Where to stop, Nashville -> Savannah?
 

I'm going to Savannah the first week of March with a couple of friends (~30 women, no kids). We'll probably do the drive back in one day, but are thinking about leaving after work and getting to Atlanta-ish on the way down. I know at least one area in Atlanta that we can stay in (I have family there), but it would be nice to get *through* Atlanta and avoid rush hour traffic the next morning. Any recommendations on suburbs or towns that are safe to stay in? We wouldn't be getting to Atlanta till 11pm, maybe, so all we really need is someone to sleep and grab breakfast!

Any suggestions?

I would stop in Morrow, GA. There are some nice hotels around Exit 233 off I 75.

That does look like it would work - not so far out of Atlanta that we'd get there at 1am, but definitely on the other side to avoid rush hour traffic. Thank you, Littleman!

Another option would be to get one of the airport area hotels on Hotwire. You can get really great deals on nice hotels. I got the Hilton Garden Inn for about $65. Use www.betterbidding.com for the Hotwire hotel list and an idea on which hotel you may get. You won't have any trouble with traffic as you head south.

If you stay in Morrow, drive by (or stop) at one of the specialized Chick-Fil-As.
http://truettsgrill.com/

You may see some of Truett Cathy's antique cars parked around the restaurant.

A fun short detour the next morning -
If y'all liked the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, you could take a short detour to Juliette, GA. You'd be there too early to eat at the Whistle Stop Cafe for lunch, but you may enjoy driving to the little town that served as the set for the movie.
http://www.thewhistlestopcafe.com/di...-stop-cafe.php

Starrs! Those Chick-Fil-As! Oh goodness. That will definitely have to be on our road trip list! I am a big Chick-Fil-A fan. That's a great tip about Juliette - that could be a good lunch stop for us when we come back on Sunday. I'll talk it over with the girls!

Is the airport area pretty safe? For some reason I thought I'd read where someone had said it was not, but maybe I'm mixing that up with another city. Not that we'll be out and about much once we check in at midnight...

If Callaway Gardens fits into your plans, it is worth considering: http://www.callawaygardens.com

HTTY

If you want to bypass Atlanta, You might like to consider going by the way of Helen, Ga and stopping for the night there. It might be a little longer, but more scenic and the traffic is definitely less than Atlanta.

The other option is to stop in Dawsonville, an hour north of Atlanta and stay at a lodge in the state park of Amicalola before continuing on to Savannah. It's great for big parties like your group. Check it out at
http://amicalolafalls.com/

If you are going to Savannah for St Patrick's Day, check out following:
http://mvmaithai.blogspot.com/2010/0...h-georgia.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ks.html?cat=16

ATL airport area is not a nice area for walking around. Pretty much hotels and the airport. However, if all you are doing is sleeping, it is fine. Just bid for a 4* hotel.
You would then just face the edge of traffic getting out of town. Of course, I'm assuming you are talking about the second day being a weekday. If you are leaving work on a Friday, then Saturday traffic is nothing.

The Morrow suggestion would put you against the flow of traffic the next morning. I personally prefer the next exit south - 231--slightly newer motels than exit 233 and less local traffic around the Interstate in the a.m. I find the traffic at exit 233 can be messy because of a railroad track and several traffic lights and a mall close together.

Another "unusual" place along the route home is Buckner's Restaurant. www.bucknersfamilyrestaurant.com/
Only open Thursday-Sunday, they serve Southern food (fried chicken, green beans, peach cobbler, etc.) family style--fill up a table with one or many parties, load trays of food on the lazy susan, and keep bringing it until you are full. It isn't gourmet, but it is fun and has always been good quality when I have been. It has probably been 3 years since I visited, but it didn't seem any different then than 3 years before. It is right at I-75 exit 201 by the Flying J truck stop. Love the address on Bucksnort Road.

Thank you so much, everyone! Those are fantastic suggestions. We really don't have a large group - just three of us. mvmaithai, we're actually hoping *not* to hit the St. Patrick's craziness - we're none of us really into huge crowds and green beer :), though if we catch some spectacles we'll definitely enjoy it. We're only going for an extended weekend, and we're locked into these dates because of school calendars.

HTTY - I've heard Callaway is gorgeous. Unfortunately I don't think we'll have time for the detour this trip, but I may have to check that out in the future!

And Kay2, yes, the second day will be a Thursday - if we leave after work, we'll leave Wednesday night, drive the rest of the way Thursday, have Thursday night/Friday/Saturday in Savannah and then do the whole drive back on Sunday. So I'm not too worried about traffic going back. That restaurant sounds great too - I'll definitely add it to my list. And thanks for the hotel tips!

(In Tennessee, I-40 exit 152 is for the town of Bucksnort. That name just makes you giggle every time.)

Oh, mvmaithai, I just realized why you thought we had a large group! We're all three around 30 in age - there aren't 30 of us. :) Sorry for the confusion!

#1 - Please do not go to Helen.
#2 - Helen as a stop from Nashville to Savannah would be driving at least 2 hours out of the way. Heading south out of Helen would be taking you through the worst traffic in Atlanta.

"The other option is to stop in Dawsonville, an hour north of Atlanta and stay at a lodge in the state park of Amicalola before continuing on to Savannah. It's great for big parties like your group."

"Amicalola" = Dawsonville???? Huh?
3 people.

I LOVE the N GA mountains, but those destinations just don't make sense for a drive from Nashville to Savannah. There ARE some "mountain" destinations accessible from 75, but definitely not the Helen/ Dawsonville area.

Re airport hotels - There's not much walking around to do with most airport hotels. They are scattered around the perimeter of the airport but really nothing much to walk TO or FROM. But, no, I would not walk around most of the airport hotels.

But, you are getting in late and you'd probably be eating dinner before you get close to Atlanta. If you were getting in earlier, there are some nice/good/reasonable/safe options that didn't exist 5 years ago in College Park. There's been a lot of change (positive change) but no, I'd not walk around most airport hotels. There's no reason to.

Thanks, starrs! I wasn't planning on doing much walking around the hotel - just didn't want to stay anywhere where our car stands a good chance of getting broken into, or anything like that. And don't worry; we plan to stick pretty close to I-75. It's a long enough drive in a short time without making major detours.

You'll be fine. No car break ins. I recommended the area because you can get some great deals on Hotwire. You can go further south and stay in the Morrow area as previously mentioned.

Take a look at the list of Hotwire hotels and their costs.
The Hilton Garden Inn that I stayed at the last time was $48 for someone on this list.
http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showforum=80&

Above that under Important Topics is the list of Hotwire hotels.
http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=641&

Personally, I'd be fine with any of the 3star and up hotels. With Hotwire you can specify the number of people. Priceline rooms are only for two people - and that means they may be sharing one small (double/full) bed.

I loved the Hilton Garden Inn and the Embassy Suites is nearby. Co-workers stay there all the time. I like the Hyatt Place too. You can pretty much guess which hotel you will get based on the amentities, but you aren't sure until your transaction is completed.

I never bid on anything recommended less than 80% of the time by previous customers. You can be sure that anything that is 90% and up is going to be a very nice hotel experience.

Thanks for the links! I've used Hotwire several times in Chicago with pretty good luck (betterbidding.com is so helpful!). There's a 3* for under $60 right now (95% recommended), but I need to check with the other girls first to make absolutely sure we want to leave Wednesday night. I've got an email out!

jent, I don't know what time you want to get to Savannah, but you could consider stopping in Dalton, GA or Calhoun, GA, or Marietta, GA instead of staying up late and driving through Atlanta. Now, of course, you will want to wait until after 8 a.m. to leave Dalton in order to miss Atlanta traffic. From Dalton to Savannah is about 5 1/2 hours. From Nashville to Dalton is three ish hours.