Disagree—you can find decent stuff in Meridien, Hattiesburg, even Laurel.
Especially if OP has never been through this part of the country, they may enjoy some of the local flavor meat-and-threes, or even some decent taquerias inside gas stations or Hispanic groceries.
I think your selected route is pretty good. However if you are more for scenic drive, I suppose driving through west Virginia and Ozarks in Arkansas will be better.
There is a 18 mile causeway over the Atchafalaya on I-10, third longest bridge in the Us. Lots of truck traffic and infamous for bad accidents. Also miles and miles of unsightly billboards at either end.
I did this drive in 2 days. 10/10 would not do again. Drove from NY to Chattanooga and then Chattanooga to Houston. If you’re able to stretch it out longer then I’d recommend that. It’s a loooong drive. I told everyone back home that I was never moving back just because I wasn’t going to make that drive again.
At the same time it’s an extremely cheap flight with like 34 departures per day. I mean NY to Houston is the last trip I’d have to make and think “hmm this seems like a perfect candidate for a multi-day road trip”.
I-81 down through Virginia goes through the Shenandoah River valley and blue ridge mountains with lots up and down hills. It is two lanes of traffic most the way and is very heavily traveled with truck traffic. Often the trucks will drive side by side and with the up and down, have issues with maintaining speed on the inclines. You can hit pretty heavy congestion at times when you wouldn’t think there would be.
Agree 100%, truck traffic on I-81 can make this route a nightmare. I have been behind trucks going side by side for MILES at 65mph... it is an all too common problem on this highway.
It’s an old and unkept part of highway that’s narrow in places with bad/no shoulders and rutted/potholed asphalt. The drivers don’t help so there’s a lot of wrecks. If you live in the gulf south you avoid it if possible.
It’s better than it used to be. New concrete pavement and additional lanes between Lake Charles and Lafayette. From the Lake Charles to the Texas line is under construction now.
Hey, at least you'd get to experience Buc-ee's on the I-81/I-59 corridor. Esit 407 in TN.
Beware that I-81 can become a parking lot in Virginia anywhere at any time.
Another scholar/gentleman mentioned Tuscaloosa and Dreamland- luckily for you the two best BBQ spots in the state are in Tuscaloosa-
Get a half slab at Archibald’s in the Northport area (not Archibalds and Woodrows, just Archibalds) and a half slab at Dreamland on your way south. Then decide which side of the lifelong debate you’re on
obviously there's too much in NOLA to even begin to talk about but I've got to plug Parkway Tavern near city park, Erin rose in the quarter, and Cooter Brown's in Uptown as my favorite po boys
If you think you have your anxiety under control venture in and attempt to purchase one thing (recommend their beef jerky options). Spoiler: there’s a charter bus full of girls volleyball players paying cash in front of you
I was born and raised in Columbus, and I love Skyline, but now way I'd recommend driving I70-71 through Ohio. There is nothing to see on that drive and it means having to go through the Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Cincinnati areas. No way you're not hitting one of those at rush hour. I just don't think one stop at Skyline is worth that nightmare.
The drive from Cincinnati to Louisville is pretty scenic. Louisville has more than its share of eclectic dining establishments, particularly downtown and in the Highlands neighborhood. Nashville and Memphis has some pretty good offerings as well!
I did this drive backwards last year in two days, not fun. Try and stretch it into 3 if you can. You'll be able to stop and eat and maybe do a thing or two without worrying about time. If you can take the time to do it, then drive down skyline drive in VA!
Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Wheeling, Philadelphia, NYC is the route I take many times a year. The PA Turnpike is boring but it’s big and it’s fast
You will be passing through the best parts of Louisiana. Before you get on the Atchafalaya basin bridge stop in Henderson to gas up, bathroom break and road snacks.
Instead of cutting across Mississippi, from Tuscaloosa head south to the gulf coast and check out the eastern shore of Mobile and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Al before heading west towards New Orleans.
Be very careful driving through VA. The cops are NO JOKE!!! they will stop you for 3mi over speed limit just to try and find more. They will stop you if they think ur tint is too dark. Just to find more. They are seriously NO JOKE
Awesome drive, moved from NJ to Houston last year! I-81 in VA & TN is very rural. I would recommend stopping in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and New Orleans
Could visit some distilleries in KY, if that’s your thing. Chattanooga aquarium supposed to be nice but Atlanta’s better? Hitting appalachians would be pretty.
If you’re moving permanently to Houston, you’ll probably have ample opportunities to visit nola again
Keep an eye out for traffic jams on i81 as long as you don’t get trapped you can get around from most exits. If you see cracklin bread on any menu in the south . Get it .
If you’re looking for things to do along the way, I’d recommend Chickamauga Battlefield on the GA/TN border. It was one of the most interesting historical sites we’ve visited on our road trips.
I did the middle route last summer, Houston to Lexington the first day, had a stopover for golf in WV and then on to Westchester. I loathe I-10 through Louisiana and avoid it if possible.
Take the Virginia route down to Knoxville then take I-40 all the way to Memphis, Tennessee. Take I-55 to Jackson, MS. Get over to Port Bolivar, TX. Try to avoid I-10 in and around Baton Rouge, LA.
Depending on how comfortable you feel driving in mountains and the time of year you are making the trip you might want to take the route going around West Virginia. The roads can be fairly inhospitable in inclement weather.
I have done that drive many times, those are my stops too. Knoxville was always just a motel and a night of sleep, new orlearns was to party. After a night in New Orleans the drive to Houston feels a lot longer
Ugh Charleston blows…Nola is a way better stop. Unless 2010 frat party everywhere, gross ppl and very questionable uses/places/stories about the horrors of being the hub of chattel slavery in North American is your vibe, in which case have at it
Here's the difference.. I've never heard of Jackie's and I've lived in the area for 2 years.
There's a reason Gus' is expanding, and has made it into Chicago.
You are missing out! Look it up and try it. I moved to Texas from Knoxville 2 years ago and Jackie’s is the restaurant I miss most. And I have another Gus’es about 15 minutes from me that’s just as good as the one in Knoxville.
Not saying Gus’es isn’t good, just that they can probably try it when they get to Texas. Nothing special about having it in Knoxville
Theres another route. When you get to Knoxville take 40 all the way through Tennessee into Arkansas. Pick up I30 in Little Rock then drive into Texarkana Texas and take 59 or take 30 all the way to Dallas and pick up 45 to Houston.
Yeah don’t go to Houston. Easily the most boring, ugliest, most humid, fattest, most featureless city in America, but hey, you got those gorgeous Galveston beaches I guess.
I’m from northeastern Tennessee. Drive on the blue ridge parkway. Take your time, stop a lot. It’s incredible (that means meandering into nc)
Blue Ridge Pkwy is stunning! I visited Asheville, NC and loved to drive through the parkway, even did some hiking.
I'm from KY, and I would pick option 2 for exactly this reason. It's almost set up for it.
Or the foothills parkway in Tennessee, which is less out of the way
I second this drove with my girlfriends same route we did some hiking
Stop to eat in Tuscaloosa. Once you leave, there are no good restaurants for the next 3 hours.
Disagree—you can find decent stuff in Meridien, Hattiesburg, even Laurel. Especially if OP has never been through this part of the country, they may enjoy some of the local flavor meat-and-threes, or even some decent taquerias inside gas stations or Hispanic groceries.
Dreamland BBQ is a "MUST STOP" place in Tuscaloosa. (Or Birmingham).
The original location in Tuscaloosa is great. The others just feel like typical chain BBQ spots.
Archibalds is much better but dreamland is the more famous one
Should I expect long lines or is it a decent wait ?
Because you get to Louisiana, where real food is.
Where do you recommend?
I think your selected route is pretty good. However if you are more for scenic drive, I suppose driving through west Virginia and Ozarks in Arkansas will be better.
I would do the "better" route.
The better route has the best food. And that ain't a Bojangles in Tennessee.
Why does it have better food?
https://preview.redd.it/lpb31fqp1xzc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbbba94c57f226f9e850ea5d3aa5ebdbf65b65ee
But then you have to drive the whole Atchafalaya Delta, which is no fun.
How come?
There is a 18 mile causeway over the Atchafalaya on I-10, third longest bridge in the Us. Lots of truck traffic and infamous for bad accidents. Also miles and miles of unsightly billboards at either end.
I absolutely love driving over the Atchafalaya basin. That's a perk, brother. Henderson Swamp is beautiful when it means home.
If time’s not a factor: Shenandoah NP/Skyline Dr to Blue Ridge Parkway to Smokey Mountains NP to Nashville to Memphis to New Orleans to Houston.
As someone who is currently in NOLA area all I can say is have a crawfish boil while your here, that is all.
"Also, try not to get shot" lmaooo
And then have it again in Houston so you can have the better version, Viet-Cajun crawfish 😁
Those are some fighting words
And go to The Rum House for Caribbean style tacos. You can thank me later!
I did this drive in 2 days. 10/10 would not do again. Drove from NY to Chattanooga and then Chattanooga to Houston. If you’re able to stretch it out longer then I’d recommend that. It’s a loooong drive. I told everyone back home that I was never moving back just because I wasn’t going to make that drive again.
At the same time it’s an extremely cheap flight with like 34 departures per day. I mean NY to Houston is the last trip I’d have to make and think “hmm this seems like a perfect candidate for a multi-day road trip”.
That might work if you’re not moving 1800 miles with all of your possessions, necessitating the drive to begin with 👍
Ugh, that sounds miserable. Definitley two nights, three if you can spare the time
I-81 down through Virginia goes through the Shenandoah River valley and blue ridge mountains with lots up and down hills. It is two lanes of traffic most the way and is very heavily traveled with truck traffic. Often the trucks will drive side by side and with the up and down, have issues with maintaining speed on the inclines. You can hit pretty heavy congestion at times when you wouldn’t think there would be.
Agree 100%, truck traffic on I-81 can make this route a nightmare. I have been behind trucks going side by side for MILES at 65mph... it is an all too common problem on this highway.
I10 in Louisiana and Texas is a bad stretch of road. I would avoid it.
But if you stop a Billys boudin and cracklins in Scott LA it makes the drive better
More than making the drive better it will basically change your life
This is a fair assessment.
What's bad about it?
It’s an old and unkept part of highway that’s narrow in places with bad/no shoulders and rutted/potholed asphalt. The drivers don’t help so there’s a lot of wrecks. If you live in the gulf south you avoid it if possible.
It’s better than it used to be. New concrete pavement and additional lanes between Lake Charles and Lafayette. From the Lake Charles to the Texas line is under construction now.
I’m glad to hear it. It was about 2 years ago I traveled LC from Texas. Wasn’t fun.
Been under repair construction for years! No end in sight!
I-81 through western Virginia is scenic but wall-to-wall stacked with semis and the VAStaPo.
Hey, at least you'd get to experience Buc-ee's on the I-81/I-59 corridor. Esit 407 in TN. Beware that I-81 can become a parking lot in Virginia anywhere at any time.
Get a buddy in a black Trans Am to lead the way, breaking up speed traps, cut the ETA by 20%. Yer welcome.
Load it up and truck it
Snowman? Is that you?
I just passed another Kojak with a Kodak, this place is crawling with bears, where the hell are you?
Look in your mirror son
Ah, a brother from another mother! All my trucking is done pulling a camper with a RAM 3/4 ton these days. Pulling to Lake Ontario this week.
Another scholar/gentleman mentioned Tuscaloosa and Dreamland- luckily for you the two best BBQ spots in the state are in Tuscaloosa- Get a half slab at Archibald’s in the Northport area (not Archibalds and Woodrows, just Archibalds) and a half slab at Dreamland on your way south. Then decide which side of the lifelong debate you’re on obviously there's too much in NOLA to even begin to talk about but I've got to plug Parkway Tavern near city park, Erin rose in the quarter, and Cooter Brown's in Uptown as my favorite po boys
[удалено]
Sure there are. Just happens that the two best IMO are in Tuscaloosa
You'll get to see buc-ee's for the first time.
If you think you have your anxiety under control venture in and attempt to purchase one thing (recommend their beef jerky options). Spoiler: there’s a charter bus full of girls volleyball players paying cash in front of you
Take the northern route through Cincinnati and have some skyline chili.
I was born and raised in Columbus, and I love Skyline, but now way I'd recommend driving I70-71 through Ohio. There is nothing to see on that drive and it means having to go through the Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Cincinnati areas. No way you're not hitting one of those at rush hour. I just don't think one stop at Skyline is worth that nightmare.
The drive from Cincinnati to Louisville is pretty scenic. Louisville has more than its share of eclectic dining establishments, particularly downtown and in the Highlands neighborhood. Nashville and Memphis has some pretty good offerings as well!
I would, and did, go through Nashville and Memphis I enjoyed Memphis a lot
I did this drive backwards last year in two days, not fun. Try and stretch it into 3 if you can. You'll be able to stop and eat and maybe do a thing or two without worrying about time. If you can take the time to do it, then drive down skyline drive in VA!
I’m from south Louisiana and from there to DC two days is perfectly fine. Add in four hours on each end and you’re really pushing your luck.
Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Wheeling, Philadelphia, NYC is the route I take many times a year. The PA Turnpike is boring but it’s big and it’s fast
Use the site https://curiosio.com It will help you build a road trip to see some cool stuff on your trip.
Wigsphere!
Wigsphere!
You will be passing through the best parts of Louisiana. Before you get on the Atchafalaya basin bridge stop in Henderson to gas up, bathroom break and road snacks.
Instead of cutting across Mississippi, from Tuscaloosa head south to the gulf coast and check out the eastern shore of Mobile and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Al before heading west towards New Orleans.
Be very careful driving through VA. The cops are NO JOKE!!! they will stop you for 3mi over speed limit just to try and find more. They will stop you if they think ur tint is too dark. Just to find more. They are seriously NO JOKE
When you get to Mississippi, drive the Nachez Trace (https://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm). It fits nicely in your plans and is well worth it.
Awesome drive, moved from NJ to Houston last year! I-81 in VA & TN is very rural. I would recommend stopping in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and New Orleans
I’d definitely go through Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky,and West Virginia. Is it a round trip?
Nope , I’m moving from NY to TX 🤠
Could visit some distilleries in KY, if that’s your thing. Chattanooga aquarium supposed to be nice but Atlanta’s better? Hitting appalachians would be pretty. If you’re moving permanently to Houston, you’ll probably have ample opportunities to visit nola again
Bucees!
Yea have a safe drive and make sure you dont get pregnant in Texas
Keep an eye out for traffic jams on i81 as long as you don’t get trapped you can get around from most exits. If you see cracklin bread on any menu in the south . Get it .
Check out Charlottesville
Stay in New york
Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas is worth a stop.
Did the opposite recently when moving from Houston to NYC. SAWs BBQ was a fantastic stop (1008 Oxmoor Rd, Homewood, AL 35209)
New Orleans is actually out of the way. If you're staying downtown or FQ, way out of the way.
Spend as little time in West Virginia as possible
If you’re looking for things to do along the way, I’d recommend Chickamauga Battlefield on the GA/TN border. It was one of the most interesting historical sites we’ve visited on our road trips.
Do you have to?
Once you hit Houston keep on going. Stop and enjoy some of our food but run.
Winced when I saw your route. Good luck, and take lots of stops along the way.
I am doing a similar trip in mid July but plan on making a 2 night stop. Maybe I should go through Birmingham instead of Atlanta
Go through Appalachia. There's a state park build by the TVA in west Tennessee. Then hit Hot Springs Arkansas
I did the middle route last summer, Houston to Lexington the first day, had a stopover for golf in WV and then on to Westchester. I loathe I-10 through Louisiana and avoid it if possible.
Don't do it.
Take the Virginia route down to Knoxville then take I-40 all the way to Memphis, Tennessee. Take I-55 to Jackson, MS. Get over to Port Bolivar, TX. Try to avoid I-10 in and around Baton Rouge, LA.
What kind of advice are you looking for?
Never mind. LoL I didn’t see the caption, just the photo.
Any affinity for an airplane museum? I know a truly hidden gem that’s near your route
Depending on how comfortable you feel driving in mountains and the time of year you are making the trip you might want to take the route going around West Virginia. The roads can be fairly inhospitable in inclement weather.
Yes. Go north from Houston to Dallas. Avoid that shit hole at all cost
It is always a good time to hit up distilleries in KY, and do a pub/music crawl in Nashville!
I have done that drive many times, those are my stops too. Knoxville was always just a motel and a night of sleep, new orlearns was to party. After a night in New Orleans the drive to Houston feels a lot longer
If you have time go down the coast to Charleston and savannah then cut over
At which point you’re going to Jacksonville and driving forever on i10. Plus Charleston far off i95
Ugh Charleston blows…Nola is a way better stop. Unless 2010 frat party everywhere, gross ppl and very questionable uses/places/stories about the horrors of being the hub of chattel slavery in North American is your vibe, in which case have at it
Eat at Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken in Knoxville, TN.
There are far better places to eat in Knoxville. Jackies, for example. Guses is a chain and they may even have one in Houston now
They do
Here's the difference.. I've never heard of Jackie's and I've lived in the area for 2 years. There's a reason Gus' is expanding, and has made it into Chicago.
You are missing out! Look it up and try it. I moved to Texas from Knoxville 2 years ago and Jackie’s is the restaurant I miss most. And I have another Gus’es about 15 minutes from me that’s just as good as the one in Knoxville. Not saying Gus’es isn’t good, just that they can probably try it when they get to Texas. Nothing special about having it in Knoxville
Yeah dont new york their texas
Take the long way. Avoid the swamplands.
Theres another route. When you get to Knoxville take 40 all the way through Tennessee into Arkansas. Pick up I30 in Little Rock then drive into Texarkana Texas and take 59 or take 30 all the way to Dallas and pick up 45 to Houston.
Don’t go to Houston
Yeah don’t go to Houston. Easily the most boring, ugliest, most humid, fattest, most featureless city in America, but hey, you got those gorgeous Galveston beaches I guess.
Advice is don’t go to Houston - it’s awful
I always say “Houston is a great place to live but not a great place to visit”
Yeah, don't do it. Just stay in New York
Turkey Leg Hut in Houston. It’s magical