AN63093
63093
Jr. Member
Posts: 871
Political Matrix
E: 0.06, S: 2.17
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« on: June 21, 2019, 09:57:15 AM » |
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« edited: June 21, 2019, 10:08:52 AM by AN63093 »
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Ernest has the right idea- I would first figure out if you can fly out of a different city, or add a short flight back to Orlando. If you have to drive back to Orlando, that is going to limit your options considerably and you'll end up spending more time on the road than you will actually seeing stuff. The South is not like New England- you just can't get from one side to another in an afternoon. If this isn't something that can be changed, it might be worth just sticking to FL or going maybe as far as Savannah.
If you can get more flexible flights, then there are basically 3 "routes" in the South that are worth seeing. With a week, you're only going to have time to do one.
1. Gulf Coast route. You would go west from FL, tracking mainly I-10, and then finish somewhere in TX (perhaps Dallas, as you mentioned). The best places to see would be Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and then add a beach town of your choice (Galveston, Biloxi, Panama City etc). I wouldn't add more than 1 because they are all fairly interchangeable and a place like NOLA is worth more than just a night/hotel stop.
2. Interior South route. You would go up I-75 into GA, do Atlanta, then make your way up to the Appalachians and then you have a choice of mountain sights (Asheville, Smokies, Blue Ridge Parkway, Boone, Gatlinburg etc), and then head west and end in Nashville. Of those, Asheville is probably the one you're gonna get recommended to go to the most (and it is worth seeing). Probably don't have enough time to add Memphis once you head west.
3. Coastal South route. Basically you would track I-95 north. Savannah, Charleston, Raleigh-Durham, and then you have a choice (not gonna be enough time to do both), you could continue north and do central VA (Richmond, Charlottesville) and maybe even touch some of Northern VA and DC. This could be convenient for flying out since Dulles is a large hub. The second option, if you want to do beach stuff, is head east once you're north of Raleigh and do coastal VA/NC- here you would do the Outer Banks (some of the best beaches in the US IMO and possibly my favorite place on the East Coast) and then maybe Williamsburg/Jamestown. Not really worth seeing VA Beach if you're gonna do the Outer Banks (though you'll drive through the area and I could recommend places to stop for lunch etc).
These are the big 3 routes to see most of the South.. there's lots of other things that are worth seeing in the South, but you just don't have enough time with only a week. For example, to route 2 (interior South), you could continue up and do KY, you could circle back down and do northern AL and Chattanooga or go west to Memphis. With route 3 (coastal), you could easily add a few days in the DC area or you could go up from VA Beach across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (one of my favorite bridges in the country) and then do eastern shore MD, maybe end in Annapolis or Baltimore. Route 1 (Gulf Coast) you could add San Antonio and/or Austin once you got to TX- both are worth more than a day.
I would suggest first figuring out what types of things you want to do. If you love the beach, I would suggest Route 3, because I think the Outer Banks are superior to the Gulf Coast, though I'm sure some Gulf Coast people will tell you otherwise, LOL. If you love mountain stuff, then obviously you have to do route 2. If you wanna party and get sh-tfaced, then the natural choice is New Orleans and route 1.
Would be happy to answer questions and offer further suggestions.
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