Tennessee, Mississippi & Louisiana..Any recommendations ?
 

Firstly may I say to any Deep South living ledgies how saddened but hopefull I am for you at this time. :distress: ...Im from London UK and next week am about to take a road trip from Knoxville via Nashville - Memphis, down through Mississippi and ending up god willing in New Orleans ( a place ive dreamed of going for years!!). Obviously we might have to change our route if things are too bad but I wanted to know if anyone had any tips, recomendations or must sees in any of these these areas??

I'm almost certain you won't be able to get to New Orleans. Parts of the city are under 20 feet of water, and probably will be for weeks.

If you're in Tennessee, you should see the Grand Ole Opry! Oh, and Dollywood! Umm...I dunno much more about Tennessee. :sorry:

You definitely need to see the Great Smoky Mountains national park. I know you go south out of Knoxville past Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, and then the drive is incredible!!! When you get into North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway is also a beautiful drive. Find a map, and you're good to go!!! :thumbsup:

I have lived in all of those states so.......

1) Tennessee is beautiful, but mostly eastern TN. Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pigeon Forge, all of that stuff. Stay on the east side of the state. Nashville has a cool vibe and a good music scene though.

2) I like the Biloxi area of MS best. I also lived in Pascagoula, which is a bit of a rat hole, but it's not far from the beach.

3) I lived in Baton Rouge with my grandfather in Lousiana, and I loved going to New Orleans. Unfortunately, it's under water right now so that's a no-go.

Say Pascagoula 10 times fast. :woohoo:

I agree with David...
 

There's this cool place near Knoxville called The Lost Sea. It's one of the largest underground lakes in the world - you take a tour in the enormous cave & take a boat ride on the lake. Very cool if you're into nature & rocks & stuff (I am.)

I live in Jackson MS and this is the first time I've been able to get online and really all of MS is a mess. Traffic is god awful and there is lots of devastation. Memphis is a great town and lots to do there, but like everyone has said stay away from NOLA.

I was wondering how you were. Jackson is pretty far North, but I am sure you all got hellacious winds, etc.

Hope everything with where you live is till in pretty good shape. :nod:

Definitely check out Ober Gatlinburg, TN !! When you get to the top you can take a tour through bat caves (scary, but fun)...They also have a small loge ride (halfway) down the hill...Dollywood is fun, I liked the Bald Eagle exhibit that they have. The scenary is breath-taking in Gatlinburg and there are a lot of good places to eat!!

Pigeon Forge is very touristy though. but still beautiful, if that makes sense

Yes!
 

thanks for thinking about me. we are pretty far north which is why it is so amazing that we have as much damage as we do. lots of down trees and torn up houses and 97% I believe without power - I'm very luck and thankful I haven't lost power. it's just so sad and hearing about NOLA makes me even more sad

Weren't you up for a job there? Does this effect those plans?

yeppers. that job went bellyup a couple weeks ago and yeah, I was really sad and heartbroken. now I really wonder what I'd be doing now or what kind of situation I'd be in if I had taken it and were there now! :O

OMG - you would just be all settled in and then - BAM - no work for three weeks and all your stuff likely flooded :eek:

Well, I have lived in Tennessee my whole life. I have lived across the entire state, so I can tell you some thing that I have enjoyed doing.

Eastern Tennessee: (1)Gatlinburg-----It is touristy, but it is something you should do. If I was going to Gatlinburg via Knoxville, I would drive from the airport (which is techincally in Alcoa) go to Maryville. Go through Maryville toward Townsend. Townsend is at the foot of the park. Then, just follow the signs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Gatlinburg. The drive is amazing!!!!!!!!! It will take you longer to go this way to Gatlinburg, but man, it is worth it. You have beautiful overlooks, the mountains all around you, and a whitewater river that runs right beside the road. When you get to Gatlinburg, some good places to eat and drink are (1) The Park Grill---awesome food, or you can go the Hard Rock Cafe route (Yes, there is one in Gatlinburg).

Knoxville------In Knoxville, there is a lot of fun places to go. I would go to the Old City if I wanted to go bar hopping. Anyone can tell you how to get there, or the Strip which is on University of Tennessee's campus. You can get anything to eat, drink, or go shopping if you get on Kingston Pike. It runs parallel to the interstate, and once again, anyone can tell you how to find it. I would eat at Stir Fry Cafe. It is my favorite. It is on Kingston Pike in the same shopping center with Chili's and Silver Spoon--close to West Town Mall. I like the people in Stir Fry, the artsy atmosphere, and the food and drinks are great. If you are into women's basketball, the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is in Knoxville. It is close to campus. You should cruise through the University of Tennessee campus--my alum mater! The football stadium is something to see. It is even more amazing on the inside. The largest college stadium in America behind Michigan, and we had them bet for awhile.

Nashville-----In Nashville, I would go to Second and Broadway. There are a lot of good bars down there---The Wildhorse Saloon--usually someone fame is playing there on the weekends, and you don't need tickets; Tootie's Orchid Lounge is down there too---a lot of fame people have gotten their start in that "hole in the wall." I would go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. You should go out to the Opryland Hotel--off Briley Parkway. It is a beautiful place to see, and you can waste a lot of time there. You can go walk around even if you aren't staying there. It is huge!!!!!!! You can take a river boat ride in the hotel--seriously. If you need an amazing place to stay in Nashville that would be it. Food---eat at the Mad Platter in the Vanderbilt area. It is very good. You might need a reservation though or once again you could eat at the Hard Rock Cafe which is down on Second and Broadway.

Memphis-----If you haven't been to Memphis lately, they have made many improvements. It is much nicer and safer than it once was. You can actually walk down the street at night and feel safe. Having said that, I would definitely go to Beale Street. I would go to B.B. King's for music, Silky O'Sullivan's for a drink---order a "Diver," but you will need a friend or two to help you drink it. It comes in a bucket. :p The Rum Boogie on Beale is an interesting place. They have different levels with different types of Blues, R and B, and Rock throughout the building. You should go to the Peabody and see the ducks come down the elevator and walk down the red carpet to the fountain--everyone who visits Memphis does that. I would go see Graceland (Home of Elvis), if you haven't seen it. Food----I would eat at the Rendezvous Restaurant. It is in the alley by the Days Inn downtown across the street from the Peabody. It is the best ribs and "the fixing" that you will ever eat. Everyone I know would suggest that place. It is excellent, and it has an interesting atmosphere. You can go on a riverboat cruise of the Mississippi River on one of those huge paddleboats like the Star of the Mississsippi. Just south of Memphis (about 20-30 minutes) , in Tunica, MS, there are all sorts of casinos. It is a fun place to go to kill time. They have shows and of course gambling. You can eat and drink for free as long as you are gambling. The rooms at the casinos are very, very reasonable and nice.

Anway, I hope I haven't said too much. I'm sure that I'm leaving things out that I should tell you to see though. If I think of anything else, I will let you know, or if you have any questions, just ask me. I hope you enjoy your trip to Tennessee. IT is a fabulous place! :wavey:

I agree. if you are going to do it, this is the route to take. Very beautiful.

:eek: is right - I guess things work out

Nashville is my favorite place on this planet. I would recommend Lower Broadway, too, between 2nd and 5th Avenues. Wildhorse is okay if you're a TOURIST, and want to look like a tourist at a McCountry bar. If line dancing's your thing :distress: , go there. IF you want real country music, go to Robert's Western World, "three doors down" from Tootsies, on Broadway(between 4th and 5th). If you're lucky enough to be there on a Fri/Sat, the band Brazilbilly plays from 10-2 at Roberts. Old time country music. When I die, I want to die there, with a beer in my hand.
Tootsie's is cool, but it's ALWAYS so packed, you'll feel like a sardine in a can. I've not been inside for about 5 years. No sardines here, thanks. In between Tootsie's and Robert's is Layla's Bluegrass Inn, which, oddly enough, doesn't have Bluegrass.....they have Rockabilly for the most part, and, a cheap buzz bonus, $1 Pabst Blue Ribbons, ALL the time! There's also no cover charge at any of these(my) places. Wildhorse is like $6-7.
Food? My favorite place is Demo's, just a block North of Broadway, on 3rd Ave. Good steaks, and spaghetti are there specialties. Reasonably priced, too($10-15, for most meals).

ITA! My dad has lived in Eastern TN since he and my mom divorced over 30 years ago, so needless to say, I've spent some weekends and summers up there! He lived in Townsend for 10 years, and now he lives in Alcoa. It's beautiful up there! The Park Grill is my favorite, too! They have a decadent chocolate dessert that I love (wish I could remember its name :p )

I heard on our local news today that passage into some parts of Mississippi and on down to New Orleans may be impossible for up to a month! I don't know if that's true or if it's just our media being typically dramatic!

So, if you can't go west, then after touring Tennessee, why not go south? The beaches of the Florida panhandle and Alabama reportedly received minimal damage this time (for once ) and are supposed to be up and running in time for the holiday weekend coming up. It's truly beautiful down there too!

Thankyou soooomuch for this ...your a wonderful person! :angel:

Awwww :xoxo:, anytime! If you think of any questions, just let me know. In Knoxville, I thought of a cool bar in the Old City, I would go to called "Barley's." It has live music every night, and if you are a beer drinker, they have an amazing beer selection. Their black bean hummus is to die for, and their pizzas are terrific. The pool tables and darts are upstairs, if you decide to do that. If you want coffee, there is a terrific, little coffee house in the Old City called "Java." Desserts are homemade, and the coffee is wonderful. Those were two things I thought of since I typed the first message. :thumbsup:

Thanks once again for this but we have now decided to cancel the trip beacuse of the situation in Louisiana. The first week of the trip was Tennessee which would have been fine but the second was to be Louisiana and New Orleans. I have been heart broken by what i have seen and it put a cloud over the whole trip. We were also worried about rooms being booked as far north as Tennesse by displaced people from the south. We have deceided to do a road trip to California and leave on Sunday...I want to save this original trip until things are happier in that area.... :sorry: Lee x

LOVE LOVE LOVE Gatlinburg!

Five of my best friends and I went there for our spring break this year, and we had an AMAZING cabin. Some pictures of our view:








And one of MY favorite attractions in the area is, of course, DOLLYWOOD. However, I think that someone from Europe might find it to be very corny and a bit too American. One of the friends that I went to Gatlinburg with was from Germany, and while Dollywood was not open, we did go to Dixie Stampede, and she thought that it was a bit much. :lol: