DISCOVER THE ROMANCE
OF A ROAD TRIP
There are so many wonderful reasons to embark on an American road trip, some quite realistic – it's one of the easiest, most-flexible ways to see and experience the country – and others quite romantic – just picture yourself out on the open road, perhaps with the car roof down, breezes rippling your hair, American music surging from the radio, and spectacular scenery, maybe something you have seen in a Hollywood film, rolling by on either side.
And where better to experience this adventure than in the 12 American Southern States that offer such an unrivalled array of scenic and cultural attractions?
Getting there is so easy: the region is served by 11 modern, multi-faceted international gateway airports. Each of them is not only a hub for flights to other appealing regional destinations but there are many ground transport options: rental cars, shuttle buses, trains and, sometimes, even longer-distance bus links.
You then have a choice: to settle down and relax for a few days in your gateway city and then continue on your travels, or to hop in a rental car or already-booked motorhome and head out immediately on a pre-determined itinerary.
But how do you decide where to go? Is it based upon one or more places you've always wanted to visit, a particular adventure or experience you have always wanted to have, or perhaps a legendary route you'd particularly like to travel along? Among the options: The Great River Road bordering six of the Southern states; the scenically-spectacular Blue Ridge Parkway, which soars 469 miles along the Appalachian mountaintops from Virginia's Shenandoah National Park to the North Carolina homeland of the eastern band of the Cherokee Native American Nation; or the attraction-rich section of Route 66 bisecting Missouri – or something else.
Not sure? Then check out the Trips section of Travel South's website:
travelsouthusa.com. Among its suggested road trip itineraries are Southern Movies on Location, Southern Culture and Cuisine, and such state-specific options as Small Towns and Country Roads through Louisiana and Arkansas and Barbecue and Blues from Missouri to Kentucky.
Whichever way you decide to travel, distances are not always as daunting as you might think. For instance, if you wanted to include key destinations in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana, you could fly to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International, spend a few days in Atlanta, the South's largest city, and then drive two hours to Alabama's Birmingham, a key spot on the Civil Rights Trail, as is Montgomery, another 1.5-hour drive away. Or instead, you could head 1.5 hours from Atlanta to Huntsville, Alabama, known for its Space Age attractions or 2.5 hours from Montgomery to the charming waterside city of Mobile, Alabama. It, in turn, is a couple of hours' drive from New Orleans, whereas Huntsville is only a two-hour drive to Nashville. (Both Nashville and New Orleans are also served by international gateway airports.)
Once your itinerary is decided, you could soon be on your way, choosing with the aid of your GPS between a fast, efficient interstate highway or a quieter highway, or even a tempting rural road that might lead to a delightful, off-the-beaten-track destination. Particularly on – or just-off – the motorways there are tourist information stops, moderately priced, family-friendly motels and diners and restaurants that sometimes focus just on standard fast food but at other times dish up delicious local specialities.
However, if your scheduling is more relaxed you should slip away from the motorways and sample the accommodation and cuisine in one or more of the interesting cities or charming small towns along the way, noting that there's often a local tourist office that can provide guidance on accommodations, dining and the place's attractions, particularly useful during the busy holiday and school-break periods.
That's not to forget other transport options. If you arrange to collect a motorhome upon arrival, there are many RV parks along the way, sometimes within or close to recreation-rich national and state parks. And there is also train and bus travel. For instance, northern Virginia's Washington Dulles International Airport not only offers links to Amtrak rail service and rail tours to certain Virginia destinations but also the twice-daily Virginia Breeze bus service along three different routes. In fact, many large and smaller cities throughout the region are served by the Amtrak rail network and, late in 2023, a long-awaited, twice-daily rail service was launched linking up those two great tourist cities New Orleans and Mobile, even as St. Louis and Kansas City are linked by the Missouri River Runner rail service.
There is also a wide range of all-inclusive tours, which are best booked before you leave for the USA, as well as trolley, bus, boat and rail excursions you can book upon arrival and, of course, fabulous paddleboat trips down the Mississippi River. And that's not to ignore options for hikers and bikers which are covered in the Outdoor Adventures section of this publication.
To add some other road trip suggestions to this feature, we asked three of our writers to describe their personally created motoring adventures. We follow on with Jacqui Agate's A Southern Literary Pilgrimage and Mary Moore Mason's Exploring the Great River Road By Auto and Riverboat. Look for Zoey Goto's On The Road With Elvis and Dolly in the Magical Music section of this publication.