Driving South
 

We will be driving from Ohio to Anna Maria Island, Fl, then to New Orleans then to Michigan.

Any thoughts on routes? We are thinking Ohio to Charlotte, NC, Savannah, GA then Anna Maria Island. Any "Must See" or "Must Do? on this route?

Where would you suggest to overnight between Anna Maria Island and New Orleans?

Any suggestions between New Orleans and Michigan?

We've never driven this route before and honestly are not seasoned road warriors!

They have rebuilt the casino hotels in Biloxi MS since Katrina.
Check out the Peabody in Memphis on the way home.

Charleston rather than Savannah. You can stop by Savannah also.
Where in Ohio? Charlotte is about 8 hour drive from Dayton, for example, and Charleston is 3 hours from Charlotte.

Anna Maria Island is on the west coast of Florida, isn't it?

Unless they particularly want to go to Charleston or Savannah, most mid-westerners would take I-75.

Both I-75 and I-95 are boring highways with a lot of traffic, but they are pretty direct.

Savannah is more like New Orleans than Charleston. That may mean you can skip it or it may mean you want to see it more in order to compare the two.

Anna Maria Island, Charleston, Savannah, and NO are all terrific. It is the roads between them that are not.

Depending on when, the gardens in Mobile may make it worth your spending a day there on the way to NO, certainly a lot more attractive to me than casinos. The Peabody, referenced above, is a well-known hotel in Memphis. Look it up; I don't want to spoil it for you, but there is a reason it is famous.

Two of my sister are in Memphis as we speak and having a great time -- famous for its funky food!

Well, the OP mentioned Charlotte and Savannah so it would be I77 to Charlotte the shortest way. Of course, if they are going further west, I 75 would be the way.
Take 77 and 26 to Charleston and Savannah, and then cross Florida.

Thanks for all your feed back! We are going from Novelty, OH to Anna Maria Island for 8 days, then to New Orleans for 5 and then back home to Northern Michigan.

We don't just want to zip down to Anna Maria Island and miss all the great sites along the way. Never been to South East and would like to see some of the area.

We're looking for something to see/do between our major stops.

Thanks again!

If you come down 77 stop in Mount Airy. It's a cute little town with lots of Andy Griffith activity, since "Mayberry" was modeled after it. Get a pork chop sandwich at Snappy Lunch.

Stop in Columbia, SC and go to Riverbanks Zoo. The gardens there are worth your time, especially if you come in spring.

Thanks Sue! Mount Airy sounds perfect