Stay : Two months across the south of the United States
This two-month stay allows a real discovery of Deep South. Every state travelled makes you spend a week stay. Take the time of this journey by car to immerse yourself in the Mediterranean atmosphere.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
70 days
€€ - Charm and comfort
Detail of the stay : Two months across the south of the United States - 70 days
Day 1: Arrival in Miami
Steps: Miami
Settle in Miami Beach and enjoy the seaside atmosphere of the city.
Day 2: Miami Beach
Steps: Miami, Daytona Beach
Walk in Miami Beach and its Art Deco neighbourhood, relaxation on the beach, visit of museums and parks, shopping in a mall or in a designer's shop... In the evening, outing in Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue.
Day 3: Everglades National Park
Steps: Key West
Departure at dawn. Discovery of the ecosystem, alone or with a guide, cycling or canoeing. Departure in the very day to arrive at in Key West late in the day unless you decide to extend until the next morning.
Day 4: The Keys
Steps: Key West
If you slept in Everglades or on the road to Key West, you can fully enjoy the bridges which will lead you to the end of the Keys. If you had already returned to Key West, rent a bicycle or scooter to take advantage of the streets of the island, its lush vegetation and Caribbean houses. Enjoy the sunset on Mallory Square.
MALLORY SQUARE
Day 5: The Keys
Swimming and relaxation are on the programming of this day.
Day 6: Return to Miami
Last walk in the city. Shopping.
Day 7: Orlando
Steps: Orlando
Walk along the Atlantic coast of the Georgia. Stop in Orlando in one of the many amusement parks.
Day 8: Golden Isles
Steps: Orlando, Little Saint Simons Island, Saint Simons Island, Brunswick, Jekyll Island, Cumberland Island
At 3 pm in north of Orlando, you enter Georgia through the Atlantic facade. It's off this beautiful border coast that you can go to the Golden Isles that form, from South to North, Cumberland Island, Jekyll Island, Brunswick and walk through the streets of the historic centre.
Day 9: Golden Isles
Steps: Brunswick
Spend the night in Brunswick and walk through the streets of the historic centre.
Day 10: Savannah
Savannah is a gem of the Antebellum architecture. Visit her beautiful homes like the Owens-Thomas House. Enjoy the excellent culinary reputation of the city to taste the soul food and the seafood. Take the time to taste the charm of a city marked by the American Civil War. Located at one-hour drive from Brunswick.
Day 12: Macon
Leave the coast and enter the Georgian lands to reach Macon, one of the best preserved cities in the South and located 2-hour drive from Savannah. The historic centre is a dive in the pre-war south.
Day 13: Atlanta
Steps: Atlanta
Start the tour of the city by Centennial Olympic Park which houses, among others, the Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta's other great attraction is World of Coca-Cola, the head office of the famous company. Visit the High Museum of Art.
GEORGIA AQUARIUM / WORLD OF COCA-COLA / CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK / HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
Day 14: Atlanta
Don't miss the Hollywood's greatest successes.
MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE & MUSEUM / MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HISTORIC SITE VISITOR CENTER
Day 15: Atlanta-Charleston
Steps: Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah
Approximately 5 hours and half from Atlanta to Georgia and Charleston on the South Carolina coast. Take the time of this journey to cross the Savannah River and soak up the atmosphere of the South.
Day 16: Charleston
Steps: Charleston
A beautiful highlight of the south, Charleston is an open-air museum that tells the farmers life and the Civil War violence. Don't miss the Fort Sumter National Monument where the civil war began in 1861.
FORT SUMTER NATIONAL MONUMENT
Day 17: Charleston
The Antebellum architecture lovers will not be delighted, the city is full of beautiful mansions typical of the pre-war period.
Day 18: Beaufort
Steps: Beaufort, Charleston
From Charleston you can make a day excursion to Beaufort, a very beautiful historic city at 1 hour an half south of the city.
Day 19: The plantations along the Ashley River
Steps: Charleston
Less than an hour's walk from Charleston, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Old South Antebellum and visit the beautiful plantations surrounding Ashley River Road.
Day 20: Grand Strand
Steps: Galveston, Georgetown
Cross the Atlantic coast of South Carolina 60 miles north, more known as the Grand Strand. Departure from Georgetown, a languidly charming old town which was a very well-known destination in the 19th century.
THE STRAND
Day 21: Grand Strand
Steps: Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island
A little farther to the north, Pawleys Island is slightly out of time. Then go to Myrtle Beach, the great attraction of the coast.
Day 22: Wilmington
Steps: Galveston, Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Charleston, Savannah
Wilmington is a magnificent drop-off point to enjoy the coast. As charming as Charleston or Savannah, its historic centre is worth a visit. The white sandy beaches of the surrounding area are also unmissable, including .
Day 23: The Outer Banks
Steps: Galveston, Buxton, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Wilmington
North of Wilmington, the Cape Lookout National Seashore is the gateway to the Outer Banks, where you can spend two days by alternating beaches on Ocracoke Island and scenic lighthouse visits such Hatteras Lighthouse.
CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
Day 24: Outer Banks
Continue exploring the Outer Banks beaches. Once you have fully enjoyed the ocean, go to the lands from North Carolina to the state capital, Raleigh 4-hour drive.
Day 25: Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill University Triangle
It is in this central triangle of the North Carolina where the most prestigious American universities are located. Beyond the magnificent campuses, these three cities enjoy a pleasant student atmosphere.
Day 26: Blue Ridge Parkway
Steps: Durham, Boone, Asheville
Leave the plain and join the Appalachians to the east of the state in the town of Boone, about 3-hour drive from Durham. A university city oriented towards the culture of the Appalachian, it is a pleasant part of the visit. Take the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic road that crosses the Asheville at 2 pm from Boone.
Day 27: Asheville
Steps: Asheville
Asheville is the centre of the New Age Renaissance where the new American hippies meet. It is also a centre of American culinary renewal as well as a place of traditional local music (bluegrass and country). Enjoy this particularly relaxing atmosphere during the day.
Day 28: Great Smoky Mountains
Steps: Cherokee, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
To the east, Cherokee is the gateway to the Mountains National Park. A Cherokee land, this park in the Appalachians makes the link between North Carolina and Tennessee. Enjoy the wild beauty of the places and take a two-day trek if you are a nature lover.
Day 29: Great Smoky Mountains and Dollywood
Steps: Knoxville, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge
End your stay in the Pigeon Forge. You will discover the musical arts and traditions of the region. Spend the night in Knoxville (TN).
DOLLYWOOD & DOLLYWOOD SPLASH COUNTRY
Day 30: Lexington
Steps: Lexington, Renfro Valley, Berea, Knoxville
Go to Lexington, the horse's capital, with its superb Knoxville and Lexington, stop at Mount Vernon-Renfro Valley, visit the and in Berea to discover its craft district and its Knoxville and Lexington.
KENTUCKY HORSE PARK / KENTUCKY MUSIC HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM / BEREA COLLEGE HISTORIC CAMPUS
Day 31: Lexington- Bourbon Trail-Louisville
Steps: Louisville, Lexington
Visit Lexington at the Trensilvania University and Born Park. In the early afternoon, drive to Louisville. Take the time to visit some Bourbon distilleries which you will find on the Bourbon Trail. The trip between Lexington and Louisville will take you one hour, 2 to 3 hours by stopping at different distilleries.
Day 32: Louisville
Steps: Louisville
Visit the Churchill Downs Hippodrome for the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in America. Taste the cocktail named Mint Julep. In the evening, enjoy the entertainment in Fourth Street Live.
Day 33: Hodgenville-Bowling Green
Steps: Hodgenville, Louisville, Mammoth Cave National Park, Bowling Green
After a last tour on the banks of Ohio, take the road to the south, towards Hodgenville. Visit the Mammoth Cave National Park. Night on site or at Bowling Green. It takes you 1 hour 40 minutes to travel from Louisville to Bowling Green, and 20 minutes less to Mammoth Cave.
Day 34: Mamoth National Park Cave
Steps: Bowling Green
Spend the day by visiting part of the largest network of caves in the world. Night on site or at Bowling Green.
Day 35: Bowling Green-Nashville
Steps: Bowling Green, Nashville
Visit of the National Corvette Museum in the morning, then go to Nashville. It takes 1 hour drive between Bowling Green and Nashville.
NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM
Day 36: Nashville
Steps: Nashville
Discovering Nashville, the country music centre in the United States.
Day 37: Nashville
Steps: Nashville
Visit the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and listen to music in the must-go Auditorium.
Day 38: Natchez Trace Parkway and Shiloh National Military Park
Steps: Natchez, Corinth, Shiloh National Military Park, Nashville
From Nashville, take the Natchez, in the Mississippi. Take advantage of this road to immerse yourself in the local atmosphere and then turn into the Shiloh National Military Park, one of the biggest battlegrounds of the American Civil War. Prolong your visit to Corinth (MS) and its Shiloh National Military Park. The road between Nashville and Shiloh will take you 40 minutes and another 40 minutes to reach Corinth where you can spend the night.
Day 39: Memphis
2 hours west from Corinth, Memphis is the city of Elvis and the blues. For the King's fans, a visit of Graceland where he lived and is buried is an absolute must. The Sun Studio visit where he recorded and others like Johnny Cash is also exciting.
Day 41: Oxford
The city of William Faulkner, one of the greatest American writers, Oxford is located 2 hours south of Memphis. It's a charming gateway to Mississippi. The heart of the city beats at Courthouse Square where you will find restaurants, cafes and a warm atmosphere. Don't miss to visit , the magnificent home where Faulkner stayed from 1930 until his death in 1962.
WILLIAM FAULKNER'S ROWAN OAK
Day 42: Blues Highway
Steps: Clarksdale, Tunica, Memphis
The Highway 61 which goes along the Mississippi river from Memphis to New Orleans is called Blues Highway. Immerse yourself in the origins of the blues from Clarksdale where you can visit the Delta Blues Museum. It is a mythical city where you can spend the night. It takes you 1 hour to travel between Memphis and Clarksdale, with a stop at the Gateway To The Blues Visitors Center located on the Highway, at the height of Tunica.
DELTA BLUES MUSEUM
Day 43: Cleveland-Greenwood-Greenville
Steps: Indianola, Greenwood, Clarksdale, Leland, Greenville, Cleveland
South of Clarksdale, take a full day to visit the area of the Cleveland-Greenwood-Greenville triangle. To east Cleveland, stop at Greenwood you will find one of the (many) Indianola, where BB King became famous. Don't miss the Ebony Club that belongs to him today. Before you reach Greenville, where you can spend the night, make a last stop in Leland. Visit Highway 61 Blues Museum, then visit Greenville is at 1-hour drive from Clarksdale.
ROBERT JOHNSON GRAVESITE / DOCKERY FARMS / HIGHWAY 61 BLUES MUSEUM / JIM HENSON MUSEUM, BIRTHPLACE OF KERMIT THE FROG
Day 44: Jackson
Steps: Jackson
The capital of Mississippi is no longer in the , Jackson is a modern and airy city, which boasts beautiful buildings to visit (including its two capitoles) and is an important witness to the struggle for civil rights.
Day 45: Jackson
Steps: Jackson, Greenville
Take the time to visit the Jackson from Greenville.
MISSISSIPPI AGRICULTURAL & FORESTRY MUSEUM
Day 46: Vicksburg
40 minutes to the west of Jackson, Vicksburg was the place of a major battle of the Civil War. After the visit of the , visit the city centre with its cobbled streets and beautiful old mansions.
VICKSBURG NATIONAL MILITARY PARK
Day 47: Natchez
Steps: Natchez, Vicksburg, Natchez
Leave the past violence of Vicksburg and take the road for the beautiful and quiet city of Natchez, at 1-hour drive. Natchez has preserved its pre-war splendour as it was very little affected by the war.
Day 49: Natchez Trace Parkway-Tupelo
Steps: Natchez, Natchez, Tupelo, Nashville
Leave early in morning Natchez and go up Natchez Trace, an ancient Indian track that crosses unspoilt bucolic landscapes between Natchez and Nashville, Tennessee. Finish in Tupelo, Elvis's hometown. It takes you 5 hours 30 from Natchez to Tupelo.
NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY
Day 50: Muscle Shoals
Steps: Tupelo
Just under 2-hour drive from Tupelo, Tennessee River in the northern part of Alabama state. This region is an important musical centre, which supported the development of R&B and soul in the 1960s. Don't miss in Tuscumbia.
ALABAMA MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Day 51: Huntsville
Steps: Huntsville
1-hour drive to the east, Huntsville is home to one of the best attractions in the United States. is the world's largest museum dedicated to space. A must.
US SPACE & ROCKET CENTER
Day 52: Birmingham
Steps: Birmingham
As you return to the geographical heart of Alabama, you will find Birmingham, a city of great historical interest as the defence movement for civil rights was particularly active there. Don't miss the describing the history of segregation and the black Americans struggle for equality.
BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE
Day 54: Montgomery
Steps: Birmingham, Montgomery
The capital of Alabama is at less than 2 hours south of Birmingham. It is also a great place of history: It's here that Rosa Parks decided to sit among the whites on a bus, which started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Go to the Dexter Parsonage Museum where Martin Luther King lived, when he was in charge of the renowned church Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church.
CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL & CENTER / DEXTER AVENUE KING MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH / DEXTER PARSONAGE MUSEUM
Day 55: Mobile
Steps: Montgomery, Mobile
Alabama inherited a very small opening on the Gulf of Mexico. Mobile is the treasure. 3-hour drive from Montgomery, it was the first colony installed by the French in the region. For a little bit of history, go to and . Visit the , take a tour of the old town by Dauphin Street and discover the beautiful residences in the historic districts. Think also of visiting to the East of the city.
USS ALABAMA BATTLESHIP MEMORIAL PARK / THE HISTORY MUSEUM OF MOBILE / MOBILE CARNIVAL MUSEUM / FORT CONDÉ
Day 56: Mobile - New Orleans
Steps: La Nouvelle-Orléans, Mobile, Biloxi, Ocean Springs
Shortly after leaving Mobile, plan a stop in Ocean Springs for the Walter Museum of Art and in Biloxi for lunch. When you arrive in New Orleans, start by walking through the Old Quarter before exploring the rest of the city.
WALTER ANDERSON MUSEUM OF ART
Day 57: New Orleans
Steps: La Nouvelle-Orléans
For the second day in the one called The Big Easy, you can try a ghost tower or a voodoo tower to dive into the legends and mysteries of the city. Visit the French Market, on the banks of Mississippi and in the neighbourhoods you have to discover.
FRENCH MARKET
Day 58: The bayou
In the vicinity of New Orleans, you are in cajun countries and in the heart of the bayou, these typical marsh of Louisiana where alligators abound. Profit from a guided tour with a local alligator hunter.
Day 59: The plantations
Steps: St Francisville, Baton Rouge
The plantation route stretches over 150 miles between New Orleans and Baton Rouge). Choose different styles.
Day 60: Lafayette Region - Cajun Countries
Steps: Avery Island, Breaux Bridge, St Martinville, New Iberia
Visit the Avery Island, discover New Iberia, go up to Breaux Bridge, the world's capital of the crayfish. Spend the evening with a fais do-do (a dancing party).
TABASCO FAN EXPERIENCE
Day 62: Baton Rouge and St Francisville
Steps: Baton Rouge, Lafayette
Take a quick tour in Baton Rouge, the State capital and rival of New Orleans (at just less than 1 hour drive from Lafayette). Don't spend too much time there but instead go to St Francisville at 40 minutes from Baton Rouge where you can choose between one or two plantations to visit.
Day 63: Alexandria and Natchitoches
Steps: Alexandria - Pineville, Natchitoches
Leave early for Natchitoches, just 1-hour drive north of Alexandria.
Day 64: Houston
Steps: Natchitoches, Houston, Atlanta
Morning departure to reach Texas and Houston. It takes 4 hours and half from Natchitoches. When you arrive, take the time to rest in the heart of one of the great green lungs of the city, such as Memorial Park or Hermann Park. Spend the evening in Downtown to begin this first stage.
Day 65: Houston
Steps: Houston, Corpus Christi, Clear Lake City
The next day, the early birds will discover Houston via its Museum District by choosing one of its many museums. In the afternoon, departure for the , south of the city.
SPACE CENTER HOUSTON
Day 66: Fort Worth
Steps: Houston, Fort Worth
Four and a half hours north of Houston, Fort Worth is a dive into the world of Texas cowboys. Discover the Stockyards district of Fort Worth, with the sale of cattle and the longhorns which beat the pavement, guided by the cowboys.
Day 67: San Antonio
Steps: San Antonio, Fort Worth
About 4 hours and 30 of Fort Worth to the South, San Antonio is one of the oldest cities in Texas. It is also one of the most pleasant. Once you recovered from the trip, you can easily discover San Antonio on foot. Don't miss the , the or the that makes the city's charm.
THE ALAMO MISSION - FORT ALAMO / SAN FERNANDO CATHEDRAL / SPANISH GOVERNOR'S PALACE
Day 68: Bandera
Steps: San Antonio, Bandera
At 1 hour from San Antonio, Bandera is the heart of a cowboy country. Spend this day in a nearby ranch. Sleep on site.
Day 69: Austin
At 2-hour drive from Bandera, Austin is the capital of Texas. It is also the city living an impressive musical effervescence. Visit the city centre, its museums and its capitol and do not hesitate to indulge in a local honky-tonk in the heart of country music.
Day 70: Back
Here you are at the end of your journey. Pack your bags and join the airport with your head full of beautiful memory.
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