Comments on: The Quick 10: 10 of My Possible Road Trip Destinations

By: Annie

Annie — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Ask for Sammy at the disterilly if you take the tour. He is hilarious! And he makes his own peppermint cough syrup with peppermint sticks and whiskey. Its really good!

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:53:00 +0000

In Chattanooga you could:
-See Rock City and/or Ruby Falls
-Tour the TN Aquarium
-Visit the Creative Discovery Museum (for kids but a lot of fun)
-See the Chattanooga Choo Choo
-Ride the Incline

It’s a veritable cornucopia of touristy things to do…

By: Erin S.

Erin S. — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:02:00 +0000

There are so many suggestions here, I doubt this will be read, but I live in St. Louis and have 4 suggestions:
(1) As stated before, the City Museum is pretty sweet, definitely worth a look.
(2) Nearby the museum is the Schlafly Taproom, a great place to grab a pint. I’m sure someone has suggested going on a tour of the Busch brewery, but if you want to try a different (and might I say, much tastier) local brew, this is the way to go.
(3) For food, I would check out Blueberry Hill in the Loop; great food, great beer selection, and a vast collection of random crap on the walls (be sure to check out the shrine-like homage to the Simpsons).
(4) Finally, as a personal plug, be sure to go to the Saint Louis Science Center (free admission!); more specifically, go see a show in the Planetarium…I may know someone who works there and does an awesome show! ;-)

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:05:00 +0000

Graceland Too is a classic offbeat stop. Best of all you can go ANYTIME at all. 3 am or whatever… Its located in Holly Springs, MS.

Memphis’ zoo was just rated #1.

I’m from Memphis, so if you need any restaurant suggestions let me know!

By: Marty

Marty — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:47:00 +0000

The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis. If you’re into sad stories about a once proud family and a haunted house (now a bed and breakfast), this is the one for you. PLUS, it is right off I-55. Can get back on the road right away.

Marty, native St. Louisian who escape to So. AZ.

lempmansion dot com/
lempmansion. dot com/history.html
legendsofamerica dot com/MO-LempMansion.html

By: janeeyre316

janeeyre316 — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:12:00 +0000

I lived two summers in Memphis doing research at St. Jude, so here are my suggestions:
1. The Arcade Diner: it’s near the Civil Rights Museum and has been there forever. Elvis used to eat there. The sweet potato pancakes will change your life.
2. The Cheese Cake corner: it’s a few storefronts down from the Arcade. Best cheesecake I’ve ever had; it’s run by a guy who comes in whenever he feels like it and makes whatever flavor of cheesecake he fancies that day.
3. Mud Island: in the middle of the Mississippi, it has a scale model of the Mississippi’s route from St. Louis to the Gulf, which is a big pond you can ride paddleboats around in. Make sure to read the placard about New Orleans; it claims that the levee system makes the city virtually unfloodable. Depressing and hilarious in our post-Katrina world. Plus the views of the river are incredible.
4. Brooks Museum of Art: Great collection for such a little place. Plus, it’s in the same park as the Memphis Zoo, which is tons of fun (and has pandas!!!).
5. Beale Street: I know, everyone says this one, but it’s a blast on a Saturday or even Sunday night.
6. St. Jude: They have a small museum about Danny Thomas and the hospital, which is pretty cool. The architecture is modeled after a Lebanese mosque. Plus, it’s a wonderful place.
Have fun!!!!!

By: DB

DB — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 23:13:00 +0000

Memphis: ducks at the Peabody (check the schedule) â€“ the funniest thing is that when they get into the elevator, they turn around and face front, just like people!

Decatur/Huntsville â€“ Gibson’s bbq really is that good, like others have said.

Chattanooga – for the classic tourist stop, you should do what the barn roofs say and “See Rock City.” Great views, with a nice little hike to stretch your legs, a swinging bridge, and a pretty waterfall pouring off the cliff at the end of the trail. You can also ride the Incline, the steepest rail transportation in the U.S. But don’t bother with Ruby Falls; it’s not worth the time or money to see the overhyped underground waterfall.

If you want to take a little side trip about 20 minutes off the interstate, about half an hour south of Chattanooga, take exit I-75 at 333 and go through Dalton, GA toward Chatsworth and see the Chief Vann House, built and owned by the last Chief of the Cherokee Nation in Georgia before they were sent away. The house is an architectural marvel; to this day, engineers don’t understand why the stairs don’t collapse!

On your journey through the South, you should have barbecue (try dry ribs and a wet pulled pork sandwich), biscuits and gravy, pecan pie, and a piece of coconut cake made by a lady who is at least 60 years old and uses her grandmother’s recipe.

Have a fun trip!

By: Breanne

Breanne — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:43:00 +0000

You must stop at the City Museum in St Louis, MO. I know I am like the 6th person to mention this place, so obviously it is deserving of your attention!

Depending on your route from Memphis to St Louis (you might try both since you are going through each one there and back), you might want to stop in Metropolis, Illinois for a Superman experience.

By: Alexequalsmoney

Alexequalsmoney — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:06:00 +0000

-The Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Kinda weird that the “Rocket City” is in North Alabama but it’s definitely worth seeing.

-I’ll second Gibson’s BBQ in Decatur, it’s always popping up on Best BBQ lists.

-Greasy burger joint = SoulBurger in Huntsville, AL. Old school 70′s style Blacksploitation burgers at their best.

-Jack Daniels Distillery has gotten enough votes that there should be no question.

-Opryland Hotel is a great place to go stretch your legs. The inside is huge with a little ‘river’ and lots of plant life, etc. You have to see it to get the full idea. It’s great at Christmastime.

-Atlanta – Eat in 5 points either at Little 5 Pizza or El Myr (They have the BEST quesadillas)….amazing food in an eclectic part of town.

-Huge Elvis fan but i’ve never been to Graceland Too….if you go, please fill us in!

-If you’re a country music fan – Hank Williams’ grave in Montgomery – The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville – Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg = The City that Dolly Built :)

-Also watch out in Atlanta – The bums are notoriously pushy. I read once that the average homeless person in Atlanta can pull in 20,000 a year just from bugging people…..of course i have no idea how one would obtain that information. All i know is that after 20 minutes of walking downtown my first time in ATL, I was out 20 bucks, a stick of gum, and a fountain drink. :(

Enjoy your trip to the South, the hospitality thing really is true! Hold open a door and say howdy and you’ll be considered a saint.

By: Southern Buddhist

Southern Buddhist — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 06:36:00 +0000

I see a lot of folks here are familiar with Sarasota. I went to New College there. Great town.

I don’t know if they give tours or not, but you should stop at the Lookout Bakery in Chattanooga and see if you can get a freshly-made Moon Pie.

And yes, if you see a Krispy Kreme donut shop with the “Hot Doughnuts Now” sign lit, it’s worth a swerving U-turn tourist maneuver to get there. As Roy Blount says, “When they’re hot, Krispy Kreme doughnuts are to other doughnuts what angels are to people.”