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From: £3195
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Distance: 198 miles
Try to get an early start today so you can begin exploring your first byway. Instead of dashing on the Interstate from Atlanta, a drive up through scenic Northern Georgia takes you to the Tennessee border, where you can catch the Ocoee Scenic Byway at Copperhill. The first National Forest Byway in the nation, The Ocoee winds through the Cherokee National Forest, travelling the scenic bluffs of the Ocoee River Gorge.Distance: 214 miles
Founded in 1779 and designated the Tennessee State Capital in 1843, Nashville is an old Southern city and about more than music. The General Jackson Showboat sits at the waterfront where the first settlers landed on the Cumberland River. Belle Meade Plantation is a huge Old South Greek Revival mansion. Not far away, the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens surround an art museum, where you can explore 30 acres of flora and 24,000 square feet of visual art.Distance: 239 miles
Today, one of America’s best roads less travelled awaits. The Natchez Trace, which runs between Nashville and Natchez, Mississippi, was created by buffalo and other migrating animals. For millennia, it served as a Native American trade route that connected what is now central Tennessee with the Mississippi River. It became a colonial trade route farmers, growers and traders from Kentucky and Tennessee called Kaintucks, transported their products to Memphis and the Mississippi River, floated them by barge to Natchez and Louisiana, got paid and walked the Trace back to Nashville.Distance: 319 miles
Natchez is the oldest town on the Mississippi, founded in 1716 and the end of the Natchez Trace. The region was the first to establish plantations using the rich loess soil for robust crops. Slaves were introduced by French colonists from the Caribbean. Natchez is also one of the most beautiful and best preserved towns in the South due to the fact that the town surrendered to Grant’s army without a fight. As a result it has over 500 antebellum homes, more than any other city in the United States. It’s worth spending some time just driving around the historic district filled with impeccably preserved structures with white columns and inside filled with Italian marble, imported crystal and sterling silver. The best place to start your visit is at the Natchez National Historical Park. The Park itself includes two very different properties. Melrose, situated on 80 acres of lush oak covered land, was occupied by a prominent Southern family beginning in 1841. The William Johnson House on the other hand, was built and owned by a freed-slave who had slaves himself. The area’s Native American heritage is illustrated at Emerald Mound, one of the largest mounds in the United States. Monmouth Plantation delivers astounding accommodations in an authentic plantation home. Their restaurant also offers fine dining. Biscuits and Blues has been voted America’s #1 blues nightclub by the Memphis Blues Foundation, the W.C. Handy Organization and the San Francisco Blues Society.
The original home of the Natchez Indians has been reconstructed at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians. A reconstructed Indian House is surrounded by three ceremonial mounds, two of which were excavated and rebuilt to their original size and shape. There are many opportunities for wildlife watching at the St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge which encompasses over 24,000 acres for waterfowl and their habitat. St. Mary’s Basilica, built in 1841, is not to be missed. The inside is ornate with carved wood decorations, stained glass, rich fabrics and more.
If you’re up for another drive, there is another scenic byway in the area that roughly parallels the Natchez Trace. The Grand-Gulf Raymond Scenic Byway begins at Port Gibson, one of the oldest remaining towns that withstood the impacts of the Civil War. The town’s Grand Gulf Military Park includes important artefacts from Civil War battles including muskets, uniforms and cannonballs. Continuing up Highway 18, the byway ends at Raymond, once devastated by the Civil War. Exhibits in Raymond now illustrate the challenges faced by settlers, Native Americans and missionaries in the region.
Distance: 175 miles
Today you will have the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with Louisiana bayou country. Beginning on Highway 27 near Lake Charles, the Creole Nature Trail National Scenic Byway takes you through the marshlands of southern Louisiana, among gorgeous flowering trees, abundant wildlife, lush fields and blossoming water hyacinth on the marsh. Southern Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes hug the Gulf of Mexico. The trail also takes you through four different wildlife refuges and a bird sanctuary. Several of the refuges have self-guided trails to allow you to get out into nature. For culinary delights, you can also follow the Southwest Louisiana Boudin Trail for great Cajun food. Southwest Louisiana also has a thriving arts community; where the rich cultural history makes creativity an integral part of life.Distance: 177 miles
The bayous of Louisiana are an intriguing place. From Lafayette you can catch the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway to meander through southern Louisiana until you reach your accommodations in Houma for the evening. Prepare for a totally unique experience and allow yourself enough time to really explore the culture of the bayou.Distance: 57 miles
New Orleans is one of the coolest cities in America. The city has been jumping ever since it became the commercial hub of the Louisiana Territory shortly after settlement in 1718. New Orleans repeatedly changed hands between the Spanish and the French until it was purchased by Napoleon who ultimately sold the land to the United States in 1803. New Orleans dominated trade between the US and the Caribbean for decades which accounts for the many residents of New Orleans who are descendants of West Indies families. As a result, the city is a melting pot of French, Spanish and Caribbean influences.Distance: 143 miles
Coming across from Louisiana today you can catch the Alabama Coastal Connection at Grand Bay. Prepare for magic. When you visit America’s southern sea coast, you’ll be mesmerized by the golden sun glistening on the sparkling water. The sky is so blue that you may think it was painted with melted aquamarines. Relax at a pace that is unrushed and unhurried. It’s sunny here more than 300 days a year. And when it does rain, it’s a refreshing burst of southern showers.Distance: 169 miles
On your way between Mobile and Montgomery, you can travel the Selma to Montgomery Byway where you will retrace marchers' steps in their fight for voter rights. The Byway begins with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Street Historic Walking Tour, followed by a retracing of the march to Montgomery, which ends at the state capitol. The route passes the George Washington Carver Home, historic landmark Brown AME Church, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., monument.Montgomery, a city of lasting contrasts, was a hotbed of activity during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and also home to the first White House of the Confederacy before the government moved to Richmond. The Alabama State Capital was the place where Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as the President of the Confederate States of America and the location where Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his moving speech at the bottom of the steps, at the end of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. The city is also home to the Hank Williams Museum.
At the Rosa Parks Museum, you can place yourself in the shoes of Mrs. Parks when she refused to give up her seat on the bus in 1955, effectively beginning the American Civil Rights movement. You can also visit the Civil Rights Memorial in downtown Montgomery and Martin Luther King Jr’s former home.
Distance: 190 miles
On your way out of Montgomery this morning you’ll be catching scenic Route 9 that will ultimately take you to the Talladega Scenic Drive. The views go on forever from the top of Cheaha Mountain, the highest point in Alabama. While sitting on top of the mountain having dinner, watching a spectacular sunset, it’s hard to believe that the drive is only 26 miles along the backbone of the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains. In this case, small is beautiful. No need to worry about the blue haze that hangs over the mountains. It’s the result of the lush green trees releasing condensation into the warm air, the phenomenon that gives the Blue Ridge Mountains their name.You can expect to see plenty of wildlife, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, grouse and bobcats. Pine forests are specifically managed to provide nesting for endangered woodpeckers. Except for road traffic, motorized vehicles are prohibited in the Cheaha Wilderness to ensure serenity for visitors.
Distance: 108 miles
From Anniston, you’ll be travelling north to catch the Lookout Mountain Parkway. You can enjoy the scenic beauty of the Alabama side driving the Lookout Mountain Parkway south from Chattanooga.The main attractions are waterfalls, canyons, scenic brow vistas, unique towns and villages, state and national parks, nature preserves and other natural wonders. For most of the drive you’ll be looking up at places like De Soto Falls, which drops 104 feet. Looking down, you can marvel at the 17 mile gash in Lookout Mountain that forms the deepest gorge east of the Smoky Mountains.
Distance: 120 miles
As you lift off over Atlanta, know that you have experienced a trip of a lifetime in the American South. However, your adventure doesn't have to end here, perhaps you may want to extend your stay and relax on the beaches or maybe stop off en route at New York City for some shopping and sightseeing.
Call the USA travel specialists at Bon Voyage to discuss your ideal Backroads and Bayous of the Deep South adventure.