Deep South Road Trip
 

Hi there,

Just hoping to get some advice, tips and guidance on our future trip to the States.
This is our plan so far flying out of London for a 2 week trip on December 27th
London - Atlanta - 1 night pick up car
Drive up to the Smoky's for 2 nights
Then drive to Nashville for 3 nights spending NYE here
Then onto Memphis for 2 nights
Then onto Natchez for 2 nights
Then onto New Orleans for 3 nights
Then we plan to fly from NO to Miami for 2 nights then back to London

Firstly does this sound like an OK plan??
Or would you suggest missing out the smoky's and heading up past Chatanooga instead??

Anything we should see / do in between any of these stops?
Are we staying in some places too long / not long enough??
Great hotels / restaurant / bar recommendations all greatly received

We are really keen to take in as much live music as we can, so excited for this trip!!

I really look forward to hearing from you all.

Amy xx

December isn't the best time to see the Smokies - it's possible that some roads will be closed, and things are pretty gray and dreary. Places like Cades Cove will mostly likely still be open, but if it were me I'd swap that for some beach time in Florida! Or Chattanooga would indeed be good for a night or two. I think there are more cold weather options there than in the Smokies, unless you really like being outdoors in the cold.

Three nights in Nashville is fine. The city puts on a big concert downtown with a guitar drop (instead of the ball drop in Times Square). I don't think they've announced yet who's playing this year. I live here, so don't have specific hotel recommendations, but there are lots of threads here you can search for. I'd stay somewhere downtown so you can walk to a lot, especially since they'll block off some roads for the New Year's event. For live music, a lot of tourists just go to the honky-tonks on Lower Broadway, but I'd also check who's playing at the Ryman for sure, the Bluebird Cafe, Exit/In, 3rd & Lindsley, and Mercy Lounge/Cannery Ballroom (one building, three venues). Or look at the Nashville Scene (alternative paper) or Lightning 100 (indie radio station) calendars closer to your trip.

This article just came out and has some great restaurant suggestions for your entire trip. Several of the Nashville suggestions are some of my favorites.

http://www.southernliving.com/travel...PromKey=XET&sl

(Just FYI - your post is marked as a trip report, which is what people often write after they're back from a trip. People may not realize you're asking a question! You may want to contact the moderators with that yellow triangle and ask them to remove that tag.)

oh thank you so much for your very quick reply! So would you suggest we go from Atlanta up to Chatanooga then onto maybe Charleston instead of the smoky's?? I liked the idea of a log cabin in the woods and seeing bears but if you think it may be a bit grim out of season I am happy to reconsider.
Do you think 2 nights in Memphis is too long? I've heard mixed reports

I think two nights in Memphis is fine. Obviously there's Graceland and Beale Street, but there's also Sun Studio, the Civil Rights Museum, Stax... plenty to fill 1.5-2 days.

I've been going to the Smokies once or twice a year most of my life and have never seen a bear! Lots of deer, and there are some bears there, but especially in the winter when they're hibernating, I'd think your chances are pretty low. If you really really want to see the mountains, go for it. But my personal choice would be Chattanooga or add the time to somewhere warmer.

Charleston is fantastic, but logistically it doesn't work with the rest of your plan as it is. It's a good eight hours from Nashville, going through Asheville (which is also fantastic), but I think you'd need to rework your whole trip if you want to head that direction.

Sorry I was getting confused ... Charleston totally of the question!! Where would you suggest stopping off from Atlanta to Nashville then over 3 days (including chatanooga)?
Thanks again for helping

Chattanooga makes the most sense. I'd just stick with that! With three nights in Nashville, you could also do a day trip to the Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, or do that on your way from Chattanooga to Nashville. Whenever I go to England and see all the Jack Daniels ads, it really makes me laugh - it makes it seem like y'all love it!

So your first section -

Dec. 27: London - Atlanta - 1 night pick up car
Dec. 28: Drive from Atlanta to Chattanooga (about two hours), see TN Aquarium or Ruby Falls or whatever you like (downtown and North Chatt are fun to walk around)
Dec. 29: Drive from Chattanooga to Nashville, do Jack Daniels on the way (eat at Miss Mary Bobo's if it's open - actually, make sure Jack Daniels is open between Christmas and New Year's too; I'd think so, but with the holidays I'd check)
Dec. 30: tourist stuff in Nashville
Dec. 31: tourist stuff in Nashville, New Year's party
Jan. 1: drive to Memphis
Jan. 2: Memphis

Amazing thank you so much!
Is the Union Station hotel nice in Nashville??

I've never stayed there, but it and the Hermitage are two of the nicest ones in town from what I've heard. It's on the western edge of downtown, a couple minutes' walk from the honky-tonks and a good location for getting in/out of downtown. If you're into beer, there's a bar just behind it called the Flying Saucer. It's a small chain (so not all local to Nashville), but they have a lot of beers. (If you're *really* into beer, I'd take a tour of the Yazoo brewery.)

The Opryland Hotel in Nashville is a nice place to stay that is always nicely decorated for Christmas in December with lots of activities. You might want to consider staying there while in Nashville but you have to get your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

Opryland is lovely (and massive), but is a good 20-30 minutes from anything else of tourist interest aside from the Hermitage. Just something to consider before booking it.

The Opryland Hotel has a shuttle service that will take you to the Ryman Auditorium for $20 per person. Seems a little steep but it is an option. Also, the Opry Mills Mall is close by for a little shopping.

I think you should spend at least one day in Atlanta. While it isn't New Orleans, it does have some interesting things: Civil War and Civil Rights--ML King Center, Atlanta History Museum, and other things depending on your interests. I'd cut a nite from either Nashville or Natchez. Unless you're really into country music, Nashville isn't all that great, while Memphis and New Orleans are.

If you're into music (and from your itinerary I presume you are), stop in Clarksdale for the Blues Museum on the drive down from Memphis.

Keep in mind that New Orleans has the Sugar Bowl, which is a big American college football game that used to always be Jan 1 but now, not necessarily. That tends to drive hotel prices sky high.

New Orleans has Le Richelieu Hotel, at the quiet end of the French Quarter and offers car parking and that's where we stay when we drive down. It is older, funky and comfortable. Also, it is close to Frenchmen Street which is a music center. Too many great restaurants in New Orleans to relate. A couple of our favs: Galatoire's is old time New Orleans; Commander's Palace is consistently great. And of course Cafe DuMonde early in the morning for beignets and chicory coffee--but be sure to get there early in the morning or the lines. . . Also: Drago's Seafood on the ground floor of the riverfront Hilton. A displaced by Katrina NO native told me about this place--it has charbroiled oysters that are out of this world. Don't order an entree--order a dozen charbroiled oysters. You can always (and will probably) order more. There's another branch in Metarie, I think.

I would suggest skipping the Smoky Mountains in December. They are beautiful, in the spring, summer and fall. In fact, I was there in May and am going back in September. However, unless you snow ski, there's not that much going on in December and you might run into bad weather. I would skip the Smoky Mountains and spend time elsewhere as suggested by other posters.