Suggestions For A Muscovite Driving in America

February 28, 2008 11:08 AM

Russian friends loose in the USA ... help me suggest stops & things to see as they drive from New York to Miami.

A good friend of mine and his wife (both from Moscow) are visiting the USA at the end of March. This is not their first time in the USA, but they have decided for the first time to rent a car and drive from one end of the east coast to the other. They will be leaving from New York City and then making the long trek down to Miami, FL. They plan on doing this in four short days. Is there anything they should definitely hit on the way down? Cool towns to stay in, nice tourist-y things, stuff a Russian shouldn't miss on a sight-seeing tour of the east coast USA?

I've thought of this stuff: Savannah GA, Asheville NC, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Rock City GA, and, of course, a stop in Washington DC. I'm in Orlando so they will also be stopping here. Beyond that I'm coming up short. Any other suggestions would be fantastic. Things more specific then town or city names are certainly welcome.

Thanks in advance!

posted by General Zubon to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Oh ... and I also already thought of the all important stop at South Of The Border ...
posted by General Zubon at 11:10 AM on February 28

The Air and Space Museum in DC has some Russian ICBMs and other Russian space program paraphernalia.
posted by Krrrlson at 11:11 AM on February 28

I'd definitely recommend spending either a day at Cumberland Island, GA or St. Augustine, FL. Cumberland Island is a beautiful, largely undeveloped barrier island with 19th century ruins, wild horses and the most pristine beaches in the entire Southeast. St. Augustine is our nation's oldest city, founded by the Spanish in the 1500s, and has lots of great scenery, architecture, shopping and food. Both are right off of I-95, which is what I'm assuming they'll be taking down to Miami.
posted by saladin at 11:23 AM on February 28

Four days isn't a tremendous amount of time for that trip. I would say that the coast and the mountains would be an either/or kind of thing. Both ways you'd go from NYC to DC, which including sightseeing in the nation's capital would use up most of day one. Then the mountain route would take you down Skyline Drive, which turns into the Blue Ridge Parkway and ends up in Cherokee, which has a lousy casino and a terrific Museum of the Cherokee Indian. This would be day two. Then U.S. 441 through NC and the north Georgia mountains and Athens, GA (if they have any affinity for REM) and eventually to I-75, which would put them on the route to Orlando.
I haven't explored much of the sea route, but Myrtle Beach would probably give a more honest if less flattering picture of the South Atlantic coast, and it doesn't get any better than Savannah or Charleston. I personally think Savannah is more fun and maybe a bit more open.
If I were going by the sea I'd try to spend some time driving US 1 instead of I-95 once you got into Georgia.
posted by Dr. Grue at 12:04 PM on February 28