Looking for recommendations re: Southern road trip

GrateEggspectations

I’m a Canadian who is fairly well-acquainted with the Eastern coast of the U.S. However, I am much less familiar with the U.S.’s West coast and the South.

My wife and I have 9 days off in the coming weeks and had been thinking about a road trip without children. Cities we were considering visiting are Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta (which I traveled to on business last year but didn’t get to visit). We are willing to spend time in one, or to try to visit several, though we recognize this could be tough on a tight schedule.

We generally enjoy good food (and are very adventurous eaters) - not high end restaurants, but quality food in any atmosphere, bars, restaurants and music (as we are both musicians). 

Can anyone please give us a sense of which cities we should be putting in our sights, as well as which attractions and restaurants to visit within those cities?

We’d especially appreciate those recommendations for places off the beaten path - those gems that are frequented by locals but may not be known amongst the tourists. 

Many thanks y’all!

FanOfFanboys

Charleston SC has a great food scene and it'll include probably be different than the other places you've traveled to 

GrateEggspectations

FanOfFanboys said:

Charleston SC has a great food scene and it'll include probably be different than the other places you've traveled to 

Thanks for the suggestion. Have done Charleston on a few occasions, including with my wife a few years ago. Great city! We had a fun and unexpected night in a slushie bar we happened upon.

DoubleEgger

I’d leave out Birmingham for sure and Memphis more than likely. I’d substitute Charleston and Asheville. 

Edit: Check out Savannah and St Augustine since you’ve been to Charleston. 

DoubleEgger

For Atlanta, do your research on restaurants on Buford Highway since you are adventurous. 

FanOfFanboys

DoubleEgger said:

I’d leave out Birmingham for sure and Memphis more than likely. I’d substitute Charleston and Asheville. 

Edit: Check out Savannah and St Augustine since you’ve been to Charleston. 

if into beer then Asheville is a great suggestion!

JohnInCarolina

Another vote for Asheville from me.  For beer and food, it's hard to beat. 

There is a pretty good music scene there too if you time it right, but you need to check out what's playing at some of the local venues in advance.  

Killit_and_Grillit

Nashville, Asheville, Charleston, ....If you’re going way south New Orleans is always a crowd pleaser. 

Id skip Atlanta and Memphis. ATL is just an overgrown city IMO. I loathe going to or through. And Memphis is pretty funky. Some cool things to see but most of it is either touristy or poverty. 

I would do Savannah over either of them. 

GrillSgt

Start in New Orleans, head east along gulf coast, then north thru Alabama. West to Mississippi and back down to NO. Skip Atlanta and Nashville. While both have some very good restaurants I don’t think that’s what your looking for. If I get time tonight I’ll post some names. Sounds like a great trip. 

GrillSgt

Are you driving from Ca? If so my trip wouldn’t be user friendly. 

GrateEggspectations

GrillSgt said:

Are you driving from Ca? If so my trip wouldn’t be user friendly. 

Yes, from Ottawa, Ontario - Canada’s national capital. That being said, New Orleans is getting on the far side - 23 hrs. 

GrillSgt

Put Asheville and Raleigh on your itinerary. 

FanOfFanboys

GrillSgt said:

Put Asheville and Raleigh on your itinerary. 

I spent a long weekend in Raleigh a few weeks ago. Had a great time

EGGjlmh

If you enjoy music you absolutely must go to nashville and listen to all the live bands on broadway street. Many of these bands are literally better than some of the big names in country music. I would recommend doing this on a sunday night. Sundays are the slow days but it will still be wall to wall people in all the bars. Acme feed store is a good sushi spot at the end of broadway street

Markarm4119

I recommend a Nashville to Asheville trip or vice versa, and going through Knoxville and go to eateries on Market Square.
All 3 have some good music and grub.
Relocated to Atlanta from Knoxville and would recommend skipping it, the traffic is not worth a good meal or two.

theyolksonyou

There’s a lot to do from Nashville to Atlanta. Chattanooga doesn’t get enough attention.  Growing food scene and lots of history.  

theyolksonyou

Also, if you’re on I75 and you want a tripe or tongue taco, give me a shout. I can tell you where to stop. 

bucky925

JohnInCarolina said:

Another vote for Asheville from me.  For beer and food, it's hard to beat. 

There is a pretty good music scene there too if you time it right, but you need to check out what's playing at some of the local venues in advance.  

I agree!   And they are very good with smoking things  

TN_Egger

Y'all come down and enjoy some Southern Hospitality.  Here's your 9 day itinerary:
1)  Nashville - hit Broadway for some great music, bars, and food.
2) Chattanooga - stay downtown, hit up the Sunday afternoon farmer's market, and walk across the river to North Chattanooga
3) Asheville - enjoy a craft brew and take in the brisk mtn air at the peak of leaf-changing-season.
Atlanta's overrated - too much traffic and too many yankees.  B-ham, Memphis...meh.

GrateEggspectations

Thanks guys and/or gals. Very likely to do Nashville/Chattanooga/Asheville on the basis of your recommendations. If ever you have specific spots to suggest, please speak up! Thanks!

Acn

How do you and your wife generally prefer to travel?  Immerse yourself in one or two locations, or do a more surface visit to several locations?  

Given that you’re musicians, I’d say that Nashville should be a priority.  It looks likes Ottowa to Nashville is about 15 1/2 hours - if that is feasible, I’d go straight there.  

Others can please chime in, but I have read that Knoxville, TN is an up and coming location, that would be on the way between Nashville and Asheville, which would be the other place I’d want to spend several days.  Knoxville also lets you visit one of the SE’s large university towns (I know Vandy is in Nashville, but it isn’t a university town like Knoxville/Athens/Tuscaloosa/etc), which I think is something fairly unique to the area.

I’d spend several days in nashville and several days in Asheville/the Smokies.  I think that gives you the most bang for your buck - if you can do a 15 hour drive in a day, you could do something like this:
Day 1, drive Ottawa to Nashville
Days 2-4 in Nashville
Day 5, drive Nashville to Knoxville, spend day in Knoxville.
Days 6-8 in Asheville/the Smokies - also for you I’d highly recommend the Blue Ridge Music Center
Day 9 drive Asheville to Ottawa.

mEGG_My_Day

If you do end up in Nashville, check to see who is playing at the Ryman.  If you are even remotely interested, GO. That venue has a most amazing music history - just about everyone has played there.  Not just country.  Heck, I’ve seen The Monkeys there. I’ve seen Roger Daultry (The Who) there.  I get chills every time I am there. 

DoubleEgger

GrateEggspectations said:

Thanks guys and/or gals. Very likely to do Nashville/Chattanooga/Asheville on the basis of your recommendations. If ever you have specific spots to suggest, please speak up! Thanks!

I recommend Fall Creek Falls State Park. 

https://tnstateparks.com/parks/fall-creek-falls

DoubleEgger

Also a sunset dinner or drinks on the porch at Grove Park Inn in Asheville is a must. 

TideEggHead

Sounds like a fun trip! Like others have said I'd skip Atlanta and Birmingham. It sounds like you're not wanting to come much further south than Tennessee; otherwise, Savannah and St. Augustine are good choices like Double said. If you're itching to say you have been to Alabama you can stop by Big Bob Gibsons in Decatur for some bbq and Alabama white sauce which has been discussed on the forum recently. Above all, eat some good food and post some pictures!

johnnyp

New Orleans is worth a trip the weekend of Oct 20th.

northGAcock

Speaking for the Carolina's....let me say that our strength is our beaches. That said, some of the coast has been recently destroyed. With that and based on your timing....I would have to suggest that you perhaps hit the northern starting point of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Take the leisurely drive through the winding mountains of Virginia and North Carolina. There are some great lodging destinations along the way. You could catch the start up in Waynesboro Virginia and end up in Asheville (actually south of there in Cherokee. It is a beautiful time of year to make this drive with the changing foliage. Great places to stop for the evening / dinning like Little Switzerland, Blowing Rock and Asheville. You would find this to be a very relaxing week. Happy to give you some points of interest and lodging / dinning recommendations if helpful.

Webass

Asheville would be my recommendation also.  Lot's of good restaurants and breweries.  If you go be sure and do Sierra Nevada brewery.  Take the Heritage Tour with lots of beer tasting included.  Their restaurant is outstanding and the grounds beautiful.

https://www.sierranevada.com/brewery/north-carolina/brewery-tour

And, if you're going to Asheville, you've got to take the tour of the Biltmore Estate .  It's amazing! 

https://www.biltmore.com/landing/2018-fall?cid=ppc:brand:bing:seg-2brand:brand-biltmore&c  

Photo Egg

When you say No Children and "We generally enjoy good food (and are very adventurous eaters) - not high end restaurants, but quality food in any atmosphere, bars, restaurants and music (as we are both musicians)."

I say shoot for New Orleans. Especially now that the heat is easing up.
Take advantage of Adult travel and do something that would be hard to do traveling with the kids.

JethroVA

Skip Atlanta and Memphis.  And I second northGAcock's suggestion of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  

buzd504

Photo Egg said:

I say shoot for New Orleans. Especially now that the heat is easing up.

According to whom?