New Orleans to Memphis to St. Louis to Kansas City
 

BFF and I are roadtripping from NO to KS over the course of 9 nights/10 days at the beginning of April. We are planning on spending at least 3 nights in NO and then heading north. Would love ideas on what to see and do along the way. Do you have any B and B recommendations for NO? We are not partiers - so prefer not to be on Bourbon. We are not going to pick up our car until we leave NO, so would like to be within walking distance to sights. Also would love restaurant recommendations. Anything to do in Jackson, MS? Thinking about spending a night there to make halfway between NO and Memphis. Things to do in St. Louis and Kansas City? I know it make seem like a weird trip, but in our quest to hit all 50 states, this gives us several more! Thanks so much in advance for your help.

I like Pyrtania Park Hotel which is a very very small hotel similar to a B&B a block off St. Charles which is not walking distance to the FQ. But the St. Charles Streetcar will take you right there for $1.25. There are B&B's in Marigny near Esplanade but I can't recommend any personally. There are a few in the FQ also. Hotel Provinical is another very small hotel in the FQ away from all the noise and traffic you might like I think you would like PPH and they also have two other properties that you could look at.

Pyrtania Park Hotel @ 1525 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 524 - 0427.
http://www.prytaniaparkhotel.com/
Hotel Provincial @ 1024 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 581 - 4995.
http://www.hotelprovincial.com/

What kind of food are you interested in. Are you looking for country, casual, seafood, fine dining or what.

I would not go through Jackson, MS if I were you. I would go to Baton Rouge and up Highway 61 to Natchez, MS and spend a night at one of the many fine B&B's there. Monmouth Plantation is close to downtown and a favorite of mine. You could visit the many fine antebellum homes such as Dunleith, Stanton Hall and Longwood. From Natchez continue N on Highway 61 to Vicksburg, MS. You could stop near Alcorn to see the ruins of Windsor one of the famous MS antebellum homes that burned in the 1800's. Stop in Vicksburg to visit the National Military Park and the antebellum homes there. Anchuca is a nice B&B with a good restaurant if you prefer to stop in Vicksburg. From Vicksburg, MS I suggest that you travel to Greenwood, MS and spend the night at the outstanding 4 * Alluvian Hotel owned by Viking Range and dine at their fine restaurant Giardinia's or go to Lusco's just down the steet about 8 blocks.

Monmouth Plantation @ 36 Melrose Avenue, Natchez, MS 601 - 442 - 5852.
http://monmouthplantation.com/
Anchuca @ 1010 First East Street, Vicksburg, MS 601 - 661 - 0111.
http://www.anchucamansion.com/
Alluvian Hotel @ 318 Howard Street, Greenwood, MS 662 - 451 - 1500.
http://www.thealluvian.com/

From Greenwood, MS I would go N to Clarksdale, MS and have lunch at Ground Zero Blue's Club owned by Morgan Freeman. The Blue's Museum is down the street a block or so. After lunch head E to Oxford, MS and spend the night at 512 Van Buren a nice B&B a few blocks from the Square. Have dinner at John Currance's City Grocery. Visit William Faulkner's home and the University of Mississippi campus then head N through Holly Springs to Memphis, TN. HS has several nice antebellum homes to see if you drive around town a few minutes.

512 Van Buren @ 512 Van Buren Avenue, Oxford, MS 662 - 234 - 8043.
http://the512oxford.com/

I would spend 3 nights in NOLA, 1 in Natchez, 1 in Greenwood, 1 in Oxford and 2 in Memphis, TN. You can make it to St. Louis for a night or two and then go to KC. Memphis has a nice B&B in downtown near Beale Street called the Inn at Hunt Pheland or you could stay at the lovely Peabody Hotel. There's a lot to do around Downtown and Beale St. Memphis is famous for good BBQ so go ready to eat.

http://huntphelan.com/

See this link for my NOLA food experiences on a visit there earlier this year:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...experience.cfm

The capitol buildings in both Baton Rouge, LA and Jackson, MS are well worth seeing -- and for me the one in Baton Rouge is in my personal top three. There's about a day's worth of attractions in either city. For Baton Rouge, consider seeing both the old and new capitol buildings and the Louisiana State Museum, but note that Magnolia Mound Plantation may be closed for renovation at this time. In Jackson, seeing the old and new capitol buildings, Mississippi Museum of Art, and (from all reports I've seen, as I haven't been to this last) the Governor's Mansion would fill a day nicely.

For my food experiences on a trip to Memphis earlier this year, see this link:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...experience.cfm

and definitely get some BBQ while there.

Have you searched through this website and some good guidebooks for sights in St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and New Orleans? You'll find plenty of good info if you do.

New Orleans-we enjoyed a full 2 days looking at The Plantation homes just outside of NO on the river road(one day would be enough for most folks). Cafe Du Monde/French Market is interesting in NO. Commanders Palace, Mr. B's Bistro, Brennans.

I would swing by Nashville-maybe see The Hermitage House, maybe Country Music Hall of Fame or Grand Ole Opry. Eat at The Loveless Cafe and stop for popsicles at Las Paletas(avacado popsicle is awesome).

In Memphis, spend a half day at Elvis. See the ducks at the Peabody Hotel. Eat at Gus's Fried Chicken, Rendevouz, or Blues City Cafe. The Peabody has a great Sunday Brunch

We love to hike in Arkansas. Petit Jean State Park and around love near The Buffalo River(upper Buffalo area is best-near Ponca). Waterfalls should be fantastic at that time of year.

Several decent places to eat in Little Rock. Try Dam Goode Pies for pizza. See Clinton Library/Museum. Might consider Hot Springs Arkansas, if you like horse racing(going on in April is big there).

Of course, the Arch in St. Louis

For B&B, stay at The Nottoway Plantation.

http://www.photoworks.com/slideshow/...CS_003=4434164
click on above for a trip we took to NO in Oct.

For some unique Kansas City, Missouri activites, I recomend the Steamboat Arabia Museum, Negro Leagues & Jazz Museums and KC BBQ (perhaps LC's).

There are many good options in Kansas, depending on how far you want to go. Perhaps a short drive up to Leavenworth, the oldest community in the state. In addition to a driving tour of the Fort, I would stop at the Parker Carousel Museum.

The above suggestion to stay at Monmouth Plantation in Natchez is a very good one. We loved it there and loved having dinner in their dining room! Resevations are a must. Also agree with the suggestion for Vicksburg. Let me add to take the Natchez Trace Parkway to Nashville http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm

Thank you so much for all of these great recommendations! Littleman - we are up for any kind of food - it would be fun to get a taste of local flair. Wold not want more than 1 fine dining restaurant to make the budget stretch.
I like the alternate route idea. Sound like several of you recommend Natchez as a stop. Sounds like it has a lot of personality.

Researching for a trip is half the fun for me! I sent away for all the travel info but love getting the inside scoop on where the locals go.

Has anyone ever stayed here?
http://www.monroserow.com/
It got good reviews on tripadvisor.
I am thinking it would be a central location so no car would be needed. Also, if you know any good restaurants in this area - please let me know.
Another one I was looking at was called 5 Continents - but it appears to be a bit farther out.
Thank you.

Amere.....For local flair in NOLA go to Parkway Bakery for good NOLA style po boys or Central Grocery for muffaletta's. Johnny's Po Boys in the FQ is also great. In Natchez go to Biscuit's and Blue's for good comfort food. Go to Burger's and Blue's for comfort food, cold drinks and music in Jackosn, MS. Crystal Grill in Greenwood is good local flair comfort food. In Oxford, MS stop by Ajax on the Square for good southern comfort food.

In Memphis go to Gus' for world famous fried chicken downtown near the river. Have a great trip.

Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken @ 310 South Front St., Memphis, TN 901 - 527 - 4877.

Amere..I don't recommend you staying at Monrose Row. That's not a good area. You should not venture N of Rampart. The i 10 overpass is very close to this B&B and bad things happen late at night near that overpass.

Look at a B&B in the Marigny which is E of the FQ or even in the Garden District.

Monrose Row might get good reviews, but the area is decidedly not good even in daylight. No way I'd stay there.

I'd recommend staying in the French Quarter in an area bounded in a rectangle bounded by Canal, Bourbon, Ursuline, and Decatur Streets. The neighborhood goes downhill as you head above Bourbon and beyond Ursuline, and is awful by the time you've reached Rampart or beyond to the northwest.

The Faubourg Marigny is actually a bit of a hike from the FQ attractions and restaurants, and the area from all reports can be spotty. And while some of the Garden District can be fine, other parts can be dicey depending on which area you're in or how late at night it is. At least the GD is easily reached via streetcar from the FQ.

Littleman and Bachslunch - I can't thank you enough for your comments. I was really leaning towards that one! May I show you two more and see if you think the location is acceptable?
http://sites.google.com/site/cheznousguesthouse/
or
http://www.elysianfieldsinn.com/location.html
It looks like they are very close to each other. The one other one I found was http://www.fivecontinentsbnb.com/directions.html but it looks like the location would not be great for that one based on what you said about the I10 overpass.

Thank you also for the food suggestions. I can't wait to check out the menus.

Wow, I am absolutely blown away by Littleman's and Bachslunch's suggestions. Spirobulldog suggests interesting places to visit, but Nashville and the wonderful Petit Jean state park in Arkansas are way off your route.

You can't leave NO without a Muffaleta from Central Grocery. It is a cheap eat because it will feed two. I could not leave NO without eating fried oyster po' boy, but I wouldn't share. Po' boys north of the Mississippi state line are often toasted. Not to my taste. I think it is to hide the lousy bread.

In Mississippi, keep your eyes open for the local phenomenon known as "bait shop cafes", a combination fishing tackle shop and country cafe. Yes, they sell fish hooks and worms and crickets, but the food is likely to be chicken fried steak, green beans, collards, and corn bread with maybe some peach cobbler for dessert. Cheap and delicious.

In general, lunch in small town and cities is going to be better value than dinner and a lot better value than fast food.

Advice for Memphis is excellent but no one has mentioned Arthur Bryant's Barbecue in Kansas City.

Get some blues music for the trip, and you will have a fantastic time.

Thank you Ackislander! My BFF loves all things Southern since she is born and raised here, so I love the idea of the bait shop cafes!
I have seen alot mentioned about Central Grocery - sounds yummy.
Thank you for the Kansas City suggestion. It will be fun to see how the bbq differs from NC bbq.

Ackislander, you're entirely right about Arthur Bryant's in KC. It's been years since I was there, but I remember the food as staggeringly good. For other KC BBQ possibilities, I'd check out the Chowhound website for suggestions. Fiorella's Jack Stack and Oklahoma Joe's both get mentioned positively a lot over there, but haven't been, myself.

Amere, I say no way on Five Continents B&B -- bad location. Elysian Fields is in the Faubourg Marigny, which can be a spotty neighborhood, though I can't say about this specific location -- but note that this stretch of Esplanade Avenue between there and the better parts of the French Quarter can be dicey at night. You're really just better off not trying to finesse and cut corners and just stick to a decent part of the FQ here -- lodging location matters a good bit in NOLA.

Amere...I'm with Bachslunch. Skip Five Continents and Elysian Fields as well as Chez Nous. They are not in very good neighborhoods. OK in the daytime but not at night. Keep on looking and posts any questions you may have. We will help you with the better neighborhoods to stay in. Good luck.

Thank you for all the comments. It is looking like a B and B might just be completely out based on your comments. I can't seem to find one in the parameters you mentioned for safest area. Do you have any hotels you recommend until $200 and preferably a bit away from the craziness of Bourbon. Thanks!!

I stayed at the Hotel Provincial, which is on Chartres Street between St. Philip Street and Ursulines Avenue. It was not noisy.

Hotel Le Marais has been recently remodeled and gets good reviews. I second Provincial. Get a room with a balcony.
Iberville Suites is a small boutique hotel inside the Ritz Carlton. You might as well be a guest of the RC as you have full use of all their facilities and the rooms are identical. You enter from the back of the building on the ground floor on Iberville.

If you keep checking hotel websites for rooms on various dates and find the cheapest dates then that's when you need to go because nothing is going on in NOLA like conventions or festivals, etc.

Hotel Le Marais @ 717 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 525 - 2300.
http://www.hotellemarais.com/
Hotel Provincial @ 1024 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 504 - 581 - 4995.
http://www.hotelprovincial.com/
Iberville Suites Hotel @ 910 Iberville St., New Orleans, LA 866 - 229 - 4351.
http://www.ibervillesuites.com/