Jazzfest side trips
 

I'm excitedly planning my first ever trip to Jazzfest in 2017. My wife and I are from Melbourne, Australia, and will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in New York City in late April, then heading in different directions to tick a couple of things off our respective wishlists. Mine is Jazzfest, with a cherry on top of catching the City of New Orleans from Chicago to New Orleans. I intend to go to both weekends of Jazzfest, with a road trip in between, and another road trip after the second weekend. I fly out of LA the Friday after Jazzfest.

I'm a big music fan and have been to some of the South before. I've already seen Memphis, Nashville, Tupelo, Muscle Shoals, Clarksdale and a good part of the Mississippi Blues Trail. I've seen a lot of Mississippi, a little of Louisiana, a tiny bit of Alabama (basically just Muscle Shoals) and none of Texas.

So I'm thinking that the first road trip is going to be primarily to Alabama. I'm contemplating a 3-night loop that would take in Meridian MS (night 1), Selma and Montgomery (night 2), then Monroeville and somewhere around Mobile (night 3) before heading back to New Orleans.

For the second trip, I'd like to take a couple of days to get to Austin TX, then spend a couple of nights there before flying out to LA. I'm thinking the two nights to get there could be spent in Lake Charles, then Houston but I'm looking for any suggestions about places worth visiting or staying at along the way. I kind of like the idea of seeing Galveston, for no reason other than I'd like to "hear those sea waves crashing"! (Pathetic, I know, but you're corresponding with a guy who once wasted a few hours driving to Nutbush just to see if the people really did keep the city clean).

Any suggestions for either trip would be most welcomed. Apart from music, I like sites of historical interest and nice scenery. I know it won't be summer but I'm also a beach dweller, which is why I'm considering Mobile and to a lesser extent Galveston. If there are towns with notable boardwalks or beach walks, I'm interested.

The closest (Gulf) beaches to Mobile are Dauphin Island and Orange Beach/Gulf Shores, about 40-60 minutes away. You could also skip Mobile (worth skipping IMO) and go to Pensacola instead. Lots of history there, a nice naval air museum, and gorgeous beaches on Pensacola Beach. From Mobile, it's the same distance to Pensacola Beach as it is to Gulf Shores.

Thanks AustinTraveller, I'll look into Pensacola.

Galveston is certainly worthwhile, as the history, beaches, and architecture are worth exploring. Austin is overrated in my opinion, as it sprawls all over the place, and the interesing blocks of downtown music are always crowded. If you go, see the bats in the evening. there are far more music venues in Chicago. Houston is a miss unless you are interested in its fine museums. Consider adding San Antonio for the riverwalk. Touristy but lovely. Dont wander around the street level however. The Alabama route will be fascinating. Be sure to go to all the civil rights museums to get a full idea.

Forgot to add, get some barbeque in Lockhart, or other nearby towns. Read a directory first, as there are many choices

Thanks itzawonnder, some good suggestions in there.

Not sure if you enjoy space things but the Houston Space center was cool when we visited.

My spouse and I like Mobile a lot. There are beaches, a nifty Museum of the Gulf of Mexico, great seafood, an interesting gardens, and an old-fashioned funky southern city.

Consider extending your trip to Montgomery to also see Tuskegee Institute north on i85 from there.

I hope you decide to hear those sea waves crashing with at least a short visit to Galveston. It's really a unique Texas city and you can probably hear some good music around town, too. You will get a lot more out of Galveston than Houston, given the time you have to spend. As a hard core music lover, you won't be disappointed with the options in Austin.