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Old 03-17-2011, 07:04 PM
 
4 posts, read 47,212 times
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Hi,
We are 4 Australians who are driving from Memphis to New Orleans in May this year and just wondering if someone colud tell us the most senic route as within reason we are not in a hurry to get there.
"appreciate your help
Mick
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Old 03-17-2011, 07:59 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
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Not exactly sure if I call it scenic, but a good route to see the country & small towns would be U S 61 from Memphis all the way to Natchez. That would take you through the delta & you could take short side trips to Greenville or Indianola. It would take you through Vicksburg which would be a good place to spend the night or just a bit farther to Natchez. It would give you a taste of small town Mississippi.
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Old 03-17-2011, 09:25 PM
bjh
 
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If you want to include a trip to Tupelo, about 1 &1/2 hour SE of Memphis, nice small town atmosphere, you can pick up the Natchez Trace Parkway - it is scenic, no commercial vehicles, only rest stops and exits. Not a huge amount of traffic. It will take you on a slant across the state of Mississippi - see map. We've driven it to Jackson and enjoyed the scenery.

Natchez Trace Parkway - Map
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Old 03-18-2011, 12:16 AM
 
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Mick, it all just depends on how much time you have for this. There's a lot to see. If you have the time I'd start by seeing Oxford and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and you might want to visit the casinos at Tunica. If you want to see the Mississippi state capitol, that's in Jackson and the best way there is I-55 South. The other routes including Hy 61 don't really offer a lot between Memphis and as far south as Jackson, excepting the fun of knowing you're travelling the Great River Road.

After Jackson I'd switch over to Hy 61 however, and visit both Natchez and Vicksburg in Mississippi. At Natchez there's an excellent restaurant called the Castle located at Dunleith Plantation. Expensive dining but beautiful setting. At Vicksburg visit the Civil War battlefield run by the National Park Service. Keep going down Hy 61 into Louisiana and visit Baton Rouge, the LA state capitol. See the capitol building, but first read up on Huey Long (the "Kingfish") and who he was and his importance in the history of that state.

Also visit Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge (LSU) and its Tiger Stadium. It's a very historic athletic site for those in the South.

From there travel on down to the "land of dreams", NOLA. For advice on what to see and do there just ask on the New Orleans board. I'm sure the French Quarter (Vieux Carre) is what you'll be most interested in. Make a stop at Pat O'Brien's and have a Hurricane in the piano bar for me. Also try a Sazarac at the Carousel Lounge in the Hotel Monteleone.

Some of us wish we were going too.

Enjoy.

Btw, you missed Mardi Gras this trip, but you can catch the flavor of it with a lot of the videos on youtube, like thsee - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wAMr...eature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nCJIlOOg9Y or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1fBDVNn1pU

One more btw - if you wanted to, you could do a one way car rental down to NOLA, then ride the train back to Memphis, Amtrak's City of New Orleans. It's kind of an interesting adventure in itself.

Last edited by Ginsaw; 03-18-2011 at 12:30 AM..
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Old 03-19-2011, 05:11 PM
 
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i pretty much agree w/ gin. i have always found this to be a terribly boring drive, but vicksburg, natchez, and some of the other places are good "breakups" for the trip. what i really would do is take the train, if i just wanted to rent a car in nola.
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Old 03-20-2011, 11:31 AM
 
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If you took the train you could easily get by without a car at all, provided you're mainly seeing the French Quarter. It's a short cab ride from the Amtrak station to the Quarter and downtown. You could just stay there. Or you could stay in the Garden District and take the streetcar that runs along St. Charles to the Quarter (in NOLA streetcars are different from Memphis; they're an everyday form of transportation for the average person instead of mainly a tourist attraction). For safety reasons I'd stick to those heavily travelled areas anyway.

Taking the train is something all who travel a lot to New Orleans or Chicago out of Memphis ought to try at least once during their lives. At one time you know it was THE way to travel and trains ran out of here to lots of big cities.

If you take the CNO (or the "City") down there, you'll enjoy the almost unlimited leg room and big windows and the dome observation car. Also be sure to have lunch in the dining car. They'll ask you for your preferences on when you'd like to eat. They probably still have the good food and service I remember and also a 'Nawlins themed cuisine, like shrimp creole.

The last time I did this, they were really high-balling it at night on the northward approach to Memphis. I asked a steward how fast, and he said the engineer could do 82 (or 83?) without getting in serious trouble.

But having said all that, the way I'd REALLY like someday to go down there is on one of the riverboats. I know people who've done that and they enjoyed it. I believe I would read first Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" to get into the proper spirit for it.

Btw, Mick, when you get to the piano bar in Pat O'Brien's, write your song request on a napkin with a couple dollars' tip and they'll play whatever you want and the crowd will sing along. You can try this one if you like and I'll bet they'll know it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueoCu46otw8 - you won't be the first Australian there..

Last edited by Ginsaw; 03-20-2011 at 12:05 PM..
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Old 03-20-2011, 01:49 PM
 
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the trip is horrible by car

pass on driving, the best view is by air, you're not missing a damn thing in Mississippi
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Old 03-20-2011, 07:31 PM
 
Location: Memphis,TN
628 posts, read 1,678,172 times
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Tunica-to-Natchez road trip earns atlas nod
Cited as one of best by Rand McNally
By Ron Maxey
Memphis Commercial Appeal

Tunica-to-Natchez road trip earns atlas nod » The Commercial Appeal

You don't need to go far to find one of the country's best day trips, according to Rand McNally.
In its 2011 road atlas, the venerable guide to the America's highways identifies the drive down U.S. 61 from Tunica to Natchez as one of five yearly picks for an interesting short trip. The description highlights Tunica's Mississippi RiverPark as one of the suggested stops along the way.
"History isn't the only thing that makes this trip special," the atlas's 10th anniversary Best of the Road entry for the Tunica-to-Natchez trip says. "There's great scenery, from eerie cypress swamps to majestic forests to endless pancake-flat expanses of cotton fields."
Editors drove the selected trips before making their picks. Among the factors considered were locations that are lesser-known or off the beaten path, are unique or have special character, that capture the region's essence and appeal to a broad range of people.
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Old 03-21-2011, 08:02 PM
 
Location: MS
4,396 posts, read 4,884,597 times
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If you do go the 61 route, head over to Greenville for one of the best steaks I've ever eaten - Doe's Eat Place

On I-55, south of Hammond, stop at We're with you through Thick or Thin!*|* Middendorf's Seafood Restaurant for some thin sliced catfish and the best gumbo I have ever had.

Once in NOLA, my wife and I will catch a few shows by Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers - We're with you through Thick or Thin!*|* Middendorf's Seafood Restaurant . The washboard player, Alex, is unbelievable. I'd stop in at Felix's Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar » Home before the show. If they aren't busy you can ask for Julia as your server. She's married to Alex.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odWjstO091Y

Also catch Danny T Danny T for some authentic cajun music (it's different from zydeco). He usually plays at My Bar @ 635 and Tropical Isle. Yes, that's Alex again on the washboard. He sometimes does double duty in both bands. The crazy woman directly in front of the camera is my wife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MGDvCV8X90

Another fun stop is the New Orleans Opera House. We like to catch DBO playing there. A lot of booze and an 80's cover band can't be beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkTfKln3Q4I

If you are coming from a big city, you really need a change of scenery. The Honey Island Swamp Tour The Original Honey Island Swamp Tour | New Orleans, Louisiana is a great time.

Other stops:
Oceana Grill - Breakfast through dinner. There is nothing bad on the menu.
Port of Call - Best burger I have ever eaten.
Cafe Dumond - World famous.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - Oldest bar in the western hemisphere.
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