Best places to visit in this arbitrary chunk of the southeast

May 8, 2022 8:57 AM

Create a shape on a map of the Southeast USA by connecting the dots between Nashville, Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Knoxville, and back to Nashville. What are the absolute best places to visit in October? Some preferences and guidelines in the extended explanation.

I have either lived in or spent a lot of time in the cities I've already listed, so I don't need to hear about those, with the exception of Knoxville, so if you love Knoxville, knox yourself out (lol).

We are two adults, no kids, who like :
-science and history
-non-strenuous nature stuff - a hike of several miles is fine but we are not into camping or mountain climbing or anything that remotely resembles a sport (though I will leap into any clean and swimmable natural body of water any chance I get)
-Bookstores
-Art museums
-Good food and drink

and we are really looking for places that don't require hard work to enjoy (at least for this trip, which will be bookended by some stressful obligations). Walkable towns or neighbourhoods where we can park our rental car and forget about until we are ready to leave would be great. Places that you might think of as touristy are probably exactly what we are looking for, as long as it's, like, the handmade pottery shops and antique stores and cute cafés sort of touristy, not the Pigeon Forge outlet mall and airbrush t-shirt shop inside of an arcade sort of touristy.

We're also happy to consider places up to a couple of hours outside of my mental map if they really fit the bill.


We are looking for a couple of different places to stay 2-3 nights each.

posted by cilantro to Travel & Transportation (16 answers total)

Best answer: You're going to get a lot of Asheville recommendations (which are accurate for all the things you want), but let me also take a moment to pitch Brevard to you, because it's a quick drive down from Asheville (via traditional roads or Blue Ridge Parkway) and it has 250 waterfalls.

Note that everything Blue Ridge adjecent will be pricier in October because leaf season.

Spirit of full disclosure, I have worked on tourism projects for Brevard before, but I mean this sincerely: it's gorgeous there and I love it.
posted by thivaia at 9:23 AM on May 8, 2022 [5 favorites]

Amazingly enough, a friend and I just did this. I live in Nashville, and he lives in Seattle and has a goal of visiting every national park. We had four nights. First day we hightailed it from Nashville to Columbia, SC stopping in Atlanta for dinner. We spent the night in Columbia, and went to Congaree National Park the next day on the way to Charleston. We spent two nights in Charleston and could've easily spent two more. Then we drove to Asheville and spent the night there. Then back to Nashville.

As someone who has spent a lot of time in all these cities, I'd focus my time on Nashville, Charleston, and Asheville.
posted by AaRdVarK at 11:17 AM on May 8, 2022

Chattanooga has a beautiful, chill aquarium. I prefer it to the one in Atlanta, because it's not as frenetic. There are darkened places to just be.
posted by heathrowga at 11:23 AM on May 8, 2022

Best answer: It's been a while since we lived there, but there's fun and easygoing stuff in Knoxville. The art museum isn't huge, but it's well-curated and free. It's close to the Sunsphere, which is fun to take in the views from. No wig shop, alas. Then it's a short walk to Market Square, with restaurants, boutiques, and such. The Visitor Center is near here as well, and this webpage has a useful map of the downtown area and a trolley route map. South of the river is the IJAMS nature center, which has a really great walking trail with a scenic boardwalk along the river.
posted by indexy at 12:11 PM on May 8, 2022

Lookout Mountain is near Chattanooga and has Rock City and an Incline Railway. Lots of touristy stuff nearby, too.

Athens, Georgia is where REM formed and is still a college town with a big music scene. There is an Art Museum and a Conservatory, though I haven't been there myself to know if it is the kind of place you can park and walk around. College towns often have good bookstores, too.

Hilton Head Island is just northeast of Savannah and has at least one public beach. It will be too cold for swimming in October, but the beach is beautiful there.
posted by soelo at 1:13 PM on May 8, 2022

savannah - it may be cold and overcast, but i had the greatest time strolling the autumn windswept beach on tybee island. dramatic and beautiful.

plus, you can visualize the USAF's lost active themonuclear bomb, which is not far off, buried in hundreds of feet of ocean and mud.
posted by j_curiouser at 3:00 PM on May 8, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks for the tips everyone. Just to be more clear, the cities I’ve listed (except for Knoxville) are already well known and thoroughly explored, I’m looking for places I’ve not been before. Still nice to hear your ideas though!
posted by cilantro at 3:30 PM on May 8, 2022

I like to use Atlas Obscura to find fun things to stop off at during road-trips
posted by oomny at 3:42 PM on May 8, 2022 [3 favorites]

Okay I am pretty sure that somewhere on your route between those cities, you could perchance pass through Bishopville, South Carolina to see the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden Here is a trailer for the documentary about him and his garden, the film "A Man Named Pearl" There is also a VERY GOOD barbecue restaurant at the end of the road, which makes a great companion stop.
posted by wowenthusiast at 5:24 PM on May 8, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Ohhhh, you're NOT looking for advice on those cities you listed, rather points in between. Ok then!

The Georgia Guidestones, near Elberton, sorta between Atlanta and Charleston (or Savannah, I guess). Downtown Elberton is a nice little place to have lunch.

Cloudland Canyon (and the eagles in Rome, although it's likely too late for them), between Nashville and Atlanta.
posted by intermod at 5:41 PM on May 8, 2022

Best answer: Not _too_ far west of where you'd turn on I-16 from I-75 to head to Savannah (or alternatively coming back) is Pasaquan. I haven't been but it's on my list due to the many exclamations of delight from friends who've been. It's "outsider art". Since you've lived in Atlanta, I'm sure you've probably encountered some of the things on this page from Atlas Obscura for outsider art but I'm including it here just in case
posted by TimHare at 6:32 PM on May 8, 2022

Best answer: Beaufort, SC and surrounds between Savannah and Charleston. Tons of history—and not all glorification of the antebellum south. Reconstruction history. Penn Center, Robert Smalls House, AME Church. Beautiful Low Country scenery and dolphin watching, Hunting Island State Park with a gorgeous beach. Gullah culture and history (and the iconic Gullah Grub restaurant).
posted by HonoriaGlossop at 7:28 PM on May 8, 2022

Best answer: Seconding Chattanooga! The Aquarium there is fantastic, and likely different than any you've seeing...the freshwater one specifically is very cool. The art museum is also interesting (if small) but perched on the cliff overlooking the TN River and is really spectacular on a pretty spring day. There's also more nature than you can shake a stick at, and if you were to go from Chattanooga over to Asheville you could drive along the Ocoee River, one of the prettiest mountain/river drives in the US.
posted by griffey at 7:29 PM on May 8, 2022

Best answer: If you drive through Macon on the Atlanta -> Savannah route, you could spend a decent afternoon there.

For non-strenuous walking, there's a paved trail along the river or you could take a walk around the Ocmulgee Mounds park ("more than 12,000 years of continuous human habitation!"). Or stroll through downtown and eat/drink. I would recommend the Rookery for burgers/pub food, H&H for Southern food, or Yollah for fancy cocktails and tapas.

Also downtown: several acceptable-to-good craft breweries, Golden Bough Books (quirky local selection, friendly cats), Fresh Produce Records (same, but no cats).

The Allman Brothers Big House Museum is small but interesting if you're a fan. There's a good college-town-style pizza place (Ingleside Village Pizza) a couple blocks away and a beer garden next door where you could bring your pizza/garlic knots to eat and drink outside if so inclined.

If it's unseasonably hot, High Falls State Park is on the way from Atlanta to Macon and a nice place to take a dip in the water, but unlikely in October.
posted by sparkling at 8:55 PM on May 8, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It may be too far out of your way, but if you have the time and are into outsider art another great site in Georgia is Howard Finster's Paradise Garden.
Also, seconding Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon.
Between Chattanooga and Knoxville is the Lost Sea, America's largest underground lake.
posted by indexy at 1:26 PM on May 9, 2022

Best answer: The Museum of Appalachia. It's a bunch of real Appalachian buildings from different time periods taken down from the mountains to show an Appalachian way of life that was disappearing. It's very folk art-y but also for kids there's a lot of animals. The food at their lunch counter is also traditional Appalachian food, so great (THE PIE!). It's right outside of Knoxville. They sometimes have fall events, or artisans showing the traditional way to make something, so check out their site. The music and dance events are great!

White Duck Taco is a small chain of international tacos (the General Tso taco!?!) that I long for.

Any part of the Blue Ridge Parkway or Smoky Mountains you can drive through around that time will be beautiful! I'm jealous! :D
posted by jennybento at 1:33 PM on May 9, 2022