While I could have spent another week in New Orleans, I had already decided that I’d have to come back some day in the future with friends to get the full experience, so wasn’t too worried about trying to pack in all the sights. Megan’s connections continued to be a blessing as her sister offered …
Category Archives: Southeast
Louisiana: New Orleans
New Orleans! I was very excited to go to New Orleans, and it was not a let down. I happened to visit when the weather was beautiful, and the Corona crazies hadn’t yet hit in full force. I got extremely lucky by knowing Megan, another friend from work, who is from the area and has …
Mississippi: Oxford to Natchez
From Memphis I had initially thought I’d travel through Tupelo back to the Natchez Trace, but enough people told me that Tupelo wasn’t worth visiting (including the Termite lady from the Arcade lunch) that I decided to skip it and go south through Oxford instead. Fortunately for me this gave me the chance to meet …
Tennessee: Memphis
Driving to Memphis was fairly uneventful, and I arrived on the later side and made a last minute impulse decision to stay at the Graceland campgrounds since I didn’t have a good sense of where anything was in the city and had heard from multiple people that there were definitely some neighborhoods that were better …
Alabama: Muscle Shoals & Florence
Leaving Franklin, TN, just a few miles outside town I hopped on the start of the Natchez Trace Parkway- a beautiful, mainly one lane road running along a long established Native American trail through woods, swamps, farmland, and fields. I followed the parkway south until it left Tennessee and I’d arrived in Florence, Alabama. There …
Tennessee: Nashville
After my day touring Mammoth Cave I arrived in Nashville in time for a great dinner at this cool place in Five Points/East Nashville where I had turnip-noodle pasta that was so good I made actual happy yummy noises eating. Excellent start to a Sunday night, and while eating I googled some options for music …
Kentucky: Mammoth Cave
South from Louisville I went to Mammoth Cave National Park. The largest known cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave stretches over 400 miles and is still being explored and discovered. While visitors can hike, visit the streams and sink holes, and other above ground sites at any time, the cave sections are only accessible …
Kentucky: Louisville
I had planned to spend a night in the Red River Gorge, but between so much of the park being closed for winter and more snow and freezing temps I called an audible and moved up my arrival in Louisville. A friend who used to be in my book club before she moved for grad …
Kentucky: Lexington
I rolled into Lexington in the early evening and of course told my friend Kevin, who is from a family of “avid” (an understatement) UK fans, that I was on their turf. He strongly suggested I stay until the next men’s basketball game and get a ticket. I looked this up and the cheapest was …
Tennessee: Chattanooga and back to DC
The next stop on my route towards home was Chattanooga, which I’d been hearing great things about from my friend Destani for years whenever she went to visit relatives. I arrived in town in the late afternoon on a drizzly, overcast day. Not ideal for viewing from the surrounding mountains, but I figured a little …
The Van is Go 