Squeezing in some good stuff between New Orleans and New York City
November 13, 2014 2:12 PM Subscribe
Please critique our itinerary, with special reference to public transport, music and baseball around Georgia and the Carolinas.
We're Londoners who've each been to the States a few times. It's time to combine a trip to old favourite NYC with some new stuff. Our top priority is New Orleans, and we could just do a side trip by flying there and back from New York, but we've started to get greedy and look at some of the tempting bits inbetween. It’s probably no surprise that Savannah, Charleston and Asheville leap out at us.
We love beautiful architecture, history and art, great bars (meaning divey-casual-beer rather than sleek-dressy-cocktails), great food (every description of ‘southern food’ I read makes me salivate), great live music (Cajun, zydeco and bluegrass are particularly high on the agenda), and one of us is a baseball nut who'd love to take in a minor league game along the way. And we’re a lesbian couple so would prefer not to end up anywhere that might cause major problems.
But we’re not looking so much for tips about what to do in these places (seems there are plenty previous threads on that); it’s more that we need a reality check, and people who know the area to tell us what we're missing, what our transportation options are, and whether this itinerary would be worth all the travelling.
Our biggest snowflake, y’see, is a strong preference for public transport. We especially love a good train journey. One of us doesn’t drive and the one who does has driven in the US once before but still finds the prospect intimidating, so we want to reserve any driving for the situations where public transport would be outlandishly hellish/tedious.
The trip is taking place in April. Here's our current thinking:
0. Arrive in NYC
1. Fly NYC to New Orleans
2, 3, 4, 5. Days in New Orleans
6. New Orleans to Atlanta by Amtrak (an all-day trip); night in Atlanta
7. Atlanta to Savannah by Greyhound; night in Savannah
8. Savannah
9. Savannah to Charleston by Amtrak; day and night in Charleston
10. Charleston
11. Hire a car and drive Charleston to Asheville
12. Asheville
13. Drive Asheville to Charlotte where we drop off the car; night in Charlotte
14. Charlotte to NYC by Amtrak (another all-day journey)
15, 16, 17, 18. NYC then fly home to London
Some specific questions are exercising us:
A) Would you say four days is enough for a first visit to New Orleans?
B) Are the two big train journeys scenic or otherwise interesting? If the view out the window's dull all the way, we might think of flying Charlotte to New York instead.
C) How straightforward are the driving legs of the trip likely to be for someone who doesn't relish the prospect of driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar place on an unfamiliar side of the road?
D) We hear the music scene in Asheville is great. Say we wanted to hear some live bluegrass or folk music; should we time our visit for the weekend, or is every night potentially a good night?
E) But we could avoid driving altogether, and spend more time in Savannah and Charleston, if we missed out Asheville this time and just took the train straight from Charleston back to New York (possibly overnight, unless the scenery’s unmissable). What would you recommend? Is there enough of interest in those two cities to make that worthwhile, especially when we wouldn’t have a car to get us to the coast?
F) Savannah, Charleston and Asheville all have baseball teams that will be playing in April. Assuming we can be in town when they’re in town, which of the three would be the most fun or atmospheric experience? (We know about the New Orleans Zephyrs but would like to seek out a smaller-town baseball experience.)
G) Is there anywhere else in the environs that we really should see, and that we can feasibly get to?
Thanks in advance for any and all thoughts and suggestions.
We're Londoners who've each been to the States a few times. It's time to combine a trip to old favourite NYC with some new stuff. Our top priority is New Orleans, and we could just do a side trip by flying there and back from New York, but we've started to get greedy and look at some of the tempting bits inbetween. It’s probably no surprise that Savannah, Charleston and Asheville leap out at us.
We love beautiful architecture, history and art, great bars (meaning divey-casual-beer rather than sleek-dressy-cocktails), great food (every description of ‘southern food’ I read makes me salivate), great live music (Cajun, zydeco and bluegrass are particularly high on the agenda), and one of us is a baseball nut who'd love to take in a minor league game along the way. And we’re a lesbian couple so would prefer not to end up anywhere that might cause major problems.
But we’re not looking so much for tips about what to do in these places (seems there are plenty previous threads on that); it’s more that we need a reality check, and people who know the area to tell us what we're missing, what our transportation options are, and whether this itinerary would be worth all the travelling.
Our biggest snowflake, y’see, is a strong preference for public transport. We especially love a good train journey. One of us doesn’t drive and the one who does has driven in the US once before but still finds the prospect intimidating, so we want to reserve any driving for the situations where public transport would be outlandishly hellish/tedious.
The trip is taking place in April. Here's our current thinking:
0. Arrive in NYC
1. Fly NYC to New Orleans
2, 3, 4, 5. Days in New Orleans
6. New Orleans to Atlanta by Amtrak (an all-day trip); night in Atlanta
7. Atlanta to Savannah by Greyhound; night in Savannah
8. Savannah
9. Savannah to Charleston by Amtrak; day and night in Charleston
10. Charleston
11. Hire a car and drive Charleston to Asheville
12. Asheville
13. Drive Asheville to Charlotte where we drop off the car; night in Charlotte
14. Charlotte to NYC by Amtrak (another all-day journey)
15, 16, 17, 18. NYC then fly home to London
Some specific questions are exercising us:
A) Would you say four days is enough for a first visit to New Orleans?
B) Are the two big train journeys scenic or otherwise interesting? If the view out the window's dull all the way, we might think of flying Charlotte to New York instead.
C) How straightforward are the driving legs of the trip likely to be for someone who doesn't relish the prospect of driving an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar place on an unfamiliar side of the road?
D) We hear the music scene in Asheville is great. Say we wanted to hear some live bluegrass or folk music; should we time our visit for the weekend, or is every night potentially a good night?
E) But we could avoid driving altogether, and spend more time in Savannah and Charleston, if we missed out Asheville this time and just took the train straight from Charleston back to New York (possibly overnight, unless the scenery’s unmissable). What would you recommend? Is there enough of interest in those two cities to make that worthwhile, especially when we wouldn’t have a car to get us to the coast?
F) Savannah, Charleston and Asheville all have baseball teams that will be playing in April. Assuming we can be in town when they’re in town, which of the three would be the most fun or atmospheric experience? (We know about the New Orleans Zephyrs but would like to seek out a smaller-town baseball experience.)
G) Is there anywhere else in the environs that we really should see, and that we can feasibly get to?
Thanks in advance for any and all thoughts and suggestions.
I wouldn't voluntarily take Amtrak from New Orleans to the coast or from Charlotte to NYC. Just take a plane, you won't be sorry. I'd also take a plane directly from New Orleans to Savannah (you'll change planes in Atlanta.) It's only 110 miles from Savannah to Charleston, so rent a car and drive it. It won't be so bad. A couple of hours, you'll be fine. Or take Amtrak for that leg of your journey. Skip Asheville, just go from Charleston to NYC.
Southwest Airlines or Delta will be your best bet for cheap flights. Probably cheaper than Amtrak.
New Orleans can be fun, but I'd say 4 days is pushing it. It's mostly just finding things to do between meals. Look at an Antebellum mansion, walk around the French Quarter, listen to some jazz. That's it. Without a car, just stay in the French Quarter. The neighborhoods outside of the area are best left to locals.
AAA, AA and A baseball are all fun. And cheap! Take in a game in either locality, see the goofy stuff they do between innings, sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' eat hot dogs, drink beer. It's good clean fun.
I think that flying rather than trains is the way to go here. You're covering thousands of miles and trains in the US just aren't that good.
Bon Voyage!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:51 PM on November 13, 2014
Southwest Airlines or Delta will be your best bet for cheap flights. Probably cheaper than Amtrak.
New Orleans can be fun, but I'd say 4 days is pushing it. It's mostly just finding things to do between meals. Look at an Antebellum mansion, walk around the French Quarter, listen to some jazz. That's it. Without a car, just stay in the French Quarter. The neighborhoods outside of the area are best left to locals.
AAA, AA and A baseball are all fun. And cheap! Take in a game in either locality, see the goofy stuff they do between innings, sing 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame,' eat hot dogs, drink beer. It's good clean fun.
I think that flying rather than trains is the way to go here. You're covering thousands of miles and trains in the US just aren't that good.
Bon Voyage!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:51 PM on November 13, 2014
Savannah has a lovely baseball stadium and devoted fans. It's small and friendly and accessible by public bus from downtown. I live nearby.
I've taken the train from Savannah to New York and back a couple of times and enjoyed it. It stops in little towns, and Charleston, and big cities. It goes through marshes and woods and farms and slums and industrial wastelands. People are generally friendly if you sit in the club car.
The drive from Charleston to Asheville is pretty boring, but it's also a straight shot on a big highway, until you get to Asheville at which point prepare to be confused by all the bad signs, and distracted by the mountains. Yeah, saving Asheville for another trip is a good idea, and stay there for a few days. Instead, this trip, spend another day or two in Savannah, which I find more interesting than Charleston - and I'm from New York.
Feel free to write me with more specific questions about Savannah.
posted by mareli at 4:54 PM on November 13, 2014
I've taken the train from Savannah to New York and back a couple of times and enjoyed it. It stops in little towns, and Charleston, and big cities. It goes through marshes and woods and farms and slums and industrial wastelands. People are generally friendly if you sit in the club car.
The drive from Charleston to Asheville is pretty boring, but it's also a straight shot on a big highway, until you get to Asheville at which point prepare to be confused by all the bad signs, and distracted by the mountains. Yeah, saving Asheville for another trip is a good idea, and stay there for a few days. Instead, this trip, spend another day or two in Savannah, which I find more interesting than Charleston - and I'm from New York.
Feel free to write me with more specific questions about Savannah.
posted by mareli at 4:54 PM on November 13, 2014
I've driven from Charlotte to Raleigh, and taken the train from Raleigh to DC, and DC to NYC. There's no particularly interesting scenery, and the trains are slow. I think flying would generally be better and give you more time to do more enjoyable things.
Asheville is only a couple hours drive from Charlotte, so if you want to keep it in the itinerary I think it's do-able. I kind of feel like either Savannah or Charleston would be interesting, rather than both, but that's just me maybe. Asheville is definitely a different vibe than either of them, so depends what you're looking for.
posted by msbubbaclees at 5:00 PM on November 13, 2014
Asheville is only a couple hours drive from Charlotte, so if you want to keep it in the itinerary I think it's do-able. I kind of feel like either Savannah or Charleston would be interesting, rather than both, but that's just me maybe. Asheville is definitely a different vibe than either of them, so depends what you're looking for.
posted by msbubbaclees at 5:00 PM on November 13, 2014
As much as I love all of these places, I honestly think the mess that is US train/bus travel could make you crazy. I think Savannah and Charleston are similar enough that you could choose one, and if you still wanted to do Asheville this could give you a little more time in each place to make all the travel worth it.
If I were doing something like this, I would probably stay on Amtrak all the way to Charlotte from New Orleans, then rent a car there for the Savannah or Charleston and then Asheville side trips, with Amtrak from Charlotte to NYC at the end still. This would result in a much cheaper rental since pickup/dropoff would be the same place. Only challenge here would be getting to a rental place - if memory serves the Amtrak station is on the outskirts of downtown, not sure if rental places are close.
Extra bonus: Charlotte has a AAA team with a stadium downtown if you time things up right.
posted by marmago at 6:04 PM on November 13, 2014
If I were doing something like this, I would probably stay on Amtrak all the way to Charlotte from New Orleans, then rent a car there for the Savannah or Charleston and then Asheville side trips, with Amtrak from Charlotte to NYC at the end still. This would result in a much cheaper rental since pickup/dropoff would be the same place. Only challenge here would be getting to a rental place - if memory serves the Amtrak station is on the outskirts of downtown, not sure if rental places are close.
Extra bonus: Charlotte has a AAA team with a stadium downtown if you time things up right.
posted by marmago at 6:04 PM on November 13, 2014
Fly.
Trains in the United States are not like in Europe. It is not scenic. It is slow. It is not as comfortable.
Baseball. I am on a life-long quest to visit Baseball Stadiums. Your route passes 7 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) stadiums. Every MiLB team (and player) is owned by an major league team (MLB). If you are a baseball nut, then I assume that you have a favorite major league team. Many die-hard baseball fans visit the minor league teams affiliated with their favorite MLB team. Even if your favorite MLB team does not have a team where you are visiting, you might be able to catch them playing an away game. Check the schedules, and try to see an affiliate of your favorite MLB team.
There are six different levels of MiLB. Class-A is the fourth lowest level. Each Major League teams have 3 or 4 Class-A affiliate teams. Most of the these guys are young, and they will never make it to the majors. There are 5 Class-A teams on your route.
The Asheville Tourists (Rockies)
The Charleston River Dogs (Yankees)
The Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets)
The Staten Island Yankees (Yankees)
the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
The River Dogs, Sand Gnats, Yankees, and Cyclones are good options, partly because they are affiliated with a big money MLB team, so they have the money for nice stadiums and marketing campaigns to build a local fan base. Of your Class-A options, I think the Brooklyn Cyclones are the best. Right on the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, there is a famous baseball statue there of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, and it is just blocks from the original Nathan's Hot Dogs. But, ultimately this is Class-A baseball. It feels very minor league.
The highest level of the Minor Leagues is AAA. Triple-A is directly below MLB. Triple-A players could be called up the majors at any moment. Each MLB team has only one AAA team. When major league players are recovering from an injury, they play Triple-A. This is where you are most likely to see future stars. Triple-A feels like a big professional sports experience. There are two AAA teams on your route.
The Charlotte Knights (White Socks)
The New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins)
Of your AAA options, go with the Knights. They are affiliated with a big money team and they have good fan base. The Zephyrs are kind of lost in chaos of New Orleans.
The Louisiana State University Tigers
LSU is the best baseball experience in New Orleans. They are one of the best college baseball teams, and there is nothing like a university crowd to bring intensity and good cheer to a game. LSU sports have a big loyal following in New Orleans. Of course, college ball is only in the spring.
posted by Flood at 6:56 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
Trains in the United States are not like in Europe. It is not scenic. It is slow. It is not as comfortable.
Baseball. I am on a life-long quest to visit Baseball Stadiums. Your route passes 7 Minor League Baseball (MiLB) stadiums. Every MiLB team (and player) is owned by an major league team (MLB). If you are a baseball nut, then I assume that you have a favorite major league team. Many die-hard baseball fans visit the minor league teams affiliated with their favorite MLB team. Even if your favorite MLB team does not have a team where you are visiting, you might be able to catch them playing an away game. Check the schedules, and try to see an affiliate of your favorite MLB team.
There are six different levels of MiLB. Class-A is the fourth lowest level. Each Major League teams have 3 or 4 Class-A affiliate teams. Most of the these guys are young, and they will never make it to the majors. There are 5 Class-A teams on your route.
The Asheville Tourists (Rockies)
The Charleston River Dogs (Yankees)
The Savannah Sand Gnats (Mets)
The Staten Island Yankees (Yankees)
the Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
The River Dogs, Sand Gnats, Yankees, and Cyclones are good options, partly because they are affiliated with a big money MLB team, so they have the money for nice stadiums and marketing campaigns to build a local fan base. Of your Class-A options, I think the Brooklyn Cyclones are the best. Right on the Coney Island Boardwalk in Brooklyn, there is a famous baseball statue there of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, and it is just blocks from the original Nathan's Hot Dogs. But, ultimately this is Class-A baseball. It feels very minor league.
The highest level of the Minor Leagues is AAA. Triple-A is directly below MLB. Triple-A players could be called up the majors at any moment. Each MLB team has only one AAA team. When major league players are recovering from an injury, they play Triple-A. This is where you are most likely to see future stars. Triple-A feels like a big professional sports experience. There are two AAA teams on your route.
The Charlotte Knights (White Socks)
The New Orleans Zephyrs (Marlins)
Of your AAA options, go with the Knights. They are affiliated with a big money team and they have good fan base. The Zephyrs are kind of lost in chaos of New Orleans.
The Louisiana State University Tigers
LSU is the best baseball experience in New Orleans. They are one of the best college baseball teams, and there is nothing like a university crowd to bring intensity and good cheer to a game. LSU sports have a big loyal following in New Orleans. Of course, college ball is only in the spring.
posted by Flood at 6:56 PM on November 13, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm a big Amtrak fan. I take it in the northeast corridor (between Charlottesville, VA and Boston, MA) all the time. That said, if I were you, I'd probably fly. Most of that trip is the ass-end of every industrial town between Washington DC and New York City. South of DC has some nice bits, but not so nice that the long journey is really worth it. Charlotte has a very large airport (I'll be flying into it tomorrow, in fact) that serves as US Airways' hub, so airfares to New York City should be rather inexpensive.
posted by waldo at 6:59 PM on November 13, 2014
posted by waldo at 6:59 PM on November 13, 2014
FYI, LSU baseball is in Baton Rouge, which is another city about an hour and a half (driving) from New Orleans. I think four days is enough for a first visit to New Orleans; do not just stay in the French Quarter or you'll miss out on a lot of what's best in the city! It's really not that unsafe if you're at all street smart and avoid wandering around alone and blackout drunk. There are a lot of great dive-y bars all over the city, and you can see live music and eat amazing food for four days, no problem.
posted by MadamM at 7:49 PM on November 13, 2014
posted by MadamM at 7:49 PM on November 13, 2014
I have a slight quibble with Flood's advice. the MiLB teams are not owned by the MLB teams, but sign developmental agreements with MLB teams, and the wealth of the parent club doesn't really correlate to how nice a stadium the MiLB team has. Of the cities you're considering I'd recommend catching an Asheville Tourists game, McCormick Field is one of the most beautiful and interesting minor league stadiums in the US.
posted by nulledge at 6:18 AM on November 14, 2014
posted by nulledge at 6:18 AM on November 14, 2014
The drive from Savannah to Charleston is flat but interesting, you'll be on US 17 unless you're in a hurry and you step into the hell that is I 95. Avoid the interstate for this leg, it's not a bad drive and the coastal highway is way more interesting. Plan to stop in Beaufort to see a nice old seaside town that hasn't been commercialized to the gills yet. If you're up for an adventure, journey down to Edisto Beach State park. It'll add a couple of hours to your trip but is very scenic. Get picnic supplies at the Piggly Wiggly and have a picnic at the beach.
Driving Charleston to Asheville is a haul, but can be done. I once spend a weekend with one night in Asheville and the next in Edisto, but I was young and dumb. So be smarter than me and plan for extra time. You'll take I 26, unless you're really up for an adventure, then you can take US 17 to SC 69 to US 78 to US321 and then I 26 from Columbia on, it's a nice drive, but slow. You'll go thru the plantation row and into the farm country. In Columbia, stop and see the downtown. Stretch your legs on the State House grounds and realize that southerners are just as weird as you've heard (there's a monument to a gynecologist and a newspaper editor who was shot by a senator in addition to the usual war memorial bric-a-brac). Heading north, Hendersonville NC or Brevard NC are a nice little towns to get off the interstate and see.
I have not travelled via Amtrak in the Southeast US, but I seem to recall the train leaves very early in the morning for Charleston Columbia Charlotte leg. Be prepared to have some uncomfortable waiting room sleep to catch a 4am train that is usually late. My uncle used to take the train from Clemson, SC to DC and it departed at like 11pm and arrived at 6am.
Definitely go to a Charleston Riverdogs game if you can. It's a fun atmosphere, they have weird (but good) hot dogs (because Riverdogs, gettit?) and if you're lucky you might spot Bill Murray (he's part owner of the team).
Sounds like a fun trip, let me know if you have any other Georgia, NC, SC questions and I'll do my best to help out. Most of all, have fun and be sure to talk to as many folks as you can.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:59 AM on November 14, 2014
Driving Charleston to Asheville is a haul, but can be done. I once spend a weekend with one night in Asheville and the next in Edisto, but I was young and dumb. So be smarter than me and plan for extra time. You'll take I 26, unless you're really up for an adventure, then you can take US 17 to SC 69 to US 78 to US321 and then I 26 from Columbia on, it's a nice drive, but slow. You'll go thru the plantation row and into the farm country. In Columbia, stop and see the downtown. Stretch your legs on the State House grounds and realize that southerners are just as weird as you've heard (there's a monument to a gynecologist and a newspaper editor who was shot by a senator in addition to the usual war memorial bric-a-brac). Heading north, Hendersonville NC or Brevard NC are a nice little towns to get off the interstate and see.
I have not travelled via Amtrak in the Southeast US, but I seem to recall the train leaves very early in the morning for Charleston Columbia Charlotte leg. Be prepared to have some uncomfortable waiting room sleep to catch a 4am train that is usually late. My uncle used to take the train from Clemson, SC to DC and it departed at like 11pm and arrived at 6am.
Definitely go to a Charleston Riverdogs game if you can. It's a fun atmosphere, they have weird (but good) hot dogs (because Riverdogs, gettit?) and if you're lucky you might spot Bill Murray (he's part owner of the team).
Sounds like a fun trip, let me know if you have any other Georgia, NC, SC questions and I'll do my best to help out. Most of all, have fun and be sure to talk to as many folks as you can.
posted by 1f2frfbf at 7:59 AM on November 14, 2014
There are two aspects of your plan which may be more expensive than you realize:
-Amtrak can be shockingly expensive. I've never taken it in the South, but I'd bet its cheaper to fly NYC to Charlotte, for example.
-The dreaded rental-car drop fee. This is the fee they charge you when you want to drop a rental car off in a different city from the one you rented it in. This could easily double or triple the cost of your rental car.
Some other general advice....
-I can't speak for the other legs, but definitely fly NYC to Charlotte. Flights between the two are frequent, fast (about 2 hours), and usually cheap. I like a good train trip - including Amtrak - but the scenery from Charlotte to NYC isn't anything to write home about.
-Cutting out Asheville, or cutting one of Savannah or Charleston is probably a good idea.
-Four days is definitely enough for New Orleans. Its a great city, but its small, and easy to get a feel for.
-I've never driven Charleston-Asheville, but driving Charlotte-Asheville is pretty easy. Its not a long drive, and the roads are all highways. You've got to watch out a bit as you ascend/descend (particularly descend) the mountains around Asheville, but that's really it.
One idea might be to forget all the Amtrak legs, fly New Orleans to Charlotte, rent a car, and the drive Asheville-Charleston-back to Charlotte, then fly on to NYC. That might be more driving than you want, but its doable in 8 or 9 days and you'll avoid the cost/inconvenience of Amtrak and the drop fee.
posted by breakin' the law at 8:58 AM on November 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
-Amtrak can be shockingly expensive. I've never taken it in the South, but I'd bet its cheaper to fly NYC to Charlotte, for example.
-The dreaded rental-car drop fee. This is the fee they charge you when you want to drop a rental car off in a different city from the one you rented it in. This could easily double or triple the cost of your rental car.
Some other general advice....
-I can't speak for the other legs, but definitely fly NYC to Charlotte. Flights between the two are frequent, fast (about 2 hours), and usually cheap. I like a good train trip - including Amtrak - but the scenery from Charlotte to NYC isn't anything to write home about.
-Cutting out Asheville, or cutting one of Savannah or Charleston is probably a good idea.
-Four days is definitely enough for New Orleans. Its a great city, but its small, and easy to get a feel for.
-I've never driven Charleston-Asheville, but driving Charlotte-Asheville is pretty easy. Its not a long drive, and the roads are all highways. You've got to watch out a bit as you ascend/descend (particularly descend) the mountains around Asheville, but that's really it.
One idea might be to forget all the Amtrak legs, fly New Orleans to Charlotte, rent a car, and the drive Asheville-Charleston-back to Charlotte, then fly on to NYC. That might be more driving than you want, but its doable in 8 or 9 days and you'll avoid the cost/inconvenience of Amtrak and the drop fee.
posted by breakin' the law at 8:58 AM on November 14, 2014 [1 favorite]
Off-topic, but since one of you is a baseball nut, I highly recommend traveling up to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on a future (warm-weather) trip to New York. It's about a four-hour drive from the city. The drive along Route 28 takes you through the Catskills, which are lovely and historic. There are many other great attractions in the area, as well as glorious scenery.
posted by Leatherstocking at 11:24 AM on November 14, 2014
posted by Leatherstocking at 11:24 AM on November 14, 2014
I'll agree with everybody else about rethinking the trains in favor of flying, and turning the middle of the trip into a loop where you pick up and drop off a car in the same city instead of greyhounding. CLT or ATL would both be good as a point to begin and end the loop. I'd also agree with maybe cutting out one of the coast cities for more time in the other. If that's the case I'd go to Savannah and skip Charleston. You might also consider not overnighting in CLT on the way to NY; it's a 2-hour drive from AVL to CLT (4 for AVL-ATL) so you can leave in the morning, catch a flight, and have a late lunch in NY. The drives between Charlotte, Charleston, Savannah, and Asheville should be pleasant that time of year, and I guess relatively straightforward. I think if you commit to the car you'll get used to driving on the wrong side.
In New Orleans I've pretty much stuck to the French Quarter and close by. Haven't been there since Katrina. 3 nights may be plenty.
Asheville is a blast. The Asheville Tourists are fun. I might be biased but I think you'd be happy spending at least another day here instead of NO. Architecture and ghost tours are great in Savannah and Charleston. Charlotte downtown kind of rolls up its streets at night (that was 15 years ago).
Cred: I live in Asheville, previously lived in Charlotte, and have visited New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah, and Charleston multiple times.
Uncred: never ridden US trains or greyhound, not big into music.
Happy to help more over memail.
posted by achrise at 11:30 AM on November 14, 2014
In New Orleans I've pretty much stuck to the French Quarter and close by. Haven't been there since Katrina. 3 nights may be plenty.
Asheville is a blast. The Asheville Tourists are fun. I might be biased but I think you'd be happy spending at least another day here instead of NO. Architecture and ghost tours are great in Savannah and Charleston. Charlotte downtown kind of rolls up its streets at night (that was 15 years ago).
Cred: I live in Asheville, previously lived in Charlotte, and have visited New Orleans, Atlanta, Savannah, and Charleston multiple times.
Uncred: never ridden US trains or greyhound, not big into music.
Happy to help more over memail.
posted by achrise at 11:30 AM on November 14, 2014
I've taken Greyhound from Columbia to Jacksonville, which is probably comparable to the Atlanta to Savannah segment of your trip. It wasn't fun. It was a very long ride to begin with, and the bus made a zillion long stops at many small towns--just gas stations at intersections on the highway really, not scenic towns. I think it's not a form of transportation folks take as a matter of preference. Rent a car or fly if you can. I've been through southeast Georgia many times by car, and I'm always surprised by how endless it seems and how dull the drive is. I'm sure locals could direct you to non-obvious nature spots, barbecue places, etc., but it's a very big state--the most land area east of the Mississippi--and the main thing you see from the highway is the highway.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 3:12 PM on November 14, 2014
posted by Monsieur Caution at 3:12 PM on November 14, 2014
Response by poster: Belated thanks to everyone for the advice, all of which we've taken on board to come up with a new itinerary that gets us to Asheville but misses out Savannah and Charleston this time, and has us flying between Charlotte and NYC. Bonus Memphis and Nashville! And Asheville is our chosen minor league destination. Flights are booked and we couldn't be any more excited!
posted by FavourableChicken at 6:48 AM on February 15, 2015
posted by FavourableChicken at 6:48 AM on February 15, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
I've always experienced new Orleans as a driving city unless you are staying in the French Quarter. And don't wear Mardi Gras beads. It marks you as a tourist and you are now likely to get robbed unless it is actually Mardi gras. If you have money to spend taxis will work just fine or uber of you are into the taxi but not taxi experience that is a little cheaper.
posted by AlexiaSky at 2:35 PM on November 13, 2014