Do you have favorite AR, MS, AL, or TN spots for a summer road trip?

April 1, 2018 6:10 PM

I'm looking to spend 7-10 days in late May on vacation in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. Do you have recommendations for neat things to visit in these states (plus if you have itinerary suggestions, I'm all ears!)?

-As part of my quest to visit all 50 states, I'm looking to roadtrip through a few states in the South this summer. Specifically, that's Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

I've already been to Louisiana and Georgia so would prefer to route around them and see the states I've missed.

I live in Texas so I understand heat and humidity and I've asked some natives from each state for suggestions and poked around AskMeFi (will be checking Road Trip USA, f'ex)--but I would appreciate hearing from y'all.

As with the last time I asked a roadtrip question, these are my priorities:
-By 'this summer' I mean late May or early June
-I have about 7-10 days for this trip
-At the moment, it makes the most sense to fly into Little Rock or Memphis and rent a car but I'm open to alternatives
-Itinerary tips (should I start with Little Rock or Memphis? Make a loop? Take a train at some point?) super welcome
-I absolutely love wind-y, hilly, quieter roads and any suggestions about detours to lesser-known highways would make me super happy
-My budget is flexible
-Suggestions for hotels/motels/B&Bs/lovely couches are all welcome
-My priority is nature rather than culture and trees rather than beach--but I'll happily take any recommendations you might have and my draft itinerary has a lot of culture on it

My current itinerary is pretty drafty and looks like this:
Fly to Little Rock, rent a car, head to Hot Springs [day 1]
Explore Hot Springs and the area nearby (Hot Springs, Highway 7, Crater of Diamonds, etc.) [day 2]
Drive to Oxford and look around (the university, Faulkner stuff, Holly Springs maybe, etc.) [day 3]
Drive to Birmingham and do the Civil Rights Trail [day 4]
Drive to Huntsville and go to Marshall/Space &Rocket Center [day 5]
Drive to Memphis (Lynchburg, Lookout Mountain, Graceland maybe, Civil Rights Museum, etc.) [days 6-7]
Drive back to Little Rock and fly back to Texas [day 8]

Any blanks you can help fill in, especially with the doing $something in a given state, would be sincerely appreciated!

posted by librarylis to Travel & Transportation (25 answers total)

Take a detour between Birmingham and Huntsville for Natural Bridge, Alabama. Or, if you can make the scheduling work and are good with overnight camping, check out the bioluminescent natives of Dismals Canyon. Both are amazing. Dismals Canyon is farther out of your way and still adds less than two hours off driving; Natural Bridge is in fact on your way there.
posted by hollyholly at 6:21 PM on April 1, 2018 [3 favorites]

wind-y, hilly, quieter roads
You're looking for the Natchez Trace. It's really beautiful.

Also, the BB King museum in Indianola, MS, is worth a side trip. It's a deep dive into the history and culture of the delta through the lens of blues and BB King's life.
posted by zeptoweasel at 6:28 PM on April 1, 2018 [7 favorites]

I have pretty much no idea. But- I would love to go to this music store, as featured in this previous post to the blue. I think this is in Tennessee.
posted by freethefeet at 6:40 PM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

For nature: Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas (maybe 90 minutes outside of Little Rock) is very pretty, nice hiking. There's a lot of pretty hiking around Nashville as well. I went to a show in a cave one time a little south of Nashville at Bluegrass Underground. If that's your thing, it was one of the coolest experiences I've ever done. Even if you're not really into music that much, the cavern was beautiful, and I think they have some nice cave tours. (Fair warning--it's about a 4.5 hour drive from Memphis)

Are you a person who prioritizes local cuisine when you're traveling? Oxford has some delicious restaurants on the Square and there's a really cool bookstore there as well (Square Books). Also, you could definitely eat your weight in great Memphis food for a few days (BBQ, soul food, funky local places, etc).
posted by orangesky4 at 6:49 PM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

It might be worthwhile to check out flying into Branson, Missouri, and driving down to Hawksbill (aka Whittaker Point) on your way to Hot Springs. If you have any love of kitschy theme parks, Silver Dollar City is very close to Branson, and can put you driving through some lovely nature on the way down into Arkansas. I absolutely love Hawksbill Crag.

Also, the Branson airport has giant rocking chairs. Or did several years ago.
posted by bilabial at 6:50 PM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

I got good advice for my Alabama road trip, even though it was a long time ago, I really enjoyed my side trip to Tuskegee for instance.
posted by jessamyn at 7:13 PM on April 1, 2018

Tupelo MS is more or less on your route and has some interesting Elvis-related stuff if you're into that sort of thing - his birthplace and the Tupelo Hardware store where his mother bought his first guitar. Neither are huge attractions, but worth sticking your head in the door. There is also the Tupelo Automobile Museum which was a great collection of cars.

A few things in Birmingham:
- Vulcan Statue has a great observation deck and museum that gives you a lot of Birmingham history.
- Pizitz Place is a former department store that is now a food hall/market with a number of international cuisines.
- Good People Brewing near the Regions ballpark - decent craft brewery

Huntsville has a really, really great craft brewery Straight to Ale. Built in a decommissioned junior high school - some interesting sights, such as the brewing and distilling operations in what still looks very much like a basketball gym, with the lobby of said gym turned into one of the tap rooms. They also frequently give tastings and tours.
posted by randomkeystrike at 7:25 PM on April 1, 2018

We just got back from Greenville visiting family. If your driving east on 82, before you reach Indianola, you can stop in Leland for both the Highway 61 Blues Museum and the Jim Henson museum. Henson was born in Leland and the museum (which is free) is a cute three room affair. The little old lady that ends the collection will talk your ear off, but it's really kinda adorable.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 7:29 PM on April 1, 2018

FYI neither Lynchburg nor Lookout Mountain are in, near, or on the way to Memphis. I do think budgeting 2 days for Memphis is a good idea - the Civil Rights Museum is a full day experience if you want it to be. Definitely check out Shelby Farms Park for your nature needs while in town. Recently redesigned (partially) and gorgeous.

I second the suggestion for a stop at Natural Bridge.
posted by raspberrE at 7:39 PM on April 1, 2018 [2 favorites]

OH also walk or ride a bike across Big River Crossing, a cool pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River.
posted by raspberrE at 7:41 PM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

Natchez Trace Parkway, for sure.

It's limited to passenger vehicles only, has limited speed, and is 440 miles of gorgeous nature. You can find swamps and waterfalls and so much wildlife.
posted by yesster at 8:47 PM on April 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

I really, really enjoyed Graceland, perhaps more than I ought to have. I only did the house tour and then spent a very long time sitting on a bench under the shade trees in the graveside meditation garden and watching the people.
posted by mochapickle at 12:22 AM on April 2, 2018

Hot Springs is definitely worth it. I'd recommend staying in the Arlington Hotel if it's in your budget. (It was cheaper when we stayed there, but it was a couple of decades back.)

If you like museums, be sure to check out the Mid America Science Museum. It was always a favorite place of mine as a kid, and it looks like they've continued adding on to it over the years.

Oh, and if you like rocks and minerals and things made from them, Hot Springs is packed with rock and gem shops. (I still regret not picking up one of the stone chess sets you can find everywhere there.)

If you have time when you're traveling between Little Rock and Memphis, you might want to take a small detour and visit the Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park. It's got a monument marking the place where the survey of the Lousiana Purchase started in 1815. It's a bit unusual in that the marker is out in the middle of a swamp at the end of a long wooden walkway that allows you to see some (relatively) undisturbed swampland without getting wet and/or bitten by snakes. Check it out.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 5:43 AM on April 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

My family just drove through Birmingham and took a detour to Sloss Furnaces. It's this super cool old iron furnace plant that has lots of neat places you can explore. Sounds weird, but was an enjoyable detour, something different, gave us a nice chance to stretch our legs, and is completely free.
posted by galvanized unicorn at 6:34 AM on April 2, 2018

If you like motorcycles, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is pretty amazing. Five stories jam packed full of bikes, from 19th-century steam-powered machines to Ducatis still warm from the assembly line. It's just outside Birmingham to the east, so not quite in the direction you want to get to Montgomery, but not so far out of the way as to be unworkable. I probably drove I-20 between Jackson and Atlanta a hundred times in my younger days, and I never heard about the place until I happened to ask here about things to do on a MS-DC road trip.

You mention Holly Springs; nothing against the town, but the only thing we ever felt we could find there we couldn't find anywhere else was Graceland Too, which I have to imagine is shuttered now that Mr. MacLeod has left the building. But in nearby (and closer to Memphis) Olive Branch there's a weirdly huge bonsai store and growing center.
posted by solotoro at 7:47 AM on April 2, 2018

Drive to Memphis (Lynchburg, Lookout Mountain, Graceland maybe, Civil Rights Museum, etc.) [days 6-7]

As mentioned above, Tennessee is a crazy long state. It's almost a five hour drive to Chattanooga, the city closest to Lookout Mountain, and four hours to Lynchburg.
If you're in Memphis, stick around the area. Reelfoot Lake is pretty impressive and about an hour away. Pinson Mounds is pretty cool as well and one of two State Archaeological Parks in Tennessee, plus you can swing by Jackson on the way and pretend your June and Johnny Cash.
posted by teleri025 at 8:17 AM on April 2, 2018

Your estimated itinerary is ambitious. Google Maps shows Little Rock to Oxford at 3+ hours. Same for Oxford to Huntsville and Huntsville to Memphis. These times will be longer for wind-y, hilly, quieter roads. Do you really want to spend that much time behind the wheel?

Memphis might be a better starting point. The National Civil Rights Museum (Lorraine Motel) has been spiffed up for the 50th anniversary of King's assassination. If you're an Elvis fan (or even if you're not), Graceland is iconic.

As noted above, Natchez Parkway is a beautiful drive. Closest access from Memphis, however, is probably Tupelo ... still 90+ minutes from Memphis.
posted by John Borrowman at 9:31 AM on April 2, 2018

Also, just to chime in again, the most memorable part of my trip (which was, again, a long time ago) was going to Selma. This was well before the movie came out. It was a city that was desperately poor but, at the same time, had some erratic infrastructure investment because of the historical component to what happened there (they have a nice library, for example) but that was mostly for tourists and it did not affect the people who made Selma their home seemingly much at all. It really opened my eyes to what institutionalized poverty and racism can do to a place and was worth the visit for that alone.
posted by jessamyn at 9:35 AM on April 2, 2018

I'm from Nashville. Please don't miss the Parthenon. Check the wikipedia article and google images for more info and pics.
posted by KleenexMakesaVeryGoodHat at 5:24 PM on April 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I'd start by flying into XNA and save Alabama and Eastern Tennessee for their own trips. You could go to the Crystal Bridges museum or do some outdoorsy stuff if that's your thing, then take old US-71 (which was ridiculously treacherous when sharing with constant semi trucks but is a nice drive now that it's deserted) down to Fort Smith and south to Y City where you can head over to Hot Springs for a couple of days and then on over to Indianola and whatever else you want to see in Mississippi, then up to Memphis, take the scenic route across northern Arkansas on 412 back to Fayetteville or wherever, have a nice dinner at A Taste of Thai before your flight home.

No sense in going to Arkansas and missing the best scenery.
posted by wierdo at 5:51 PM on April 2, 2018

Crater of Diamonds in Pike County, AR -- yes!
Bring water, a sun hat, sunscreen and good sunglasses. Bring work gloves and something cushioned to kneel upon. We still have chunks of quartz from there, and the kids still talk about it.

If you like this and are in the mood for more, check out Oklahoma's Great Salt Plains. It's the only location I am aware of for digging selenite crystals. Bring shovels and buckets for water to wash them off as you go. Again, I have small clear boxes on the bathroom counter with selenite crystals in them.
If you are into rocks, you might check about getting some rose rocks, which are pretty interesting. The rose rock is Oklahoma's state rock.

Springfield, MO has Fantastic Caverns and Freedom, OK (near GSP) has Alabaster Caverns.

If you have a vehicle, Talimena Scenic Drive between Talihina, OK to Mena, AR is winding and lovely. Autumn leaves are glorious, depending on the amount of rain during the summer.
Long-distance trails in OK and AR include the Ouachita National Recreation Trail and the Ozark Highlands Trail. I have not hiked these trails but I understand you may need to cache water in some places on the ONRT. As a Texan you know about spring weather, humidity, drought, ticks, mosquitoes and poison ivy. Tim Ernst wrote trail guides for these hikes.
posted by TrishaU at 9:17 PM on April 2, 2018

I really like the Salt and Pepper Shaker museum in Gatlinburg, TN.
posted by simonw at 9:46 PM on April 2, 2018

Response by poster: Thanks to everyone who has responded! I’m excited by the suggestions y’all have made. I’ll definitely be chewing over your thoughts for a bit.

To answer a question I saw, I do love local food—both unpretentious roadside places and fancier fusion places—so any additional recommendations you might have are very welcome. I’m happy to take a detour to go have a good meal.

It sounds like the Tennessee portion of the itinerary needs some work. I’ll have to rethink some of the timing there and maybe should extend things out a few days. If y’all have additional suggestions for sites around Memphis, happy to listen.
posted by librarylis at 11:13 AM on April 3, 2018

Response by poster: A final update for future readers:

The trip was super great.
-I highly recommmed Hot Springs and would happily have skipped Little Rock in favor of an extra day there.
-The Natchez Trace Parkway was delightful and I would have spent more time rambling around hiking trails on that.
-Oxford was also super charming and fun.
I drove over 1200 miles and had a lovely time. Thanks to everyone for your advice—I definitely took something from everyone’s response.

My itinerary (so not a recommended route!)
Day 1: Memphis. Central BBQ, National Civil Rights Museum
Day 2: Memphis. Big River Crossing, Stax Recording Studio, Sun Studios, and (super briefly) Beale Street
Day 3: Little Rock. Louisiana Purchase State Park. Would have gone to: the Clinton Presidential Library, Central High School, and Emerald Park
Day 4: Hot Springs. The national park, Arlington Hotel (which was so cool and highly recommended), Hot Springs Mountain Tower. Would have gone to: Crater of Diamonds, Y City, and Highway 7.
Day 5: Clarksdale. Devil’s Crossroads, the pretty mediocre Abe’s BBQ, blues at the downtown pavilion
Day 6: Columbus. Oxford (Faulkner’s House, Square Books, the super delightful Ajax Diner), Natchez Trace Parkway from Houston to French Camp, Tennessee William’s birthplace
Day 7: Birmingham. Vulcan Park, Dreamland BBQ, Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park, 16th St Baptist Church memorial. Would have gone to: Sloss Furnaces, Jack Brown’s for a burger
Day 8: Tuscumbia. Clarkson Covered Bridge, Natural Bridge, Helen Keller’s birthplace.
Day 9: Hernando. Natchez Trace Parkway from Tuscumbia to Tupelo, Elvis’ birthplace.
Day 10: Memphis. Back to the airport
posted by librarylis at 12:28 PM on June 11, 2018 [4 favorites]

Sounds like an awesome trip! Hope you enjoyed the Civil Rights Museum especially.
posted by raspberrE at 10:28 AM on June 19, 2018