[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by SIRE1

Don't know how far off the Interstate you want to venture, but the Blue Ridge Parkway between Ashville, NC and Roanoke,VA is fantastic.

Good idea! I’ve just read about it. I should take that route next month. The speed limit is never over 45 mph. It also crosses the Biltmore Estate. Stop and see that. It’s my favorite great mansion in the country. Where many mansions are rather effeminate, Biltmore is masculine, with lots of beautiful hand wrought iron.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by LizzieBorden

While traveling north/south spring and fall....we also use the app “IEXIT”. It tells you what restaurants, gas stations etc are available at each exit on the route you are traveling. If you havent used it, we found it to be quite useful.

Speaking of apps, can anyone recommend a good app that gives accurate warnings of upcoming construction sites, accident scenes, and other causes of traffic congestion. I would be all over an app that gives adequate warnings, with suggested alternative routs to avoid traffic, well before one gets stuck in the traffic and it is too late to avoid.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by GOLFER54

Visit Portland, Oregon, before it is leveled to the ground.

Portland, Oregon was my favorite relatively large city for a long time. It was super friendly with a progressive philosophy. The people spent a lot of time engaged in outside activities. Some people say that it has deteriorated in the last 5 years. I do not know for sure?

[D.Bolen]

This is such a great thread, thanks to the OP and all who have been contributing.

I have little to share except that my husband and I (with kids/grandkids in Savannah) also found "downtown" Beaufort SC to be historically interesting and very charming for a walkabout on its main drag of restaurants & shops. It is bordered on one side by a lovely waterfront with grassy areas and a nice fenced-in playground, great for an "activity break" for any young grandchildren traveling with you. Was told by locals that Beaufort's outlying areas are a great place to live if you're a boat owner, but know that the "downtown" itself flows into residential areas on its other sides that are less safe, smaller but not dissimilar to downtown Savannah.

[WindyCityzen]

I’m an American history buff. I’ve stopped at Andersonville, Warm Springs and Plains in Georgia. Museums in Atlanta. Selma and Tusktegee, Alabama. Lots in Nashville (the Hermitage). Chattanooga is a surprising hip and fun town. Lincoln sites in Kentucky and Indiana. Mammoth Cave. Next up are family genealogy stops in Bristol, Tennessee area.

[Sherrilee]

App I use is .... Waze. It is so correct as to construction- traffic and where police are located... it’s scary !!!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I can't get off the interstate. I need to make "good time".

There seem to be 2 basic types of drivers. Those that have a "drive straight through" mentality. And those with a "take their time so they don't miss anything" mentality. I wonder what the psychological traits are for the 2 different groups?

[rustyp]

Thanks to all that have responded. Please keep your favs coming. As I mentioned in an earlier post I have been doing this trip for 45 years. I have done the majority of places that have been mentioned so far. I'll wait till the ideas slow done and publish more of the gems I have found over all those years. I will comment on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I consider this not in the obscure category since it is well known. But if you have never done this do not miss it. One of the most scenic drives our country has to offer. A couple tips be very aware of fog. Especially prominent in the mornings. Very scary to be on twisty roads on the edge of a mountain and not be able to see. Second if you have the luxury it is better to do a different sections at a time on several trips. It can get tiring and time consuming but you also miss some of the beautiful little towns in the valley if you try to drive straight through on top. Another tip to pass along we have learned take a drive through of major universities. Very likely to see incredible architecture on many of the campuses.

[Dot Rheinhardt]

I like to stop at Civil War battlefields, Williamsburg, Virginia, museums, Cape Cod if you want to go a little off route. The Ferry from Lewes, DE to NJ is nice. Take a road East South of Richmond, VA. There is a ferry across the James River.

[lennythenet]

Check out Corolla in OBX and do one of the 4x4 excursions to Corova Beach. We were able to see the wild horses right on the beach. Definitely worth the trip!

[TOMTOFVIL]

If you go to Asheville go to Grove Park Inn, beautiful and many famous people have stayed there. Also go to Brevard and enter the Smoky National Park, could also go to Cherokee.

[Carla B]

There is a real day-trip break from civilization not far from I-95, Cumberland Island National Seashore, a beautiful island off the coast of Georgia. It's not accessible by car; you park your car in St. Mary's, and take the ferry over to the island, around 45 minutes one way. I think there are just two ferry trips per day which helps limit the number of visitors. Or if you are cruising on your own boat you can anchor nearby in the river, as we did. You bring you own lunch with you and take back your own trash. It is a national park and there are maps and guided tours, but you are also free to wander on your own. There is a campground site if you have the gear and wish to spend the night.

Cumberland is a huge barrier island and full of history from when James Oglethorpe purchased property there. There is a relatively flat walking trail across the island overhung with old oaks and Spanish moss. There are armadillos and roaming wild horses, and other wildlife. The horses are descendants of those brought to the island by Thomas Carnegie and wife Lucy, who also built a grand 59-room mansion there, Dungeness, in the 1880's. Thomas Carnegie died before the house was completed but Lucy carried on and built separate houses for their children. But in 1925 they suddenly left the island for good, abandoning all that had been built. The mansion was destroyed by arson in the 1950's but its ruins give an idea of its grandeur.

The walking trail leads to a beautiful and unspoiled seashore on the Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye can see.

In fact, thinking about this, it would be a great idea for a mini-vacation from The Villages.

[HORNET]

Google

[giorgio1948]

Especially in the Fall

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

There seem to be 2 basic types of drivers. Those that have a "drive straight through" mentality. And those with a "take their time so they don't miss anything" mentality. I wonder what the psychological traits are for the 2 different groups?

You forgot about the third type of driver, those that travel with their dog. They don't have the luxury of "taking their time so they don't miss anything".