Road trip March from Atlanta
 

Hi all. Newbie here!
Live in UK mostly but have home on Fort Myers Beach Fl too! (Lucky, I know, but hard earned!)
Husband & I want to fly into Atlanta mid March, hire car and have some lovely scenic drives, we hope, and visit Menphis, New Orleans and a few other places (suggestions welcome) before heading down the west coast of Florida for 1st April.

Would love nice road trip suggestions please. In our 60's.

Thanks guys!

Do you intend to return the rental car where you rented it or do you have a deal with no drop off charges?
Do you have a US (Florida) drivers license and insurance?
Unless there is really something in Atlanta you want to see, why not fly to Memphis, see Memphis and then rent a car there or take the train (City of New Orleans) to New Orleans and rent there after seeing NO.

Yes, have our own car in Florida but it will be staying there! So have ins, but will be hiring a car up there and dropping back at Fort Myers. O/H doesn't really want to do my Elvis thing... But I've gotta to it the once! So we could fly into Atlanta or Charlotte and do the road trip!

Are you UK residents? Assuming so, forget about tom's warnings about drop off fees and licenses.

There are rental car brokers that offer foreign visitors much better deals (including unlimited mileage, all insurance, and no drop off fees) than Americans can get at home. Just like we get better, all-in deals when we hire in the UK.

I understand flying into Atlanta - much more choice of flights.

Yes Janisj, we are UK residents. But it seems that it is only Florida that waiver the one way drop off charge. TBH we were going to do a cruise for 8-10 days but now realise that it is spring break !!!!!!
We rent out our place till April 1st so we were trying to do some travel a little earlier as Easter is so early next year and our airfares go right up on the 1st.

I'm sure you've checked fares to Memphis? I have been surprised that folks from Australia (I KNOW you aren't!) get good fares to that city.
I'd suggest a fantastic dinner in Birmingham at Frank Stitt's Highlands Grill, although he also has other venues.
I'd probably spend more time in the Louisiana portion of that time--and not just NOLA, but certainly there also.
And if you read here you'd know I am a huge fan of the beautiful Civil Rights memorial in Montgomery at the Southern Poverty Law Center designed by Maya Lin. It doesn't take long--it WILL impress.

Thanks Gretchen. I haven't actually done any fare checkin as yet, as was looking at cruising until yesterday morning!

Problem is that there is not a good, fast hiway between Atlanta and Memphis. So if you go through Birmingham, take US78 northwest toward Memphis and stop at Tupelo, MS, to tour Elvis' boyhood home.

Memphis also has a nice Civil Rights museum at the former Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated. If you're into music, do the Sun Records Studio tour. Then you can drive south along the Mississippi, stopping along the way--Vicksburg, Natchez are nice, then cut over to St. Francisville and down to New Orleans ("NOLA").

Alternatively, (and depending on your interests, you could cut across northern Alabama to Huntsville, Decatur, Florence, Alabama.

You could also pick up the Natchez Trace Parkway at or before Tupelo, MS and take it down to Natchez. It's quite scenic and no commercial traffic which is a blessing.

Plan to spend at least three full days in NOLA. Then drive east along the Panhandle. Bellingrath Gardens west of Mobile is worth at least a half day, IMO, then take US 90 or 98 across the Panhandle. Interesting stuff in Mobile, Pensacola, nice beaches from Destin east. . . Not terribly scenic but . . .

But everything depends on your interests. If we knew what they were, we could help better.

Right now decided on a hire car! Our own insurance so has to make things easier and cheaper. Can't do that in the UK!
Flying into Orlando early evening, direct flight on 22nd March and heading straight out and north. Will start looking for accommodation soon.
Chattanooga has lovely waterfall & railway trip apparently! 1 night.
Nashville, need to sightsee more than music....that'll have to come in with whatever we can fit in. 2 nights.
Memphis, Gracelands and whatever else you suggest, again sightseeing really with an odd stop off. 2 nights.
New Orleans.....will we have time? What about other things that we need to see on the way?
Need to be on Fort Myers Beach 31st March/1st April.

The drive from Orlando to Chattanooga, then Nashville and Memphis and back to Fort Myers Beach via Birmingham is about 28 hours total.

If you eliminate Birmingham and add New Orleans, it's 30 hours of driving total.

So either way, it's about the same time spent in the car. The question is whether you have enough nights to do any justice to New Orleans.

You won't make it far the first evening. As it stands, you could plan on Chattanooga the night of the 23rd, Nashville the 24th and 25th, Memphis the 26th and 27th. That leaves you the 28th - 30th for one more city plus driving.

It is about 6 hours from Memphis to New Orleans, and 12 hours from New Orleans to Fort Myers Beach. If you chose to visit New Orleans, its definitely doable but you'd end your trip with a long drive (probably best to break it up into 2 days and arrive in Fort Myers Beach on the 1st).

Those drive times are based on the fastest most direct route. If you want to meander and take some slower, more scenic drives you are probably better off skipping New Orleans.

I would definitely fly into Memphis and start there. You may have to fly into Atlanta on Delta from LHR and change there. You used to be able to fly UK to Minneapolis, then Memphis, but I don't know if this route is still available.

Look at getting your car off airport, but definitely use a UK car hire. It will be cheaper, and you can almost certainly leave it at RSW or MIA without penalty.

I don't think you can do this trip in any useful way from Orlando in the time you have available. Otherwise, Memphis-NO-Mobile-Birmingham-Chattanooga-Ft Myers.

Thank you so much "Wherearewe" what a good suggestion. Maybe NO is out this coming trip then! But the others are doable !
We can do FMB fir the 1st April.
Ackislander, no, only free one way drop off is Pick up and drop off anywhere in Fl! No exceptions I'm afraid! Hence flying into Orlando. Even on UK rental sites.

Thanks everyone. Merry Christmas!

Have you considered flying into FT. Myers and taking your own car?

Yes Gretchen. Will put far to many miles on our car.

Not sure I understand--is it not road worthy? This is probably about 3000 miles. You don't drive this car much of the year. A standard usage in America is about 10,000 miles per year. Just a thought. Are you trying to preserve for re-sale?