Alohaheidi

Aloha any advice on a route to take from Nashville to Nola which would include the most Civil rights and Civil War sites? Maybe add a dash of Antebellum and some authentic Southern dining...I'm from Hawaii and have never been to the South! I will have 2 nights in Nashville 2 days to get to New Orleans and 3 nights in Nola. I'm very interested in seeing as much of Alabama and Mississippi as possible...Don't care if I miss Memphis. Mahalo for any tips!

dwdvagamundo

Your wish list is too ambitious for the time you have, if I'm understanding that you've only got two days between Nashville and NOLA and want to see some of Alabama and MS.

Memphis has the best Civil Rights Museum I've seen so you'd be making a mistake to miss it with your interest.

Vicksburg (MS) National Battlefield Park is a very good one explaining the siege of Vicksburg.

However, one way to see some of ALA and MS (although without many civil rights or Civil War stuff) would be to take the Natchez Trace Parkway from Nashville to Natchez. A beautiful, truck-free drive.

dwdvagamundo

Should add to the above that the Natchez Trace will not include much Civil War or Civil Rights. It runs near Brices Crossroads and Tupelo National Military Parks, and fairly near Vicksburg.

Alohaheidi

Thank you! I've decided to do Nashville>Birmingham>Vicksburg>Natchez> New Orleans...I've reduced my time in Nashville to 24 hrs (since Country Music isn't my thing anyhow). I'll have more time to explore the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham and Vicksburg/Natchez. Hope I'm not making a big mistake missing Memphis!

dwdvagamundo

Heidi--Whether you're making a mistake to miss Memphis depends on you and your interests. I personally like Memphis a lot---love the r&b and r&r music and the civil rights museum in Memphis. But if you don't, then you probably won't miss much. There is some good barbecue in Memphis, but you can probably find that in Birmingham and elsewhere in the south as well.

Have a great trip!