.

If anyone has any suggestions at all we would be really grateful. We are flexible with our plans and happy to cut / add places based on your recommendations.

Thank you so much!!

Judyrem

Yes, Asheville is great, but maybe a little chilly in Feb, not that it would bother me.

Six days is not a great amount of time, and the distance driving is considerable esp from Austin....to the other destinations.

I am in Atlanta, and it is not too far from Birmingham, Nashville, and Asheville.

rizzo0904

You could fly into St. Louis, spend the night in St. Charles. Then google the Missouri wine trails...lots of wineries in the state. After that, go south to the Ozarks...not sure what else to recommend in Arkansas. The head over to Dallas.

Judyrem

TTT

spirobulldog

Not really for sure why you are going to Dallas. That's a long long ways from the rest of the area you mention. You are basically going to be driving.

I would think spend your time in
Nashville
New Orleans
Memphis
Natchez

Smoky Mountains/Gatlinburg/Ashville is a great area and that alone would take pretty much your 6 days.

Personally, I would skip Austin and Texas as I think the other area's you mentioned are better. The shopping and dining in Texas is outstanding. I do enjoy the sights there, but I don't think I would call them outstanding. Big Bend is the only are that even comes close to outstanding in my mind(and that is another day's drive away).

Arkansas is near us, so we visit that area a lot and I could suggest many very very good(but not great) places to visit, if you have that state in mind.

I think stick with just 1 or 2 states for you trip. You are talking a WHOLE LOT of driving and not really seeing hardly anything.

jent103

Texas is definitely the outlier - you will be doing a LOT of driving if you do the whole thing as a road trip. If you can, I would cut that out. You'll be hard pressed to see Asheville, Nashville and Memphis in six days/nights, much less Birmingham, Atlanta, Austin or Dallas. A typical tourist will spend a couple of days in each city, perhaps except Birmingham where one full day might work. To get an idea of drive times (Nashville is kind of in the middle of your non-Texas destinations),

Asheville -> Charlotte is about two hours
Asheville -> Nashville is about five hours
Nashville -> Memphis is about three hours
Nashville -> Atlanta is about four hours
Nashville -> Charlotte is about seven hours
Nashville -> Birmingham is about three hours

So with six days, if you flew into Charlotte (some direct international flights), went straight to Asheville, then to Nashville, Memphis, and Atlanta, you'd have 1.5 days to sightsee in Asheville, 1.5 days in Nashville, 1.5 days in Memphis and then have to go immediately to Atlanta to fly home. No time for Birmingham.

One other thing to consider: In February, it's possible that the weather will be bad. The South doesn't get nearly as much snow as the northern states, and it might be sixty degrees and sunny when you're here. But if there is winter weather, it's entirely possible that it'll be ice, which is even worse than snow for driving. Plus the South basically shuts down if there's snow on the ground. It's one of our more charming qualities. If your heart isn't set on Asheville, you might avoid the mountains, fly into Atlanta and do Nashville/Memphis/Birmingham. Just a thought.

To hear good country/bluegrass in Nashville, head to the Station Inn. It looks like a total dump in the midst of a newly trendy district, but it's great. In the winter, the Grand Ole Opry will be downtown at the Ryman Auditorium, where it started (the rest of the year it's at the Opry House out by the Opryland hotel).

If Birmingham is on your list for the civil rights sites, they're very important there, of course. But if you need to cut a destination, you could instead go to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, which is very well done (located in the hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot).

What do you mean by "good food"? Are you talking about fine dining, or just good traditional Southern food?

hawks2012

Hi guys

Thank you all so much for your ideas! I am really grateful. I think we are going to try and stay as far south as possible so we can hopefully avoid snow/ice on the roads. We have an international flight booked out of dallas so that's why we have to get there but we are flexible in terms of where in the USA we can fly in to.

Jent103 - by good food I meant good traditional southern food.

I think we may fly into Atlanta and do nashville, memphis and leave the mountains this time and perhaps come back when it's warmer to do that part. We will also look into the wine region in Missouri thanks rizzo0904 but what do you think the weather in that part would be like for driving in Feb?

Thank you again everyone.

hawks2012

Also, would you recommend the hot springs in Arkansas? if we drive from Memphis to Dallas it looks like that would be on the way. Thank you!

jent103

If you want to save yourself some driving, look into flights from Nashville or Memphis to Dallas. Nashville and Dallas are both hubs for Southwest Airlines, which is one of the "budget" airlines in the States (it's no longer always the cheapest, but between hubs like that, you have a good shot at getting a good price). American Airlines also flies direct. (Memphis is also likely to have direct flights - I just don't know specifics there.)

The traditional places in Nashville that get the most recommendations are Monell's and Arnold's, but there are lots of options. (Check out nashvilleoriginals.com to get you started - it's all local independent restaurants with lots of different cuisines.) Memphis is very well known for barbecue, and there are tons of options that start very heated discussions! Look at Rendezvous, Neely's, and Corky's for the most well known; the BBQ Shop is good too. Lots of threads here about that as well.

Gretchen

Goodness. Start in Charlotte. Dallas is a two day drive==actually could be done in a day and a half, just for time and distance.
I see that Jent has already suggested what I was going to, looking back quickly.
Austin is a pretty good way south of Dallas, so allow some time for that round trip if you're going to do it.
If bad snowy weather hits the south it is often right through Atlanta, just an FYI.
Birmingham has some outstanding restaurants owned by Frank STitt--Highlands Grill is world class.
Montgomery had the most beautiful Civil Rights monument at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

jayne1973

If you go to Hot Springs, I suggest the mineral baths at the Arlington Hotel. It's the real deal --even better if you can spend a night.

If you go to Memphis, the Sun Studios tour is very cool.

violetduck

You could definitely have weather issues in February. If you could fly into Charlotte and perhaps go to Charleston SC and/or Savannah GA area you should have warmer weather. That does not solve the Dallas departure however. Perhaps you could change your departure city. The drive from the east coast to Dallas is just too far with your itinerary and only six days. It is at least a 17 hour drive from Charlotte to Dallas. Hope you get your itinerary worked out and enjoy your trip to the USA.